Scrap dance twist mystery tabletopper

My OMG for the month of May was to finish my table topper.

The mystery quilt "Scrap dance twist" was organized by Carolina over at From my Carolina home. I still don't know how I stumbled on her blog .... a few years ago. Each year she organizes a scrap dance and this year I decided to participate as have so many scraps and fabric and while waiting for the fabric I ordered online to make the backing of my confinement quilt.

I really like the end result, and will make a few more as they make nice gifts.

Next step making the backing - I think I will use some red fabric. Not sure if I will add batting, as this will be a tabletopper a flat top will be easier to handle.

Linking with Patty's OMG for May over at Elm Street Quilts.

A good thing my OMG was "just" the tabletopper as I ended making a bunch of masks for my kids, secondary school started last week on a voluntary basis and they go four days a week. It makes teleworking definitely a lot easier.

OMG May - Scrap Dance Twist

Am participating in a mystery quilt organized by Carolina over at From my Carolina home. First time I participate in a mystery QAL. Am making the table-topper size. Other sizes are available (crib, throw all the way to King size). I wasn't sure how much time I was going to have, so decided for the smallest size.


Am using batiks I bought last year in Malaysia.

Step 2 was sewing the little squares all together

Step 3 was making half square triangles

Step 4 (four-patch units) and step 5 (making rows of 2 four-patch units and one square in the middle) - no pictures .....

Yesterday step 6 was released and in two weeks time we should have the reveal and I will be able to finish the top.

My OMG for May is to finish the top. I might even make a second one as they make pretty gifts.

Linking up with Patty from Elm Street Quilts who keeps us going each month.

Confinement Tula Pink quilt top

There are advantages to being locked up at home. The first few weeks were difficult, adjusting to homeschooling and working at the same time required a lot of patience. There have been so many moments in my life in the last years that I was thinking that my patience was going to be tested .... and sure enough every time there is a new situation ....

I have found a great way of dealing with these moments ... I quilt. So now as we cannot leave our house, except for groceries and bread, which I do at lunch time as less people around, I end up having a lot of time in the weekends.

In March I cut the fabric for the spinning rail fence quilt and re-named it "confinement quilt" a more appropriate name. Also bringing some positive thoughts to the lock down and definitely lots of colours. The fabric used is from Tula Pink's All Stars collection

I enjoyed working on the quilt, taking step by step of sewing the strips (early April), cutting the sub-units, sewing the sub-
units, cutting 9" blocks .... and slowly the quilt came together. The blocks were sewn in diagonal strips. Once done a beautiful rainbow quilt appeared.

I took the top to the garden and hanged it in the plum tree.

I wasn't sure about the outer border, the pattern asked for 4 1/2" strips, I tried 2 1/2" strips, too thin .... so in the end I cut 4' strips. Perfect in between solution.

I will send the quilt top to a long-arm quilter in the Netherlands; Rachel from Stitched in color will do a great job.

Linking up with Patty at Elm Street quilts for my April One Monthly Goal.

OMG April - confinement quilt

I started a new quilt - I will call it my confinement quilt, obviously because I am making it while confined. Unfortunately I won;t be able to finish the quilt as I have no backing and shops are closed. The fabric shop where I sometimes go has an on-line shop - however closed as well. The little shop recently discovered close to where I buy my veggies - closed as well.

I bought the pattern last year from Shabby Fabrics - the fabric used is the Tula Pink All Stars collection. The colours are awesome.

The pattern calls for a black border and am not very convinced yet. The black border does make the colours stand out, so maybe I will just make a small border - or a very small border and a colourful outer border.

I have cut now all the triangles and strips.

I have made the strip sub-units. Next step is to sew the sub-units and cut these up.

My April OMG will be to finish the top - yes an ambitious goal, but am stuck at home. Not much time during the week between work, homeschooling three kids, ensuring three meals a day ... the weekends I reserve time for myself. I had these great ideas of using my commuting time for craftsy things .... so not happening.

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts and the One Monthly Goal for April

Baby quilt

Baby quilts are cute, easy to make and most of all easy to quilt and improve skills.

A colleague of mine gave birth to a girl. We had to postpone (or cancel) the baby-shower. So the quilt will only be warming the new baby when this crazy period is over.

