Sunday Stitchers - UFO Challenge - #4 - My Small World

For the April MOJO List Challenge - I switched projects. I had planned to finish My Kinda Town, but couldn't find a suitable border fabric, so I decided to do My Small World instead.

I finished the top last year - in June as my Sunday Stitchers - June - UFO Challenge #10 
and I am very happy to now have it quilted (lightly) and bound.

I started this in November 2019 and joined an Instagram group where I found some FPP patterns for the blocks....and the hot air balloon. Five and a half years...not so bad.

and I had found this fabric for the backing...it was a perfect choice I thought.

Sunday Stitchers - June - UFO Challenge #10 - My Small World - Section 5

I am not sure about the Random Number Cyber Gods.  On my SS Challenge List - I had 3 (out of 12) things for My Small World.  We have only drawn 6 numbers so far...and all 3 have been drawn.

I groaned a bit when #10 fell out of the spinning container.
But - a challenge is a challenge -  I put these things on the list to make me do them.

The last section of My Small World is done:

The hot air balloon is not part of the pattern...

but patterns are just a guide,.,,, right??

And the top is together

There are a few bits that I could have done a lot better. . . but when viewing it from 3 yards . . .it's perfectly fine. (Just last month I repeated "Finished is better than perfect" to a fellow blogger.)

Originally started in November 2019 - here.

It is a challenging project - well for my skill set anyway.
And I still don't like how Jen Kingwell writes her patterns.  I was very fortunate - back in 2019 to be able to get a set of foundation paper pieced patterns for this..They were a great guide to the sizes.
And a new facebook group has started for those making the quilt now and it seems they will also have some additional guidance/patterns.

Not sure about the quilting plan yet.....probably next year...too much happening this year!!

FNSI - June

Gosh...sewing time again???
I have been sewing almost non stop since Sunday morning - a day at Sunday Stitchers, then on a retreat from Sunday night til Thursday morning

Today I have re-sorted my sewing box that I take to retreats...ready for the next one in August. Not a lot of fun, but necessary!

Onto the sewing....

I was able to finish this piece for My Small World.  I started it at the retreat knowing I had more of the white & coloured fabric at home....well....I didn't have as much as I thought - but was able to eek out what I had to fit.

and although there are other projects I probably should prioritise - I decided to stick with the My Small World FPP...and did this one

Together:..this is what they might look like when all put together.

Next step is to make the sky section.....quite a few1" finished blocks....

Thanks Wendy for organising us, Hope mostly you had a fun & productive night...or day...or weekend???

Sunday Stitchers - May - UFO Challenge #11 - My Small world - Section 6

Last Month's Challenge number was #1 - parts of My Small World and "luckily" enough - the challenge for May was #11 - another section.
I have done Section 6 - only Section 5 to go.  So I have amended my Challenge List so that Section 5 is included. Maybe by the end of the year I will have a finished top.

I suppose for a project started in November 2019, it's not too bad....LOL

Sunday Stitchers - April - UFO Challenge #1 - My Small world

I loved the pattern for My Small World when I first saw it.  It was in Quiltmania Spring 2015, but I don't recall when I first saw it.

I had/have no shortage of bright coloured fabrics and thought they would go well with a pale batik sky - and I had part of a jelly roll left over from something as well as some other bits of fabrics...fat quarters etc.

I found an Instagram group that were making it as a group thing and joined in.  The plan for the IG group was to make certain number of blocks each month - for example all the small flying geese blocks.  That worked for a while, but I later decided to go with the "make Section 1, make Section 2...etc" approach.
Part of that group also led me to someone who had created foundation paper piecing patterns - free - as long as you could show her you had purchased the pattern. 
Jen Kingwell patterns are all about "use template AB to make.....".  I find the pattern difficult...so the foundation paper piecing patterns were invaluable to give me the measurements...

My first lot of work on this was at a retreat in November 2019 - here

I see I also made a hot air ballon to be included.  I have since decided to remake that a little differently...it will be part of Section 6.

I started constructing Section 1 in February 2020 - here

I had sections 1 and 2 finished here - interestingly as part of the SS Challenge for 2021.....

I did some more in April 2022 at a retreat - here - but it's not a good retreat project - too many bits & pieces to sort out!

It's been hanging in a wardrobe - attached to a large piece of flanelette - time to get it out again.

My plan for the SS Challenge #12 was to do Section 3 - well I had done the bulk of it - so I have changed my Challenge List to be Parts 3 & 4.  Section 5 is designated as my #11 project.  Now that I have been working on it - I have "fallen in love" with it again...so perhaps it would be good if that is the next number...except I have some catching up to do!.


Sections 3 and 4:

And - the Challenge Number for April was drawn on Sunday - and YES!!!!  It is #11 - so I will start working on that section later.

I have some other things I need to sort out first.

Retreat @ Esk

A group of like-minded sewing/craft people gathered at previously untested Twilight 2 Twilight Retreat @ Esk 25th - 28th March.
There were 6 of us - one was bestie Maureen, two were friends of hers who I have met a few times before, and two "new to me" girls.

Our organiser got us to volunteer for meal duties and of course, we all took extra  . .just in case . . . we took home a LOT of food...nevermind - it will work better next time . . .

I worked on a couple of things - but didn't take a lot of pictures.

Firstly I did a bit of cross stitch - to "ease" into it all!

Then I put this top together for grandbaby #3 - due in August - (a brother/sister to Grandchild #1).
They are not finding out what gender.

Fabrics are chosen by DD1.   We had a lot of "fun" conversing via Messenger while I was at Spotlight.  They are all Jocelyn Proust prints - except the grey of course.
The backing is also a Jocelyn Proust print.

Then I added a border to this - I bought the top minus borders from a friend - for the princely sum of $5.00.

Our Sunday Stitchers group is making a number of quilts to give to a Domestic Violence Shelter. I will ponder if I add one more border, then will think about the quilting . . . 

Then I moved on to My Small World - when was the last time I touched this one???????
Oh - back here - February 2021...

I enjoyed getting back into it - but it's not really a good "retreat" project.
Even though the sewing room is well set up - and very well lit!- it still isn't really big enough to spread it all out, and my small machine isn't as good when it comes to stitching a pinwheel block together.  Never mind some progress is good and I can re-stitch the odd seam - selecting the fabrics & cutting is the big bit!

We had some heavy rain while we were there and a blackout - short-lived, fortunately - and we had to carefully time loading the car when it was time to leave.  It wasn't too wet when I dropped Maureen home - but was bucketing by the time I got to my place - so all the gear stayed in the car overnight.

Overall a fun weekend - now we know how the place works, I'm sure things will go even better next time.

February Progress

It's 10th March and I am only now posting what I managed for February - not really a lot to show - most things are "working on"....

I did finish 13 crochet blocks to hand over to Maria at Sunday Stitchers

I put together a baby quilt top which is now pinned and just waiting for some "free time" to quilt it.

and I made progress on My Small World which was my SS UFO February Challenge.
Sections 1 and 2 done.

Not much - but February is a short month!

FNSI - February

I was able to get an early start on my FNSI projects - the advantage of working from home!!!

I started with cutting some pastel balis

Then it was time for dinner and Better Homes & Gardens - followed by the Grand Finale of Great British Bake Off that we had recorded...(seen it before but can't always remember who wins...LOL) so I stitched this:

The stitching is now finished.  I am not sure when I started this - I can find a post from June 2020 - so perhaps then.  I bought it in May 2018.  (Not too bad going).

I will add it to some other fabric - possibly a teal coloured linen type...who knows?

Then I moved onto a cross-stitch project - picked a bit that requires very little concentration!

and finally back at the machine and managed to get all these little bits together that I cut earlier in the night (mostly 1.5" cut squares).

I am loving the dual facebook/blog idea.  Facebook is a lot more interactive and we can comment as people post pictures...but I like my blog for long-time reminders of what I did when, so not giving that up.

BIG thanks to Wendy for organising us...and a bonus from now on - she has a sponsor so there is a "lucky door prize" each month.  Go Wendy!!!!!!!
(Not that we do this for the prizes, we do it because its our passion - sanity saver - keep out of jail project...etc)

Pop over here to see who else signed up - and visit their pages for some inspiring stuff.

Take Care everyone

Stay Safe

FNWF - February

A new month - time to gather with cyber friends - and sew!!!

Tonight was a bit of this & that....

One of the things I hope to finish this year is this sashiko project.....I have about 6" of the 40" left to sew...such an easy relaxing thing to do . . .

And another "plan" for the year is to progress my version of "My Small World"...I made a start quite a while back . . .  here where I started it...grand plans back then!!! LOL  and some more here (that was February 2020...{interesting coincidence}).

So this year I added it to my Sunday Stitchers UFO list - not to finish it but to "make progress on". The bit you see is near the top of Section 2....small steps - I have made Section 1 up to the top of the buildings, but you can't build a world overnight!

Saturday is the first meeting for the year for my Loose Threads Group - we had to cancel January due to some bug that is floating around the world...so I may make more progress on that sashiko project.

Thanks Cheryll who continues to give us the opportunity to congregate in cyberspace - and "encourages" us to blog at the same time.

I also worked on another project - but I'm sticking to the "no social media until reveal day" - May is the next time.  so you will have to stay curious.

Cheers - Happy Sewing - Stay Safe

FNSI - February

Hi Fellow FNSI-ers

Thanks to Wendy we can all gather for a happy night of sewing - or thinking about sewing . . .
What did I work on???

I had hoped to finish one of the parts for My Small World....I made some progress....not as much as I would have liked though.

I find the pattern quite confusing....the cutting measurements are laid out continuously, rather than a line for each, there are metric equivalents and the drawings are finished sizes....so when you work on it in dribs and drabs, it’s like re training your brain all over each time....but I really live the project and will persevere....and recut some of the bits.

My motto:
You can learn something from every quilt you make.  This time I’m learning not to push on when you are too tired to think.
On top of a long busy week, we had an evacuation because the fire alarm went off....11 flights of stairs is hard work!  It was the tradies working up stairs.....grrrr

Tomorrow I’m off to the inaugural Embroiders Convention, so it will be a bit of walking....might be a bit slow.

Hope you all got stuff done...and had a fun night!!!

Glenrose Retreat

I am very fortunate to be able to get off work for a week and go and "hide" at Glenrose Retreat.

Of all the retreats I go to - it is by far the prettiest venue and the best suited to sewing.

I was able to put together the blocks I completed in the Gail Pan "Send My Love" BOM for 2018.
In all there were 36 blocks, but I chose to do only 32 and I liked the layout of Ruth's Quilt so much I copied it for this one.   As there are a number of design walls at Glenrose - it was an idea opportunity to lay out where all the fabric and stitcheries were going and to try to balance it.  (with some input from the others...)

I had prepped a lot of blocks for My Small World.  The hot air balloon is not part of the pattern, however I'd seen one on the Instagram group I am following and had to buy the pattern  . .  .

The "Plan" for the IG group is a set number of blcoks per month - so this finishes almost all of the blocks for Month 2 (mid October - mid November) and is a good start on Month 3 (mid November - mid December).
My next step is to start laying them out so I can see how the colours are going...and I may start working in sections from this point on - which is what a lot of the others are now doing...

And I made one baby quilt top.  (I did have a second one but didn't make a lot of progress on that one.)

There was some shopping time . . .some eating out time . . . .and of course some eating in time.

I made a Brie Twist - well with a few changes...LOL...I used a Camembert and instead of tomato chutney I used Baxters Date Fig & balsamic chutney - gorgeous stuff even by itself.

Thanks to the Tuesday Girls for inviting me along.