Archie The Wonder Dog

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 th...

The only other thing I've finished from this quarter's FAL list is the Sakura shawl that Lynz and I did as a (very informal) KAL.  I've got to say that it was a lot of fun knitting alongside someone else (albeit via email!) and I hope we do it again soon!  ( You can see her gorgeous green shawl here .) This is how the shawl looked at the start of the quarter: And this is how it looked straight off the needles: You can't really see the lace pattern and, to be honest, it looks a bit like a heap of knitting at this stage! I put off blocking it for a while (I always do as I always overestimate how hard it's going to be and how long it's going to take!) but finally got it done last week.  First I pinned it to the carpet, using lots of pins!  It's the first shawl I've blocked which has made me think that it would be easier with blocking wires.  I can't see me buying any, though, as I'm managing with pins even if it does take a litt...

One of the (many) items on my Q3 FAL list was this tidy trug, which I started at a workshop in July of this year but was languishing on the 'it doesn't need much doing to it for it to be finished' pile in my sewing room.  Adding it to my FAL list was just the impetus I needed to get it finished, it's just a pity that I didn't manage to keep the impetus going and blog about it.  Or finish much else on the list... This is how it looked at the start of the quarter: I think the thing which slowed me down was, quite disgracefully, buying some fray check for the buttonholes on the handle!  The original pattern had an attached handle of quite a different (and stylish) shape but I decided that I wanted my handle to swivel down so that it would be easy to get things in and out of the trug. After some stitching (closing the gap in the lining, top stitching round the trug and again in the ditch between the lining and the outer fabric), some fabric ripping (the bu...

The top item on my new FAL list and the project to which I am dedicating all of my 'sewing machine' time (that's any time I'm awake and in the house on an afternoon) and a lot of my 'something to do while I watch telly in the evening' time (I pin blocks/rows while I'm watching telly and then sew when I'm next able to use my sewing machine) is the blue and white nine patch/snowball quilt, started (oh, the shame) in February 2012.  Mam and I hatched the plan (the quilt is for her spare bed) over one of our 'I need a sit down, a pot of tea and a scone' breaks during a visit to Harrogate Quilt Show in September 2011 and most of the fabrics were bought then or spirited from my stash/scrap boxes soon afterwards.  To my shame, this quilt still isn't finished but I'm (finally) getting there! Since I last blogged about this project (almost a year ago!), I've managed to keep the project just about ticking over (have I mentioned that it...

Yes, I did it!  I've finished my niece's quilt in time for her birthday!  In fact, I've finished it about a fortnight to go so have plenty of time to keep it in the airing cupboard to ensure it's completely dry after being washed and (mostly) tumble dried. I started this quilt in April and wasn't at all sure I'd get it finished in time (there's nothing like deciding to make a quilt for a present when the birthday is fast approaching, is there?!) but thanks to some canny block designing which made the (machine) piecing as quick and simple as possible, as well as putting just about everything else aside, I'd finished piecing the top by the middle of May: As you can see, it's quite a large quilt for a soon-to-be four-year-old (this is a double bed  and hers is a single) but her mam likes quilts which go over the top of the pillows and can be tucked under them, like a bed spread.  It'll make a great quilt fort, I'm sure! The quilting wa...