One yard update

One yard wonders decided against using my fabric for the bag I designed and sent me some instead. I do love it though and I spent yesterday morning putting a bag together in it to send to them.

Cute? You can only just tell in the picture below but I used a silver bell instead of a bead to keep the toggle on this time. I keep imagining it jingling all the way to the states!

I also just finished my third block for the quiltalong - I have been pleasantly surprised at how quickly these are going together - the bulk of the time is taken cutting but I cut all the pieces for this block while watching Junior Apprentice last night so when I woke up this morning I could get stuck straight into sewing. As I make each block I am also making up 12-20 extra geese depending on how many I can squeeze out of the piece of fabric - these will be the border + I will have extras to add to the back and other projects. It works for me to do lots at the same time so I can string piece them.

geese with beaks!

I have just finished my second block and am pleased to report that my flying geese making skills have improved to the degree that they all have sharp beaks!

The same; but different

As frequently happens, I have been inspired by Katy over at I'm a ginger monkey who is participating in this quiltalong, set up by the fabulous Anita.

I am quite late in starting so I have a bit of catching up to do and, well, I've changed it about a wee bit

I have taken out the geese in the sashing - a) because I am skeeered of how many geese I would need to make and b) because I wanted a 'whiter' quilt.

I have replaced the two centre geese with a solid 4 1/2 inch square because I knew I would obsess about which direction the geese should be facing and this way I can have them all pointing in centrally instead.

I have added extra white sashing either side of the geese border, again for that extra bit of white.

Finally, I have reduced it to 3 blocks by 3 blocks from Anita's 4x4 - this is just so that I get it finished! Depending on how quickly I progress I may reconsider that change.

I have just finished my first block

Oh yes and another change I have made is that each block will use 3 different fabrics + white. I

haven't planned out which fabrics I will use where yet, I just grabbed the first 3 that came to hand last night but 3 blocks by 3 blocks x 3 colours in each block = 27 so there is scope for using each of my current designs once if I leave out the ones that are very white like the large maneki and the peacock range.

My goal is to get it finished in time to use as a wall display at the Festival of Quilts - I will send it away for long arm quilting so I need to decide where it is going and find out what their deadline would be in order for me to get it back in time!

I have just spent an exhausting weekend at Wimbledon International Quilt Show - only really so tiring because of the 'toing and froing' though! I had a lovely time meeting and chatting with like minded people. I mainly spent my time figuring out a simple method to drop a zip in a small coin purse (Hi Rose!).......this took the majority of Saturday and Sunday, hand sewing is not my friend! I am going to play around now I am joyfully reunited with my bernina and then I might do a little tute cos it's quite cute! The quilt show itself was gorgeous, they are a very talented bunch, stupidly I didn't take any pictures, hmm.

Last weekend was my first camping weekend of the year because, yippee!, it is kite festival season once more! It was bitter sweet as we took time to mark the passing of our dear friend/father/husband/ex partner (that's where I come in)/team mate/flying buddy Steve who sadly passed away in January.

Since my last post I have also managed to squeeze in a little trip to France to gaze lovingly at this nose......

....well, wouldn't you? given the opportunity?