I'm busy making bright, cheerful Sister's Choice blocks, and enjoying the happy fabrics.  I have 35 completed, and another 7 to sew together this afternoon.

 I keep going back to my usual favourites, but they are so dingy compared to these fabrics that I can't include them.  I don't have a huge collection of brights, so I'm having to use fabrics three or four times, and that feels odd.  My Repro stash is so huge that I never have to repeat a fabric unless I want to. 
I'm struggling with the layout.  I kept seeing quilts on Bonnie's slideshows that are set edge to edge, and I wanted to make a quilt exactly like that.  But now that the blocks are on my design wall I want to fiddle with setting. 
I really dislike putting blocks right next to each other, all those seams form lumps and bumps that I'm not a fan of.  And all that cream irritates me for some reason.  So I tried a little sashing strip, just to see what it would look like.

I love this batik, but I don't have enough.  I have to start buying batik yardage, not just FQs.

I have many metres of this aqua/green print, and it's really pretty next to the green and purple blocks.  The coral and yellow blocks seem brighter next to it too.  I think I've decided to use 1.5" finished sashing; that will solve the problem of too many seam allowances in one spot, and it will bring even more colour into the quilt and the cream areas won't bug me anymore.  Sometimes the things I hate about a quilt have more effect than the things I love; I keep changing things until I don't hate it anymore, and then I discover that I love it after all.

There are lots of leftovers, so I need to choose another pattern to sew these into.  I'd like to completely use up a lot of these fabrics, and then I will be able to go shopping for some lovely modern prints.  I'm certainly shaking up the stash lately, and it's been fun.

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I don't really feel like getting stuck into the UFOs right now.  I feel like cutting up huge swathes of fabric and stocking the empty project boxes with new pieces.  It's mad to ignore all the existing projects, silly to pull out stacks of fabric and cut more and more strips, insane to plan three new quilts.  But it's also fun, and the only thing that's keeping me in the sewing room lately.
I've cut the background pieces for 35 Sister's Choice blocks,

and I've made four complete blocks (just to test my measurements).

Everything is spot on, so I can get busy cutting up scraps and kitting up the 56 blocks I want to make.  They will be set edge to edge, no sashing, so it will be a decent size quilt but not enormous.  56 blocks should make a dent in the scrap containers.

I'm going to make all the star point units first, then all the nine-patch centres, so it will be simple to use the pieces as leader-enders.  It's what makes Bonnie's mysteries so easy to put together; all the units are made, it's just a matter of arranging them into blocks and sewing them together.

When I was visiting Mereth's sewing room I saw some brown nine-patches lying on a scrap of the blue fabric I used for my Sister's Ninepatch.  The blue and brown looked wonderful together, and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind.  I really miss having nine-patch blocks ready to sew, and the obvious thing to do was to start cutting up brown scraps.

I went through the stash drawers and pulled out anything that was smaller than a FQ, or anything that was seriously old and needed to be dealt with.  The cream and white fabrics have blue prints on them, and are another section of the stash that needs to be whittled down.  A few pieces were sent through the Go Cutter, subcut into squares and I sewed up a trial block.

This is going to be fun.  At the moment I don't know whether I will keep making larger blocks like this, or if I will just set the 3" blocks with the blue fabric.  Can't stop to make decisions, got to keep cutting while the mood is upon me.  And to think I used to hate nine-patches!
I've written these new projects into my spreadsheet for 2016; my project tally is 23, not so many after all.  I think my goal for this year is to finish 16 tops, which sounds perfectly reasonable this early in the year.  It's a fun number to aim for anyway.

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This morning I photographed some of my UFOs and sorted out the boxes and labelled everything.  It certainly helps to know exactly how many there are, and where they are.

 

I had this many project boxes,

but further investigation showed that three of them only contained collections of fabric for future projects; I found small tubs for the fabric, and now I have three empty boxes.  While I'm cleaning up I will probably find more UFOs tucked away, so there will be a home for them in one of these square boxes.

1. This floral Stack&Whack is ancient, about 12 years old.  It would only take a day to finish the rest of the blocks, I should slot it in between bigger projects.

2. Urban Abacus - this is something I'm really looking forward to, it will be one of the first projects I work on this year.

3.  Batik Squares - not really a project yet, just cutting squares and stockpiling them for the next batik quilt

 4.  Madder Stars - had these on the design wall last year, and put them away for when I need a quick finish.  They are stacked in rows and ready to put together.

