In the works...

So, I just finished a project, but it's secret for the moment but I really really love it so I'm impatient to get to sharing it here :)

I have two other projects that are about to get going, and since the guild meeting on Saturday I've been jumpstarted into my Farmer's Wife again! So here are a few photos and descriptions of my plans.

This is going to be a St Louis 16 patch, either for a about-to-be-born
baby, or as a charity quilt for 100 Quilts for Kids!

These blocks are using some of the new charm packs
I've added: Happy-Go-Lucky, Simply Color, and PB&J!
They're a bit darker than I started with, but I'm hoping
as I go along they'll blend in over all.

Next block is ready to go on the end of the sofa - Corn & Beans!

I'm finally starting to make Retro Flowers for my sister using AMH Field
Study and some Kona solids. I'm really nervous. The fabrics are so pretty
and the pattern so awesome, that I'm really worried I won't do it justice...
Fingers crossed, deep breath, and dive in!

I hope I can keep up a good momentum on these two quilts, and not get too sidetracked by other ideas. If I can get these done, then I can focus on some stuff for me again (another dress and a bag, maybe...!?).

Wish me luck!

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

Repurposing Pincushions!

So, I know that we got married in January in a perfect (for me) small way. But my new husband is partial to large parties so we're having a blessing and party to celebrate being married in September, back in Ireland. As part of the ceremony we're having our parents bring up our rings, and also doing a hand binding ceremony. We could have bought (or done without) ring pillows, and we could have borrowed our Humanist's hand binding ribbon - but where's the fun in those things!?

I've had Kim's Cathedral Window pincushion tutorial bookmarked for ages now, and I've always been equally daunted and intrigued by the Cathedral Window block. So this seemed like a good time to give it a try! And in a greater act of providence I won a $20 gift certificate from Erica at Kitchen Table Quilting for the Fat Quarter Shop!!

I made one extra, the one with the button I get to keep!

I used a Liberty Stile fabric for the centre, and then picked up the colours in some Summersville Spring and Salt Air fabric I had lying around. The cushions are easy to make when you have Kim's tutorial to follow, and quick once you get by the burning your fingers with the iron stage (why did I cut my nails before this project!?). I will definitely be making these again! The ring pillows aren't stuffed yet because my fibre fill is back in Ireland. So I'll do that when I get home. It also reduces bulk for the plane!! Despite their lack of filling, they do work nicely.

I bought some Technicolor crosshatch for the hand binding ribbon (as it has two colours on one piece of fabric, allowing me to have different but similar sides on the ribbon). The whole idea of the ceremony is to represent two coming together as one, so using this fabric appealed to me. As did having two different fabrics making the one ribbon that would be used to bind Paul and I together. I embroidered our initials on one side of the ribbon, and in the centre on the other side I appliqued a little square of fabrics from the ring pillows - to try and unite everything with a common colour theme, I guess.

I spent the rest of my gift certificate on the white fabric for the pincushions, and a 6" charm pack of Tula Pink's The Birds and The Bees. Originally I was going to use these for the coloured sections in the Cathedral Windows but I decided the colour palette wasn't bright enough. So right now, I have it laid out on my design wall (too fancy a term for some tacked up batting) and I've planned a whole little quilt with these at the centre!

However, a quilt for a little boy is what's on the cutting table right now :)

Hope you all have a good weekend! Linking up to TGIFF at Molli Sparkles!

Lonsdale Summer Dress!

It's taken me longer than I thought to make this dress. I'm not sure why. The pattern can be done quite quickly (two and a half days on my first go for the muslin) and the instructions are fantastic. This dress is finished the nicest of anything I've ever dreamed of making. I've learned so much.

Mama Said Sew bodice lining, finished
seams and pockets - so exciting!

All the different ways to finish seams: simple stitches and no serger; bound edges; turned and stitched; and round-ups of techniques at Sew Mama Sew and Colette! There are such great resources out there! I've also done a lot of reading and video watching on different ways to hem: hemming a circle skirt by Gertie; and sewing a blind hem by Colette. I've been adding lots of clothes blogs to my reader and following new youtube channels!