For March I had two objectives: 1) finish the quilt and 2) finish the table runner. Am happy to blog that I finished both projects.

I try to craft every day half an hour now that I don't commute - this was not yet feasible - am improving though. A few small projects to finish that are almost done .... there are some advantages to the confinement. Needless to say that my sanity is pretty intact.

Linking up with Patty's OMG for March at Elm Street Quilts

A little green dress

Everyone needs a little green dress. A colleague for mine brought me fabric from Ghana. Enough to make a dress. I went through my stack of patterns - some dating back from years (read many many years) ago. I have a hard time throwing patterns away. So in an effort to contain the piles of pattern magazines have been sorting and selecting a few times to keep only those I think I might make. All those I know for sure will not make are out ..... still many to go. It does feel good to go through the oldies and select patterns. This dress was one of them, not sure from which year. I adapted the dress by making it wide enough so I don't need a zipper.

With a small cardigan (in a matching green) I can wear it when days are a bit cooler.

Tablerunner

The tablerunner is done, like to look of it. And it is adorning the coffee table, celebrating spring with spring colours.

The set was bought as a pre-cut kit to try out. I like the pattern and will make definitely make some more. They make nice gits.

Linking my first OMG March project with Patty at Elm Street Quilts. On to finish project 2.

OMG March - two projects

This month was going to be a very busy month, and now it will just be busy. My trip to Algeria is canceled, our office canceled the meeting. We then decided to have the meeting in Republic of Congo, which is not going to happen either. All travelers from high-risk countries will be quarantined upon arrival. Well that is the official notice from the health authorities. So the meeting is postponed until ..... as all countries are potentially at risk .....

I made the table top runner as part of my February OMG. Uploading from my ipad is a skill I have not yet properly mastered, or to be precise, uploading pictures has room for improvement. So back to classic computer use.

This month my OMG for March is to finish the table runner - the beauty is basted and waiting next to my sewing machine.

Project two to finish is the baby quilt I started for a colleague, also basted and patiently waiting.

Thank you Patty of Elm Street quilts to keep us going.

Table runner top done

The downside with short months is that they fly by and leave you less days to finish projects. Combined with a crazy week at work and a baby quilt ......

My goal for this month was to make a table runner - at least the top - and a good thing the aim was at least the top as I did not manage to quilt it. The baby quilt came in between - and is not finished either as the baby shower is postponed until after the baby is born.




Linking with Patty's February OMG at Elm Street Quilts for February.

OMG February table runner

Over the years, while traveling and living in different countries I could not really be bothered with table runners. A coffee table was for my books and tea. Some knitting maybe. Then I had kids and the coffee table was their play domain. I remember having friends over and we had a glass of wine in the kitchen. When I suggested the kitchen they looked very surprised. For me the kitchen table is the only table in the house where I can sit quietly with a cup of tea or in this case a glass of wine. Why: because the kitchen is the only place in the house where toys are not allowed. And still are not allowed, no lego, no playmobile, no dolls, nothing ..... The only exception is when we play a board game as the kitchen table is the only table that is cleared constantly. Hence the perfect place to enjoy time with friends or on my own.

The only exception for a relative accessible coffee table was Christmas. And my kids respected this - more or less. In 2018 I made a table runner with Autumn design. Not so much because I desperately wanted a table runner ... I liked the design and colours and the small size would help me finish the quilt in a short time. It ended up actually being used.

Last year I was in South Africa and bought a table runner. Just loved the design. And I use it. I still need to claim the coffee table back now and then. I went traveling a few weeks ago, came back and heaps and heaps of stuff on the coffee table - hand in hand with the Christmas decoration. Kids - you have your own room now to keep your things ....

Inspired by all the bloggers constantly changing their decoration, decided to try this on a small scale. With table runners, as they are small projects ..... and I simply don't see myself changing the decor around. Even the Christmas decoration is not at full force each year as some years just do not have the time. Even now, although the Christmas deco is out of the way .... most of it is still in some grocery bags waiting to go to their containers for proper storage ....

My aim for Patty's February OMG at Elm Street Quilts is to make a table runner in spring colours. At least the top should be done by the end of the month. I have this cute kit, the colours are spring colours and softer than I am used to have in my living room. In the worst case scenario it will make a nice gift.