5. Album blocks - ongoing project to use up reproduction scraps.  Love these blocks, but I don't feel in any hurry to get these into a quilt.

6. Blue and green rosettes - sewing paper pieced hexies hurts my hands, so these will be made into runners or cushions, a little at a time.

 7. Tiny Nine-patches - these were made with charm squares last year, and I have a lot of them made.

I ran out of charm squares, and other things took precedence.  I'll have to get back to these, they were a lot of fun.

8.  Octagon blocks - I have all 30 made, just need to organise the sashing. And come up with a name for the blocks.

9. Pretty tumblers - started cutting these on a whim, and when I have enough I'll lay them out on the design wall, then stack them in rows next to the machine and use them as leader enders.

10. Red and blue sampler blocks - I'm enjoying them, but have no idea where I'm going with them.

 11.  Blue and brown blocks - I adore these, don't know why I stopped sewing on them.  I have heaps of pieces cut, and the sashing already in the box.

These should be high on the To-Do list.

12. Not really a project - all the scrap ends of 2 & 2.5" strips, sewn together in long chains.  These will make scrap borders or sashing one day, but for now they are leader-enders.
There are other projects around, but these are the ones in the boxes on display.  The other UFOs are hidden away, and they can stay that way for now.  I have plenty to be doing already.

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Happy New Year to everyone, I hope we're all ready for a great year ahead of us.  I'm enjoying 2016 so far, all 2 days if it.  I'm finally done with all the commitments, and there's some sewing time planned for the rest of the weekend.

Christmas was a bit of a blur, after celebrating the day with family here I travelled down to Adelaide to spend some time with DD and family.  There was no traffic on the roads, it was wonderful not to have to look out for dodgy drivers.  Shonny lives on the northern edge of  Adelaide, so a few minutes drive away it's country.  I can go visit her without any city traffic at all, which is wonderful.  Her place is two minutes drive from both Bunnings and Spotlight, it doesn't get much better than that!
We went to Spotlight on Sunday and I bought a few things.  There wasn't much patchwork fabric that I was interested in, but I did get some rayon and linen pieces for clothing.  I used to enjoy making most of my clothing, and I hate shopping for clothes anyway.  I'll have a play with this stuff and see if I still like sewing garments.

It's been nasty and hot, so I haven't felt like being in my sewing room with no a/c; today is much cooler though, so I came in from the farm very early, before the sun was even up, and started putting borders on this quilt.

It caused me a lot of trouble, being as I had to match the pattern, and I barely had enough for all four borders.  I've used this toile  for another quilt's borders, and Mereth used the remnants from that, and now every last scrap is gone. This is the first finish for 2016, and I'm very pleased with it.  ONE of the red and blue quilts finished at last.

I'm still wanting to make a Sister's Choice like Bonnie's; I'm making blue and red ones, but that's not the same.  I want something cheerful and scrappy like hers.

I may have started cutting sets of blocks from my modern scraps.

There have been so many bushfires this season already; one of DD's workmates lost everything, the only thing that was saved was her dog.  One of Helen's friends lost his whole house and farm, he has nothing left.  I'm going to concentrate on actually quilting a lot of my modern tops so that I can offer them to people in need.  If I have a selection then it's more likely they will see one they really like.  I love making my quilts, and sometimes that's enough; I don't need to own the quilt forever.  I've never regretted gifting a quilt in the past, so I want to do more of it in future.

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 I keep an eye on the Ebay and Gumtree listings for sewing machines in my area, just out of interest.  I've been wanting a treadle with Tiffany decals for a long time, but I never found any nice ones for under $500.  I was almost resigned to the fact that I'd have to pay that, or go without, when I saw this one on Gumtree.  I was already in Adelaide to visit the DD, so I just popped round to have a look, and it was in nice enough condition to buy. 

It's been restored, not very well, but at least the decals haven't been scrubbed off. It was $180, and I was happy to pay that because I haven't found a cheaper one, in this condition, in this area, in years of looking. 
The woodwork was sanded back, stained with an un-natural red stain popular in the 90s, and the edges painted black.  Not what I would have done, but never mind.  The machine is fine, which is the important thing.  I couldn't test it, because the drive band was in three pieces, but it turned over smoothly and the bobbin case was intact.
When I brought it home I had a pile of work to finish, so I couldn't do more than get it inside.  I admired it while I slaved away at the computer until one night I snapped.  I went out to my stack of machine parts and rummaged around till I found another leather drive band; after a few attempts I had it the right length, and the machine was working again.  I had to adjust the bobbin case as it was way too tight, but with two minutes work this old dear was sewing perfectly again. 