I attached the zipper to the front of the bodice, and
then folded the lining over inside to give a finished edge.
I don't think I'd do it this away again.

The Super Online Sewing Match! has been brilliant for introducing me to new clothes people. Are you following it? I'm starting to wonder why I don't just spend all my time making clothes... but then I realise that I like making stuff without instructions too and quilts kind of fill that for me! But I definitely won't be stopping making clothes.

The invisible zipper is not very invisible on the outside. But not all that noticeable, and pretty good for my third one. By the time I've made clothes for another year I might be good at it! I do find the interfaced waistband really makes it hard and that's the place where the invisibility is worst. I did read that some people don't interface their waistbands which might help, but then does that lessen the ability of the waistband to do its job? I don't know. Maybe I'll try only interfacing the outside of the waistband next dress...

I love the length.

The photos aren't doing a good job showing up how gorgeous the fabric is, I think the light is bouncing off my ridiculous paleness and ruining things ;) The fabric is from Dan Bennett's Ruby collection. I wish I had more of it!

This shows it up better. I love this dress. It turned out great and I can't really believe it's only the third dress I've made! I love the bow at the back and the pockets! I love that I used this fabric for this pattern. I'm really glad I held onto it since last summer when I bought it. I'll hopefully have this dress for a long long time!

Final view of the back:

Onwards now, towards baby quilts, sister's quilt, and wedding ceremony paraphernalia. My next personal project will be another Sew Sweetness bag, and then another dress! If I ever get that far :)

Hope you're all keeping well!

Cuzco Charm Crossing flimsy

I probably need to find a better name for this quilt, but I like the alliteration! So I already talked a bit about the start of making this quilt a couple of weeks ago. It's taken me longer than I expected to get the top finished. Tammie was not lying when she said that she carried the blocks around so she could square up on the go. But once you have the hourglasses made the rest of the quilt is quite fun. I loved laying out the squares into the Yankee Puzzle blocks, as you may have seen on instagram.

My triangles aren't perfect. Though I was surprised at how many turned out really well. I was a bit stupid, and I pressed all my seams flat as usual, but I think if I had followed Tammie's instructions to the letter (press to one side) then they would have 'locked' in place when I was doing the second sewing to get the hourglass blocks and the perfect points turn-out would have been almost 100%!

I found that the seams got bulky in places but it was all manageable. I have to say that I will be avoiding quilting too near the seams though. It did remind me of why I stopped paper piecing after one go. Does anyone have any tips for dealing with bulky seams that just don't want to travel through the presser foot? Would a walking foot help? I don't think the height of my foot is adjustable though I will get the instruction book out to check... I really want to make a go of some paper piecing but the thought of fighting with those seams just turns me back every time!

It even matches our fancy lights (gifted from the lovely Jan at Paul's work!)

Anyway, I really love this top. It's very cheery. Though the next two larger quilts that I have planned also have an all cream/white background. I think I'm going to have to make some all colour baby quilts to keep my brain 100% happy! Cuzco is so beautiful. I wish I had another charm pack of it to make a really simple patchwork top as well, I never get sick of the colours and patterns!

I've already planned out how I'll quilt this, with my new walking foot!!! Yay! I just have to make the backing now, which I'm going to strip piece and pop in the five leftover hourglasses. That's just the Cuzco hourglasses. I have enough solid hourglasses leftover to make a baby quilt - woop! Second quilt for free :)

Here's one final pic of the flimsy out in the wild:

Also knows as the patch of grass behind our apt block!

I'm a few days late for the Kate Spain party over at Blossom Heart Quilts, but you should totally go and check out the Kate Spain projects made during the blog hop in June! The linky is full of awesome.

I shall be linking this up to WIP Wednesday, hosted this week by Stacey from The Tilted Quilt, tomorrow when it opens! I reckon it will be at least a month before this baby gets quilted and bound. I'll pop up a picture of the back if I get it made today! (The back totally didn't happen yesterday, I got waylaid by another migraine.)

Yay for something finished!