Sunday Stitchers - October - UFO Challenge #8 - My Town

This quilt has been "hanging around" laying dormant in a cupboard for a very long time.

In 2011 - Homespun magazine had a BOM featuring buildings...(I am a sucker for projects with houses/buildings...snd trees).  It was called 'My Town".
There were 9 blocks published...but I wanted something smaller and I had a great fabric to use as the border, which was sufficient for a smaller version using 4 blocks..

By August 2013 I had 2 blocks made and was working on another - here

At a retreat at Glenrose in November 2016 - I had the top made.

I think I added some of the decorations and had it quilted...not sure when...a number of years ago that is for sure.

Finally - decorations added, binding done.  Did someone mention a label??...maybe later.

Some close-ups of the blocks...to show some of the do-dads I added and talked about in FNSI.

I had the wooden signs made at the local men's shed.

Very glad to tick that one off the list...not the oldest UFO I have....

And that is the end of my Sunday Stitchers Challenge for the year.
We did start with 12 projects - but the two remaining ones need a lot of work and I have other more urgent things.  So, I adopted Deana's approach for the Chookshed Challenge and am stopping at 10 projects.

How did I do?  Not as well as for the Chookshed Challenge...

#2 - I made a start but wasn't happy with it.

#3 - needs a lot more blocks made.

#7 - large applique shapes to be made into the top...but needs a lot of quilting.

Oh well, 7 x DONE, 1 x Good Progress...probably better than if I hadn't had the Challenge to keep me motivated.
We are keeping the 2025 SS Challenge to 10 projects!!!

Sunday Stitchers - July - UFO Challenge #4 - My Kinda Town top

For my birthday in 2022, I was gifted the pattern for My Kinda Town, a pattern by Laura Heine and Peggy Larsen...Happily enough the birthday celebration was early in the month and I had enough time to get the fabrics ready to make two blocks at the retreat that I went to in November 2022.

Then - at another retreat in June 2023, I made two blocks...I made another two in July  2023 when I should've been at a retreat...
By November 2023 (again at a retreat) I had all the blocks made.   

BUT look at those grey pieces....and the words!

I know...we should read each pattern thoroughly before we start....but do we? 
Not always & not in this case

So, working all that out got pushed to the side....I am still very disappointed that a pattern could be written like this.

When we decided to do the Challenge at SS - My Kinda Town had to be included. I have "filled the gaps" and the top is complete.

I really enjoyed making this.

I did NOT enjoy removing the paper...LOL

Quilting??  that may have to wait til 2025!

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!!

Sunday Stitchers - UFO Challenge #6 - Completed

The Challenge number for February was #6 - my combination of a few old UFOs.

I had the top finished (here) by the "due date", but it wasn't quilted.

It's been on a little trip to the Quilting Fairy and it's now a FO.

Happy to tick those old UFOS off the list.

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.

Sunday Stitchers - February - UFO Challenge #6

My Sunday Stitchers UFO Project #6 is my "Inchie Project"

Back in February 2021, I joined with a few girls (aka "enablers") in a free project by Crabapple Hill - "Beautiful World Stitch-A-Long".  We nicknamed it "The Inchie Project".

I did get most of the stitcheries done...(maybe not each day!) and I put them onto 2 blocks like this:

   

They were finished by March 2021.

I must have had a vague plan when I was stitching them, as I chose thread colours to go with some other blocks I had.

2024 was the year to get them sorted!!!

In addition to the two "Inchie Project" blocks, I had some blocks made in a class prior to 2007 at Patchwork Plus - a Patchwork Shop in Wynnum  (Shop has since closed).

  

  I recall that I painted that braid...

and also some blocks made in a class prior to 2015 at Sewco - a Patchwork Shop in Mount Gravatt.  (also closed).

  

The heart block was originally an exercise making small pintucks 

and folding them over alternately, 

but it was a bit boring so I overlaid it with a doily, lace, and buttons.

Plus two embroidered blocks - I think at least one of them was from Giggle Buttons, and I have no idea how old they are...very!

    

I added some borders to the stitchery blocks to make them 12" finished, and added sashing & outside borders - all from my stash. (The outside border was kind of a surprise as these are not my normal colours!)

I did buy backing and binding.

Here is the completed top.

It is going on a little trip to visit the quilting fairy...stay tuned for the finish!!!

Notes:
Threads:  CGT 314, 506
House of Embroidery #54 Forest

Sunday Stitchers - January - UFO Challenge #9

At Sunday Stitchers, some of us have decided to re-instate the UFO Challenge list, to help us get things done...This year some of my UFO Challenge projects are "make progress on"...and I decided that means - spending at least 2 days working on the project.

The project for January was #9 - which is "Three vases - cross stitch".

Many years ago - in my early cross stitch days...a friend and I decided to make a set of three cross stitches.  They featured vases of flowers.  I did one...if you can see the date... it's 85...almost 40 years ago.....[....hanging head.....].     I did the second one . . .some time . . . . and then, sort of recently (ie less than 5 years ago)  I worked on the third one.

Here are the two that are done.

Here is how the third one looked at the beginning of January 2024

I have spent two days of sewing group time on it...and got to this point.
I am at the stage where it is no longer good for social sewing days.

I will get there - but obviously, my patience level has dropped over time as I am finding the back stitching of the flowers especially tedious.   My goal is to finish and frame them all by the end of 2025.

It's back in the cupboard for now.   Concentrating on Project #9...hopefully a finished top.