You have to love a machine that is so well engineered it's almost impossible to wreck it.  Her number was assigned in 1909, so she's over 100 years old.

I'm not sure the bobbin winder will work, it doesn't look like all the others I saw on Ebay, so I will have a little play with that later.  I still have no spare time to sew, or fiddle with sewing machines, but once the Christmas rush is over I will sit down with this old girl and get to know what she can do. 

 This certainly isn't the original bobbin cover, just something the restorer bunged on there to fill the gap.  I have spare ones in my stash, so it will get replaced quick smart.

I don't know what her name is yet, maybe she'll just be Tiffany.  I'll decide that after I've known her a bit longer.

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I finally had time to get the borders on my Sisters Nine-patch, and I can pack away the remnants of the red nine-patches.

These have been lying around for 18 months, and I'm ready to move on to something that doesn't involve this much red.  I agonised over the setting fabric, and then the borders, but it was worth it to have a top that I actually liked.  The border fabric was difficult to choose; nothing went with the setting fabric and I ransacked the cupboards auditioning dozens of fabrics.

The leaf fabric is old, and one of my favourites.  I decided I would use it, cut strips late at night and measured one wrong.  Disaster!  I already knew that there was nothing else in my stash, so I went round to Mereth's and raided her stash.  She very kindly let me have the leafy, scrolly print and I think I like the top even better with it's two different borders.  Thanks heavens for stash fabrics.
I'll be dealing with red and blue for quite some time though; I now have 30 of these blocks done, enough to set together into a decent sized top.

 I will have to puzzle through sashing fabric for that.  Then there are the red and blue sampler blocks, patiently waiting.  And also this 4-patch 9-patch top, just needing it's borders.

Once that is done I'm going to branch out into some other colours for a change!

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My hands have continued to be a problem, I'm just overworking them with the day job, the computer work, sewing and quilting and spinning.  The writing is on the wall, I need to change how I do things or risk permanent damage.  I've slowed down an awful lot, changed the way I do things (not ever going to open a jar with my left hand again), and tried to be more mindful of how I can make things easier for myself.  So when I discovered an online shop where I could lay-by the Go! Big electric cutter I thought, 'Why wait till next year? Get it now and save your hands'.
This next bit is for Aussies only;  I bought mine from Cutting Art, and they were wonderful to deal with.  It was the cheapest price I found, and I had 8 weeks to pay for it.  Once you buy a cutter from them they give you a discount on the dies as well.  And there's free shipping over $120.  I was really pleased with their service. And they have a Christmas special on too, so Aussies can grab a bargain for Christmas.

I bought a Kite die, and a 3" Triangle In Square die, and the 6" Flying Geese came with the Go Big.  I have plenty of ideas on what I want to do with these various shapes, but not much time at the moment.  It will wait until Christmas.

The 4" Kite is a real scrap buster, I'm going to whittle down my scrap containers with this one.  It's super quick to cut and put together, and I will play with the colouring to get different looking blocks.

The Triangle In Square die will make lots of star blocks easier, and the border of Celtic Solstice will be a snap now.

 This die is badly designed; each Triangle In Square block requires a left facing triangle, and a right facing one.  The die cuts only one sort; to make even a single block you have to cut two layers of fabric, right sides together.  If they had had the diagonal line of the triangles sloping in opposite directions it would have made it possible to cut triangles for two blocks from each layer of fabric.  Not good planning on their part.  Seeing as I plan to use this for scrap cutting I'm not too upset; I just have to make sure I cut equal amounts of scraps facing up, and facing down, otherwise I'll end up with not enough matching pairs to make the blocks.  Surely their testers could have pointed that out to them....

Mereth and I have already cut a heap of blocks, and she has sewn up a fair few; I'm still waiting for the time to sit at the machine and send the pieces through.  Soon....

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I'm here at the farm, and enjoying it mightily.  It's so peaceful and beautiful, it's very relaxing to drive home here at the end of another busy day. 

