Goodbye 2013 and good riddance!

So, it started with dreadful flu and it's ending in similar fashion with a chest infection, so I for one will not be sorry to see the back of this year. I started it thinking it couldn't be worse than 2012, but it had a real sting in the tail waiting for me, which I suspect will take most of 2014 to get over properly.
However, throughout the year, I used sewing as my distraction, and so have a reasonable number of makes to show off in this round up of the last 12 months....
I managed 8 quilts altogether, (there's more at the end) although half of these are still WIPs! My resolution for 2014 is to get them finished.

There were 4 mini quilts all of which I loved and 3 of which were gifts

This was the year I got back into dressmaking and I have a couple of projects lined up to start the year off.

There were a fair few bags too - I loved making these and again, there's plans for a couple more in 2014.

And lastly there were a few other bits and pieces that missed the mosaics above.

So, sewing wise, not a bad year, and I'm starting another quilt this evening - it's a scrappy tripalong for my neighbour. His wife very sadly passed away suddenly this summer, and, thanks to me, had just got into quilting. He has asked me to make a quilt with the fabric she had bought just before she died. It's an interesting mix of fabrics to say the least, but it will mean a lot to him, and seems a positive way to end this 'annus horribilis' and start 2014.

So, thanks to everyone for your warmth and friendship throughout the last 12 months and here's wishing you and yours health, wealth, but most importantly, happiness for 2014!

Posted with Blogsy

Update on progress

Ok, this is my first attempt with Blogsy, so let's hope it works....

Remember back in March I posted a list of things I wanted to do this year? And I promised monthly updates? Well, it's time for the first update, and as we're friends, hopefully you'll forgive the fact it's been a whole 5 months!

So, here we go with the list:

1) Cherry Christmas quilt - I've fixed the torn piece and unpicked the Himalyan quilting, and re done some of it, and unpicked sme more of it.... It still needs finishing but will be done for Christmas.

2) Melody Miller quilt - have been struggling with this and how best to do justice to the large designs, but this weekend I had a brainwave and I'm going to use mahoosive fussy cut hexagons.... So watch this space.

3) Macho quilt - Currently collecting denim.....

4) Welsh flag quilt - need to get cracking with this one - so am appealing for bags of red scraps and green scraps to swap for FQs so I can get started on this.

5) 3rd sister wants a wall hanging now - working on this one at the moment.

6) One of my work colleagues has commissioned me to make a quilt for her 4 year old son in blues and greens. I've got the fabrics for the top based on the Havana range and supplemented with lots of different Kona solids. - DONE!

Other things -boxy pouch for a friend's birthday which I adapted from an Annela Hoey tutorial - DONE!

Melody Miller Vintage flowers fabric messenger bag- this didn't happen but I did make a Melody Model Aeroplane and a Melody Super-Tote...oh and another full size Aeroplane shockingly NOT made from Melody...

There have also been lots of other things - some finished some still WIP:

HST quilt - this is still just a top, needs me to buy some batting so I can get it finished, but am saving it till the bedroom's been decorated.

Clothes - a new pleasure, as well as the Nani Iro Renfrew top, there's been a washi, schoolhouse shirt, Sorbetto top, and an a-line skirt.

Mini quilts - 'a Touch of Sparkle', which was for a work colleague's birthday, 'Home is where the Heart is' and 'Fairground Attraction' from Katy Jones' Triangle City pattern that I started at retreat and am currently finishing quilting.

So, all in all not a bad year so far.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Super (tote) sewing day, part two

Off I went back to Aneela's this morning to hopefully finish the super totes. When I got there I discovered Mrs Hoey had cheated overnight, and while holding my tote and sewing machine hostage, had done a bit of extra work on her tote.  To be fair, as Aneela pointed out, I did cheat on the straps....

I won't tell you anything about Aneela's as I don't want to spoil her surprise, but suffice to say it's lovely and sooooooooo pretty.  I believe she's planning to blog it tomorrow, so do hop over to Comfort Stitching to see her version.

My hopes of a quick finish were soon dashed as the inside is by far the hardest bit of this bag. Also, I was gutted to realise that the purple zip I happily bought yesterday was completely the wrong type of purple - the fabric is a much more reddy shade, so in my photos the zip looks blue.  Thankfully it doesn't look as odd in reality. Anyway I managed to get the recessed zip panel into the front and back lining pieces, but putting the gusset in was a lot more challenging. 3 times I tried it sitting down at the sewing desk and would it fit?  I came very close to throwing my toys out of my pram!! Eventually I stood up at the ironing board and it worked perfectly - don't ask me why.  So then, eventually I was at the final bit, the sewing together of outside and inside, and thanks to a little bit of distraction for the opposition in the form of homework about bats (as you do!) I had managed to pull ahead in the race to the finish line.

I'm really pleased with the finished bag, and am hatching plots to make a shallower version as a handbag - I'll keep you posted on that one.  In the meantime, this little beauty had me working on it for two hours picking and cutting fabrics on Friday, about 6,5 hours with it yesterday and another 4 hours today.  Can someone who has not been trying to make it with a friend let me know how long it really takes???!