Catching Up With Myself...Again!

I've yet to find the balance between blogging, reading blogs, replying to emails, and sewing and it seems that I can do one of the three but not all of them.  To that end, I thought I'd post a recap of all the things which were on my Q3 FAL list and which I made progress on but didn't finish (and so haven't blogged about in the rush of trying to link up with Adrianne before the linky party ended), just so I don't suddenly (and I use that word very loosely!) produce a finish when the last time I blogged about the project it was a series of unfinished blocks.  (Blimey, that's a long sentence!)

First up is 'that bl**dy blue and white quilt' (that's what it's called in my head but I'll have to think of a better name for it, if only because it's for Mam and she'll tell me off for swearing!).  This project was my main focus for the last quarter and, I'm pleased to say, I finally have a finished quilt top!

It's so big that the only way to get photo of all of it at once is to put it on Mam's front garden and take a photo out of the front bedroom window!  She wasn't very impressed, particularly when I told her she had to stay out there while I went to take the photo!!

What's more, I've also managed to layer and pin it (just about - I ran out of pins!), ready for quilting.  I now have an 'in the ditch' sole plate for my walking foot (thanks, Sheila!) so I'm going to order some thread (blue) and get going on the machine quilting.  After that, my plan is to hand quilt in the snowballs and perhaps (depending on whether it needs it) along both diagonals of the nine patches.  Here's proof that it's ready for quilting (I have enough pins in it to start the quilting and can then move the pins to the areas which need more stabilising as I go):

Sorry, it's a horrible photo and the back fabric is much nicer in real life!

I've done lots of stitching on the second item on my list but can't show any of it, sorry.  I think I remembered to take some progress photos so I'll share any with you when I'm finally allowed to show the project.  (It's only me who's not allowing the project to be shown, it's not for a magazine or anything exciting like that!)

Onto things I can show...

I spent a few mind-numbing evenings pressing and trimming the little bonus HSTs from the blue and white quilt.  There are 508 of them and they now measure 1.5" square (so they'll be 1" finished) and they're going to become two cushions to go with the quilt.  I have a little cutting board (about 12" x 8") which I put on a hardback book so I can trim while sitting on the settee watching telly - the only way I can get through trimming lots of blocks is in front of the telly so heaven help me if I ever have to trim lots of blocks which won't fit on my little board!

I had a nice system going - I'd take ten out at a time and put them on the plastic box lid, transfer them to another lid when they were trimmed and then, once that was full, transfer them to their final destination: yet another box!

I've managed to have a little play with them to see which layout I prefer:

Yes, I know the centre one isn't right - I was being lazy and combined two designs to see which I preferred: spiky or smooth.  I prefer spiky and may do an off-set/truncated version of this for the two cushions.  (The cushions will be rectangular.)

I finished the embroidery part of the pulled thread I had started and this now just needs making up into a pin cushion:

I couldn't resist the glittery button for the centre, and not just because it was the only suitable one in my button box!

I chose the binding fabric for my hexy quilt - it was well worth pulling apart my Kona colour card!

I pulled out all the colours which I thought would work with both the top and the back.  I've gone for the second one from the bottom, Kona Shadow.

In the past few days, I've made more progress on this quilt but I'll keep that for another post...my 'it's finally finished' post!  (It's only been four years and two months since I started this quilt so it's about time I finished it.)


In my last post Archie asked for some homemade biscuits?  Well, I made the mistake of saying yes and gave him one and a half when they were baked.  I won't be baking them again, not because he didn't like them but because his tummy didn't.  (Let's just say they gave him an intermittently squitty bottom and leave at that, shall we?!)  Fortunately, he's been fine in himself and has kept his appetite - he's been on boiled (white) rice twice a day (mixed with a bit of chicken for tea) and three different medicines from the vet (all at once, it wasn't three different visits, fortunately!), but he thinks he's being starved:

I've heard tell of something called 'supper' - do I get that?

She said no to supper...

In between begging for food, he's been making the most of the autumn sun:

Annnnnd relax...

I've been making progress on some items on my Q4 FAL list, with a couple of (woolly) finishes already - I'll be back to share them soon sometime soonish.

Thanks for popping in!!