Wednesday catch up...

I'd love to be able to tell you that I've been hard at work since I last blogged but I haven't!  I have made some progress though...

Firstly, though, I want to apologise for all the photos - it's not going to get light today (it's tanking down) so they're not the brightest photos in the world!

I've quilted sixteen of the Stained QAL blocks.  I went with the wavy lines in the end and I'm really pleased with the texture of the blocks.  The heavy quilting (perhaps combined with a double layer of wadding) has pulled the blocks in so they're going to be 11.5" finished rather than the planned 12" but that's not a problem, it ends up measuring what it ends up measuring.

Four blocks from the front:

 

and the back:

I'm trying to do a couple of blocks a day.  Sometimes I manage more, more often I manage none but I've only got eight left to quilt so I hope to be trimming them next week.


The main thing I've been working on is my hexagon quilt.  I finally sat down and worked out how many partial and half hexagons I would need to complete the quilt and in doing so discovered that I preferred the first and final rows to start with a half hexagon (otherwise known as a trapezium!) so I need fewer hexagons than I thought.  I was working towards 202 and now I only need 195 and I'm almost there!  I've got nine left to piece and they're in my tin, waiting patiently for their turn.

In the past few weeks I've pieced (but not pressed!) these hexies:

I love these star in a star hexagons.

The six triangles in the centre took almost two hours to piece as the stripes weren't behaving

I think this style of hexy is my favourite and I may need a whole quilt of them...

This is much more interesting in real life - the colours are washed out here!

The stripes were a s*d to match (it's that fabric!) but it was worth it!

Nice and simple.

Another star in a star - I love that grey triangle fabric!

Another simple one - if they were all fancy they'd end up fighting for attention!

Very simple and in need of a press!

I hadn't realised how much I'd missed hand piecing over the last couple of months until I sat down and started again.  It's taken a long time for me to feel up to preparing any of the hexagons but I'm so glad I'm now able to get back to them.  I've cut out all the whole (i.e. unpieced) hexagons that I need to scatter round the centre of the quilt top (seventeen in all) and once I've pieced the remaining hexies I'm going to sort out the pieces that will square up the edges.  I'm hoping I've used enough different prints in the pieced hexagons to be able to have one of every print as either a whole, half or partial hexagon (a triangle!) and no repeats.  I'm not sure that makes sense!  What I mean is that I don't want any two hexagons (whole, pieced or otherwise) to be the same.  Fingers crossed I manage it!


That's it from me...I need to keep an eye on Archie as he's a little under the weather and I'm thinking of taking him to the vet.  Nothing specific, he just seems subdued and since the liver problem was discovered the vet said it's better to take him sooner rather than later if I'm worried.  And now I know about the liver problem I tend to worry more when he's not well.  Yesterday he wasn't really bothered about going for a w-a-l-k (very unusual) and although he was more interested this morning he wasn't his usual bouncy self.  His appetite is still intact though!  Last night I made him scrambled eggs (in case his tummy was feeling delicate) and he wolfed those down and then laid at the back door asking for 'proper' food!  I think I'll take him round the block and see how he is.  If he's still not himself I'm phoning the vet...

Here's a photo of the man dog himself, feeling a little sorry for himself.  Although I'd also just woken him up so that won't have helped!   
(Yes, it's a funny angle but there wasn't room to get in front of him!  I had to stand behind him, hold the camera in front of his face and hope for the best!)

Do you mind?  I was asleep!

I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday with Lee@Freshly Pieced (something I don't manage all that often but then I don't manage blogging very often so that shouldn't come as a surprise!) - why not pop over and see what other people are up to?  Or link up yourself?

I hope you're having a lovely week and that your stitching is going well!

P.S.  I've been lucky enough to receive some lovely post in the last couple of weeks - I'll show you next time!