Midnight Stars Quilt Top - Completed

Midnight Stars Doll Quit.  Designer: Lori D. Size: 22" square

My thanks to Lori for hosting this wonderful QAL.  I really enjoyed myself making this quilt.  One of the setting squares had to be pieced because I only had a skinny quarter.  I don't know when I'll get it quilted but what I do know is it'll be a cheddar binding.

I've started again with the free star block quilt by Blackbird Designs.  I am using an older fabric collection also by Blackbird Designs called Beach House with Kona Snow.

The Civil War Block 5 Kansas Troubles is completed.  This was sure a challenge to get right, even then the points are not exactly perfect.

I have progressed some on Prairie Schooler's More Friends.  It's still on the frame and the lighting was bad to take a pic.  It's been drizzling the whole of yesterday and part of today.  Sure is cold lately.

Civil War Quilt Blocks 4/52 - Texas Tears

This was a tough block for me.  I did not piece the triangles correctly resulting in a wonky block.  I was aligning them until I read the Texas Tears block tutorial by Lilian.  I should have left a 1/4" tip on both ends.

More fooling around with house blocks.  This time I tried foundation paper piecing.  I couldn't get my head around how things worked on the reverse.  If truth be told, there was supposed to be two chimneys up there on the roof ... I calculated the height of the roof wrongly :( I think I'm losing grey matter rapidly.  But it's a good size now at 6 1/2" square.

Midnight Stars Doll Quilt Along blocks are all done and awaiting the next part.  Love it when things are on schedule.

Two tops in the works.  I did not like how the collar turned out for the shirt by Angela Kane, but I think I'll just complete it as a muslin and learning process especially for the sleeve placket  and cuffs.  Also to get a feel of sizing.  The blue one is another Patricia Tunic by Sis Boom.  I've had the fabric for yonks.

Midnight Stars Doll Quilt Along - Part 4

Lori blogged the instructions for Part 4 last night.  And this morning I was busy cutting up squares.  It goes along fairly quickly with chain piecing. Love the blocks and glad Lori encouraged me to give it a go since it's a 5" block which is small for me.

I clowned played around with a house block with some scraps.  Did not use the instructions of using a template for the roof.  I just winged it in my cockamamie way.  Ah well ... I'll just let it ferment a little ...

Prairie Schooler's  More Friends has been taking up my nights.  Absolutely adore this piece.  Feel quite motivated to get it done after seeing all those lovely cross stitch pieces from the girls!

Amish Star quilt top - Completed

Amish Star Blocks quilt top.  1 Dusty pallete Kauffman roll-up.  Black Kona yardage for background and wide outer border and Gold Kona for narrow inner border.  Size: 81" x 81"

I am so happy that the Amish Star quilt top is completed.  It's quite majestic.  I finished it the night before my meet-up with Margaret W, Jackie O W, June, Lillie, Diane (Lillie's DD) and Paul the next morning.  I really pushed myself to finish it and so glad I did.  We had a good time chatting and stuffing our face! :)

The Burda blouse is also completed and even wore it for Sunday's brunch with above mentioned friends.  Love making garments for myself, oh so satisfying.  Now I need to start on the Trouser Sewalong.

Margaret W gave me this wonderful stitchy loot!  Love it all.  In the mag there's a beautiful XS piece by Thea Dueck.

Margaret knows me too well ... It's super pretty. This will definitely jump into my 2011 to-do-list!

And this is a close up of the vintage lace in a key-chain holder.  Bought in London during Margaret's recent trip.  Too dainty.

Last week I also received a lovely gift from Faizon, from her trip to the UK in December last year.  I've been looking for the perfect Christmas Red tatting thread for some time now.  Size 30 or 40 is my preferred size.  Time to dust off my tatting shuttle :)  Thanks so much Faizon.  I have wanted to make a reverse colour option of this pouch I made some years ago.  The snowflakes were tatted by Faizon.

I've completed Part 2 of Lori's Midnight Stars Doll Quilt Along.  Loving the pace that Lori has set.

Civil War Quilt Blocks 2/52 - North Star

 

Really enjoying these weekly blocks by Barbara Brackman.  And the stories about the American Civil War is a wonderful bonus.

Recently arrival of 3 pkgs of fabrics. Their mostly CW and grouped by colours.  The fabrics are currently being washed.

The blouse is coming along slowly.  What's left are the buttons and hand stitching the front plackets down.

Civil War Quilt Blocks 1/52

Jess alerted me Saturday night on a new Block of the Week that Barbara Brackman is doing to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War.  I knew then and there that I need to get involved.  On Sunday morning I set about cutting and piecing the blocks together. And to think Barbara featured my block on the blog!  I'm totally chuffed!  Blogland is buzzing about this new project!

The red and white bear paw quilt top is completed.  It is now 46" square.  Still unsure how I'll be quilting it or when for that matter.  I need to get some piecing of bed quilts out of the way before I get to this again.

A Burda8368 blouse in the process.  It'll have 3/4 sleeves.  The instructions for the collar was vague but I managed it somehow.  I prefer hand stitching the inner collar piece down.  I'm trying very hard to ensure my construction is methodical, neat and generally done well.  Couture sewing ... here I come :)

Happy New Year!

And here's to a productive 2011!  

I would like to really improve on my garment sewing skills, at present it is so mediocre.  Keep telling myself ... I should be a neater / more accurate seamstress.  Also I want to work on some stitchery patterns.  Sure like the look of quilted wall hangings with a stitchery panel.

Red & white Bear Paw quilt to date.  It's 39" square now.  There is still the outer border in white.  I'm thinking of having a slightly wider outer border ... we'll see ...

 While taking a break from cutting all those HSTs for the bear paw quilt, I fooled around with another method of making HSTs and eventually a Pinwheel block.  I followed Jenny's tut on YouTube.  Sewed it up in a jiffy!

A small order of tea towels from Bird Brain Designs.  Here's where the stitchery comes in :)

Anni Downs' pincushion is on my to-do list.  However I will be changing the concept of the pincushion.  I'm not a garden buff but I'm surely a needleworker!

My New Year start at the stroke of midnight.  That's the measly result of 20 mins of work!  By far for me cross stitch is the most time intensive hand work I do.  It's Prairie Schooler's Friends - Friendship is a sheltering tree.  Margaret W and I set out to complete 10 pcs from both Friends and More Friends some years ago.  But somewhere in between realty kicked in ... or truth be told ... laziness :)  This will be my last block of 4 that will be converted into a wall hanging quilt.  Here's the other 3: