Project 35 BSB blocks 7 August

I love reading - however this week no reading for me. The August block of Bella Skill Builder is waiting for me. As I "chop" my larger projects in smaller projects to get them done - I "chop" the different steps for each block as well. So one afternoon I cut the fabric and then later in the week I sit behind my sewing machine and sew the pieces together. My iron board and iron were never used so much since I started quilting. I never liked ironing, for quilting it makes the sewing definitely so much neater if ironed.

To make sure that I would finish the August block in time (and my July block as well) I challenged myself. I signed up for the One Monthly goal of Elm Street Quilts. That block is addictive and so inspiring. All these gorgeous projects out there .... I need to keep on reminding myself that I have too many projects waiting (or in progress) and I should finish first what I started.

I liked making the blocks, the August ones are bigger than the other months. So with the same amount of work I ended up with two big blocks. And ideas are flowing ..... maybe one quilt using earth colours.... how many quilts can one have .....

Am happy that I finished my objective for August finishing both the July and August block.

26 August

Project 34 Ross blanket squares 2

The kids are on holidays so need to occupy them. They love going to the playground. I love going there for other reasons obviously. I don't see myself hanging upside down from a pyramid or pirate boat. I sit in the shade and crochet (or knit depending on what I have at hand small enough to bring along). So part two - making 4 squares was accomplished.

24 August

Project 33 Ross blanket part 1

For a while I have been eyeing this lovely blanket. Last year during a call the Demelza blanket was done, and I loved the colours. I just did not have enough time to participate as I have so many projects to finish. And I thought that I would never be able to crochet something complicated. Well, I also said that for the Frida blanket and all the other lovely projects passing by.
No more time to be "afraid" - I ordered the package. I started the squares of week 1 and panicked, how on earth was I ever going to learn this. To complicate all - the videos use English terminology and I use US terminology. So I watched the videos a few times, US instructions next to me and yes - got it - I managed to finish the 16 little squares - of course by the time I finished them, the CAL was at week 4 ...... it didn't matter. I finished them.

17 August

Project 32 BSB block 6 July

Quilting time - one of the advantages of participating in a QAL is that every month a block is released and I have one month to actually make the block. July came, video was posted, I watched the video, cut the fabric and then .... no time to finish. Meanwhile the August block was released.
So before going on holidays I made time and finished the July block. Time for a happy dance.

Making the block is also part of my One Monthly Goal for August of Elm Street Quilts.

14 August

OMG August - am behind schedule

July is gone and August started and not much progress on my July block for the Bella Skill Builder. First I had to finish my baby quilt and then bring the baby quilt to the Netherlands ........

And then I was soo excited to learn that I won a prize - for the first time I actually won a PRIZE. A gift certificate from my favourite quilt shop - FQS - and it will be spent many times in my head before I actually spent it. Well, that is part of the fun.
A big thank you to Elm Street Quilts and FQS.

So back to my BSB quilt - my August goal for One Montlhy Goal from Elm Street Quilts will be to finish my July block (#6) and to make my August block (#7).

Project 31 Apricot peach jam

I had some wild peaches cut in pieces in my freezer and some apricots that needed to be eaten fast. So why not make jam, after all nothing better than some nice home made jam on a piece of toast in the morning.

Project 30 Finished the baby quilt

The baby quilt is finished and ready to be given to the newborn baby's parents. Halfway the quilt was wondering if the baby built would be baby-ish enough, and it is. The quilt is a lovely combination of bright happy colours. The border is done with one of the yellow African fabrics that has quite some of the other colours used. I choose this colour as the baby is a boy. Would the baby have been a girl, I would have use some purple for the border.

At the same time I managed to reach my aim of finishing the quilt as part of the OMG July challenge that Patty at Elm Street Quilts is hosting. It does help to set a public goal!!

Making the border of the baby quilt OMG July

Quilting is addictive. I have had a weakness for fabrics ever since ... well ever since I learned how to use a sewing machine. I used to go the "lapjes markt" (fabrics market) in the Netherlands when I was a student to buy fabrics to make my own clothes. And then when living abroad would buy fabrics everywhere. I made some nice silk jackets from Chinese silk bought at the market in Rawalpindi when living in Pakistan. And I bought some lovely hand woven fabric made by Guatemalan refugees living in refugee camps in Southern Mexico. I still have the jacket I made, it is too big, however I can not throw it away. And for work I traveled to several African countries and bought loads of African batiks. And of course I bought kilos and kilos of batiks in Indonesia. A good thing I stopped traveling because I have so much now.

And then I discovered quilting. I had made one years ago, I had a picture from a magazine and Laura Ashley fabrics my mum had given me when I was a teenager. A little plastic bag with 5" squares. It was a good learning experience and I thought this is it. I have made one, it asks too much precision, not for me.

A friend of mine had given me 6 yards of African fabric a few years ago. I made a curtain, and a lamp for the boys' room and there was still so much left. So I made a quilt, all squares and it looked great until I tried to actually back it and quilt it all together, it looked wobbly on the back side.

Still not giving up, I came across the QAL from the FQS "Cross Roads" and I made it using fabric from my African stash. It looked much better. Still wobbly on the backside after quilting but improvement.

And early June I discovered the site Elm Street Quilts - and they have monthly challenges. This is all I needed. I had started this cute baby blanket again using my African stash and signed up for One Monthly goal. July has started and OMG July is open.

My goal for OMG July is to make the border and finish the baby blanket. The baby is born (a boy) and am traveling end July to bring the blanket.

Project 29 Quilting the baby quilt OMG June

And I did it .... I participated in Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal (OMG) for June. I had decided that my goal for this month was to do all the quilting for the baby quilt that is to be a present. Project 21 describes how I decided to participate. Looking at what other quilters make is so inspiring, especially to a newbie as me.

Goal was to quilt the blanket: use my new walking foot and try the embroidery foot for free style quilting.

Conclusion: I love my new walking foot, it really makes quilting easier. Also I did block by block to see if this would give a nicer result. It did. As for the FQS it is still rather difficult to do on a whole quilt, I tried and did not succeed very well for two reasons: I still have a hard time juggling all that material in my sewing machine (I so need a bigger arm machine - out of reach) and I need a quilting support for my machine (not available as my machine is very old). So I did reach my goals albeit with a different result as I originally visualized. Some of the sewing is a bit wobbly. As I was juggling and turning and sighing I thought: it does not matter that some of the lines are wobbly, after all I am poring a lot of love in this baby blanket

Lessons learned: quilt by blog, turn the fabric sometimes in a different direction than what I automatically do as sometimes turning clock-wise or against the clock can make a big difference in handling all that fabric.

Follow up: try to make a quilt table myself - well design and draw and then ask my DHB to make it for me.

Next steps: do the binding - but that is for next month.

June 30

Project 28 Socks pair number 3

Socks are the best on the go project and I finally finished by pair mnumber 3 that I had been carrying around for a few months. In between they were put aside as I had some other gifts to finalize. Lovely mosaic colour.

24 June