Tawny is a Kelpie cross, about 6 years old, and she's missing her family;

she's getting lots of attention from me, but it's just not the same.  Plus I have a printed schedule of pills that she has to have; two different types, at differing times for the next two weeks.  Good thing I don't mind administering pills, I learned how to do that at ag college 30 years ago.  I'm glad Tawny is sweet-natured, allowing a total stranger to put pills down her throat, but she does flinch a bit whenever I come near her.  All is well as soon as she realises there isn't a tablet involved.

Of course there is the problem that so much of what I want or need is back at the hall, and when I'm in there I'm cursing because the computer or Ipad or whatever is out the farm; I just need to be organised and it will take a few days for me to work out a system.  I'll get there.

I made sure to bring out a bottle of red and a wine glass, to toast the beautiful view and the start of my little adventure.

Crackers from Ikea, and Stilton from Costco made an acceptable dinner. 

Both were bought on shopping expeditions with my DD, so there were happy memories to keep me company as well.  Nice...

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These days are just racing by, and blogging is last on the list of things to do.  Everything else has deadlines, or obligations, or I just want to help family and friends, so the blog has to wait till I find more time.  I have a couple more days of computer work, then I'm taking a break till mid January; the postie rush has only 2 and a bit weeks to go, and then we should have a quiet time after that. 
To distract myself from all the work and running around I might have bought a few things..... I will blog about all these in more detail over the next few days.

 That would be an electric Go Cutter.

And a Quick Curve ruler from Sew Kind Of Wonderful. Thank heavens they have pdf downloads, so I don't have to wait for the patterns.

A treadle with Tiffany decals has been on my Want List for many years, and I finally found an affordable one.  It's not perfect, but still very beautiful.

My sewing room has been sadly neglected for weeks, but it's starting to inspire me again.  I've been rummaging through Mereth's stash and found some fabrics that will help me finish all my blue and red projects, so I'm keen to get back to that.

There are 4 things that need borders, it will take a while to deal with them all.

 And I may have snapped and started a tumbler quilt as a leader-ender.  I'm unrepentant.

Tomorrow I start 7 weeks of baby-sitting a friend's farm, just across the creek from Helen.  It's a few kilometres out of town, so I'll have to commute to work.  I will have a farm dog to look after, but it will be best if Dolly stays with Mereth.  When Mereth needs a holiday from our two dogs she can come out to the farm and I'll go in and stay at her place.  It's probably another layer of madness at this busy time, but I'm looking forward to it.  Life would be dull if we didn't branch out every now and then.

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I really dropped the blogging ball, I think this is the longest break I've had.  Blame my mad schedule of work and travel and family time; my 'free' time seems to have vanished just lately.

I've been sewing in odd moments, but nothing is finished.  I'm working on four projects, and I just need a few days to get them done and dusted; that might not happen until the Christmas break.

Things are very busy at the Post Office, as we deliver shedloads of Christmas shopping; when we finally give up this job it will be such a relief to look forward to Christmas again, instead of dreading it.  Still, only 5 more Mondays to get through (Mondays are a nightmare, with a veritable mountain of parcels).
I snapped and started cutting up the blue and red prints, as I knew I would.

 Sisters Choice sampler blocks

I'm doing three lots of blocks, and whittling the pile of fabrics down to almost nothing. I'm sure this is a good thing, even if I feel a bit of mild panic at their disappearance.

 Don't know the name of this block, I just drew it to use up this set of fabrics. It's probably got a name, but I haven't gone and looked to see if it already exists.  That centre octagon shows off the light, large print fabrics, and those big corner triangles are the perfect place for the darker fabrics. (That block with the red cross is going to be a separate quilt, I like it so much.) 

 My Sisters NinePatch now has blue setting squares instead of yellow, and I like it a lot.  It's been a good leader-ender project for over a year, I'll miss making those blocks which is why I'm doing blue and shirting ones now.  I don't have enough energy to do anything clever as a leader-ender.

I'll be going to Adelaide this weekend, to help my DD shift house; they have a new 5 bedroom home, and I will have my own room there!  Lots of visits are planned; Seonaid and Hayden bought me a ticket on the Nanna Train, boarding next May.

I've been very philosophical about waiting for grandchildren, unlike a friend; her daughter told her if she didn't stop asking she'd get none!  I know that life is never the same once the Grandies arrive, so I've been enjoying my insular lifestyle for the past few years.  When my grandchild is here I'll want to go visit, and help any way I can; I won't just be thinking of myself anymore.  It's exciting and I'm looking forward to it!

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