Friday Night Sew In

Well, FNSI again last night.  Gosh that came along fairly quickly, doesn't seem like a month since the last one. 
Once again I stitched some of my Roll Roll Cotton Boll quilt blocks into rows.  I finished up on the pieced borders last night. 

They look really good- well I think so!  I don't think that I would have attempted this quilt if I'd known about all the piecing at the start.  But I'm really glad to have made it.  Doing little bits at a time takes the effort out, and in the end it all comes together and looks fantastic.

Certainly worth the effort, however long it takes!  Another fabulous original quilt from Bonnie K Hunter and Quiltville.

Things have been going very slowly on the stitching front around here lately.
I've been suffering through the renovation of my kitchen.  No, suffering doesn't even begin to describe it!  LOL.

Well, I have no sink or cupboards, but at least I have my stove back.  Two weeks with nothing but a little 2 burner camping stove or 1 week with only the microwave wasn't pretty. 
Like the very tasteful newspaper curtains?  DH has just finished painting the walls and woodwork,  we  also replaced the floor with new boards and that's all been resurfaced.  Thank  goodness all the smelly jobs are done.  Best news- new kitchen arrives in 2 weeks.  You'll hear me yelling with excitement  I'm sure. 
I always knew I liked to cook, but it never hit me how hard it is to go without baking a chicken for tea, or cooking biscuits and cakes for the kids.
So, whilst going through those trials and tribulations, not much sewing has been happening.  I couldn't get to my sewing room for quite a while, then I just didn't feel like sewing in the mess.
But it's all happening again now.
Found a couple of Joseph's Coat blocks that I'd prepped some time ago, so they've been being stitched over the last few days. 

I've also been slowly sewing rows together for my Roll Roll Cotton Boll  mystery quilt.  I love blocks on point, but I've decided I don't like sewing the diagonal rows together.  They're so looooong.  Need to take a pic when it's all together.  There's a great pieced border to go around  that I've already pieced, so it'll all come together quickly.  At least that's what I keep telling myself!

A lovely long weekend encompassing Easter and Anzac Day has almost ended here.
Although I had to work for a couple of the days, I managed to get some serious sewing time in.
Got to love time in the sewing room with no interruptions other than to get another cup of tea.

I stitched away on my Anna quilt centre panel.  Have sewn the coffin borders on, and am now busy sewing hexagons for the outer border.
I've also been trying to get a little further along with my Roll Roll Cotton Boll blocks.
There are two blocks alternating for the centre, then a pieced border to finish it off.

These were my very first try at string piecing!

There are 600 half square triangles in the blocks.  Nearly had a heart attack at that little fact when I was reading the pattern.  However, they sewed together surprisingly quickly.
I'm feeling quite happy with myself and my weekend achievements.
Today was a lovely Autumnal day.  I love this weather, all windows open, sun shining in. 
Hope your weekend was equally full of sewing, and good weather.

Friday Night Sew In.

Well, after many Friday night false starts, I finally managed to sew during FNSI.  I can't tell you how food that felt.  As they say, the best laid plans.... and all that.
Anyway, nothing stood in my way tonight and I sewed.  DVD's in the background- managed to get through 2 movies.  The original Fame from 1980, and then the re-make in 1990.  I remembered the series from the '80's , it was fairly light hearted.  The original was anything but, and put a sombre tone on the night until the remake.  Then finished up with some tried and true West Wing.  I love watching things I've seen before so I don't have to watch or listen really, just noise in the background.
Anyway,  I managed to make a dent in the blocks for Roll Roll Cotton Boll , the mystery by Bonnie K Hunter from November last year.

Thank goodness I got some time in on those blocks, they've been taking over my sewing table since November.  Couldn't pack them up because I was "going to work on them."  LOL.

Then to finish off the night, a little light hand sewing.  My "Anna" quilt by Karen Cunningham is slowly getting somewhere. 

Fourth border is under construction as we speak.  Then its some more applique on a lovely large border and finished!  Sounds good in theory.  should take me to Christmas.  LOL.

Well, off to make a Cup of tea and survey the damage that was my kitchen.  After 17 years of on again off again renovating, I can almost start to make out the light at the end of the tunnel.  Currently have no kitchen as such.  DH is plastering the walls before laying some lovely floorboards.  In about a month the nice kitchen making man will turn up and put in my new cupboards and  benchtops.  Roll on installation is all I can say.  Thanks goodness I've got sewing to do!
Gorgeous Autumn day here, hope your weather is equally kind.

Well, the first part of this little hexagon quilt is finally finished.  Little pieces, lots of sides, lots of stitching.  This is the centre panel.

I really like the blue background.  It's a bit out of my comfort zone, I usually use something in a cream/ tan/coffee colour.

Have I told you that all those hexagons are 1/2"!!  LOL.
I've decided that I hate pulling out the basting threads.
So, on to the next bit- the coffin border.  I think this will go a bit more quickly.  It's just straight hand piecing.  The centre is surrounded with a border of these shapes, 3 deep. 

Then a wide border with a little bit of applique, and a final small border.  And it's finished.
Thanks goodness. because it's taking all my effort not to start 1 of 2 new projects that are calling to me like Sirens. 
I have the pattern, and all the fabric and threads to start the mystery quilt in "Vignette" magazine.  And I am also following and salivating over a free mystery quilt designed by Esther Aliu called Hearts Desire. Esther's quilt is all applique- my favourite, and the first two months worth are lovely.
It's taking all my strength to just look at the fabric for each of these projects and leave it where it is on the shelf. 

I've received Issue 2 of Vignette yesterday.  Imagine my delight to discover that there is a blog dedicated to the mystery quilt that is in each issue.  great to see what everyone is doing , and look at the very different fabrics they're stitching.
If you're very quick, Perri is running a give away of fabric on the blog.

Yes, I have the fabric for the mystery. It's gorgeous- light  and bright.   It's "set aside"  (LOL)  ready when I finish a couple of other things.
Oh Dear!

I've been working on sewing the little 1/2" border hexagons around each of the blocks that I'd completed in my earlier post.  It's quite therapeutic- not hard to sew, just lots of it. And lots, and lots!  Who knew there were so many edges on a hexagon!  LOL. 

I'll be glad when this centre is finished so I can move on to the coffin borders.  I've started cutting them out, but haven't jumped to that yet. 
This quilt will come together quite quickly once this and the pieced border is finished, Yayy.
I ordered some templates for fussy cutting 1/2" hexagons and 1 1/4" diamonds from Kim Bradley at
Kim Bradley Creations. 

They're the cutist little things.  I was telling my DH about my gorgeous new little templates when his eyes lit up.  He loves my yellow quilting rulers, and I've been looking for a small one that is metric for him to use in his shed.  Well, turns out that Kim Bradley's DH will make templates to order.  A quick email and "Bobs your uncle", yellow rulers on their way here.  Dave did a wonderful job on the rulers and was extremely obliging.   I'm the best thing since sliced bread according to my DH.

Oh, and we welcomed a new member of the family 2 weeks ago.  She's gorgeous, and fitting in very well.

Daisy is about 18 months old, and a bit of a mixture of Jack Russell terrier, Pug, and a bit of Dachshund I think.  Very friendly and best of all- toilet trained all ready.