Cross-stitch update

Progress from last week - I finished the right hand box, and stitched the snowflake border all the way around the right hand side. Plus, I started the lettering. Pretty good work, if I do say so myself. I thought I might not want to work on this any more with the advent of Spring - however, there doesn't seem to be any adventing of Spring - still cold as anything here and still snow flurries this week. Grr - where's the better weather?

More scrappy stars

Here are some more of the tiny scrappy stars, which I made during the weekend's sewing. I should probably trim the rough edges before showing them - they look a bit dodgy  :)  But they are still fun, and I have quite a few more pieces cut to carry on using as enders and leaders - though I think I only cut enough for about 20 and I will probably make something like 100 before I'm through. Perhaps not, if I get sick of them...or run out of scraps (ha!). 

ABC ATCs: PQR

For variety, here are a few more in the ABC series of Artist Trading Cards. I have the rest of the alphabet, except for VWX to show - I missed out on VWX due to time constraints, but hope to get them done for the makeup swap sometime this week. Once I have my whole alphabet back, I'll try to put up a photo of them all. There are some fun cards!

Like what I did for Q? Predictable, I know!

Whitehouse steps

Here are some blocks which were inspired by this month's block lotto - I found 4 different grey fabrics in my stash, some more tonal than others, so I'll be making some blocks for the lotto but keeping most of them for myself - or rather, for a quilt top which may well end up being a charity donation. I got about three quarters of the 24 blocks I plan to make done today - the rest will wait until next weekend. Or perhaps later, as I rather think there are a number of Cub Activities looming over my weekend...

End of the Leaders & Enders

I mentioned the other day that I was starting a new leaders and enders project - the tiny stars - because I had nearly come to the end of my current one, but I hadn't yet shown the current ongoing leaders and enders project (sometimes I do slip something quick in, like joining blocks together, instead).  Here they are - a big pile (I think I counted 41) of approximately 7" log cabins, all with very narrow logs - the logs were all made from 1" strips.  This is a real scrap buster for small strips and strings, though of course it takes a while to build up a block of any decent size!

They are all scrappy, with only two rules -  light side/dark side and no repeats.  And they all have red centres. I love log cabins - they are probably my favourite block - and I really enjoy the light/dark effect you get with lots of them together (if you've followed a light/dark rule, that is). 

Cross-stitch giveaway update

Thanks to those of you who left a comment on my cross-stitch chart giveaway - only Cindi asked for the "eek" pattern, so it's yours, Cindi - email me your address.  The other chart (cupcakes) had a bit more interest, but only 4 people, so instead of a random number generator, I used a more old fashioned method of choosing.  Tammy, the cupcakes are yours - again, let me have your address!  Perhaps when you have all stitched these patterns, if they are still in reasonable shape, you can pass them along again, either to a friend or randomly to someone else - it's always nice to share what we no longer require... (it's not mandatory though - the patterns are yours to do with as you like!)

Change in the air...eventually

For as long as we've lived in this house (15 years +) I've had the little box room as my sewing room. And it's been lovely. However, now that I am working full time again, and now that the kids are older, I've been thinking that it's not a very practical use of space. So we have a long-term plan (meaning, over the next few years) to change the way this space is used - it will eventually become a bedroom for Alex (he will get a loft bed, with various things like a desk and wardrobe tucked underneath it).  The room that he has now (which also acts as a guest room and has a lot of storage space, as it's a loft conversion room) will become Sarah's, and Olivia will get to keep the room that she and Sarah currently share.  However, this is a change that will happen only gradually and over time, partly because we need to convert a few other spaces in the house first. We will build some new shelves and workstations downstairs in the computer room (as well as replacing the floor in that room and redecorating generally), and part of that space will be where I can store as much of my sewing and craft equipment as I can - the stuff I use a frequently - and it will include a desk area where I can set up my sewing machine or a laptop, with ease of switching between the two (as you can see, we already use my sewing table as a laptop station sometimes).

However, I do have A LOT of stuff crammed into my little room.  Even though I clear it out every few years (for instance, here's the last one), there is a lot of stuff.   This is because I have had the option to store lots of stuff, because I have a dedicated space. But once I no longer have that option, I shall have to be really ruthless.  Frankly, I'm not a hoarder anyway - I'm quite ruthless about getting rid of things I don't need, but because I've dipped into lots of different arts and crafts, there are lots of things hanging around waiting for me to use. Or not.

So, my plan is, over the next year or so, to begin to get rid of things - some things I know I can get rid of; for instance, I have a lot of supplies from fabric dyeing, which is something I enjoyed for a while, but will really never do again, unless perhaps I move to a house with a proper, separate, plumbed workshop. In the event that happens, I'm sure I can accumulate supplies again. I have lots of bits and pieces which I've saved just in case they might come in handy - I'm sure lots of those can go.  But in order to save myself the stress of trying to sort the room out all at once after the new workspace is ready, I plan to declutter a little at a time, and see how much I can get rid of in advance. 

We can't start changing the space in the computer room until we get rid of a large gerbilarium, and we can't do that while the gerbils are still alive, but they are very old now (for gerbils), and we won't get new gerbils when these ones die, so I'm sure the time will come before long. 

It will be a shame to lose the workspace in some ways, but it's really not a sensible use of our rooms, as I only use it on weekends.  With my sewing machine downstairs in future, it's even possible I will occasionally sew in the evening, as it won't be noisy when other folks are sleeping nearby!  I'm sure I'll keep you posted when it all actually starts to happen.  

Oh, and there may be some giveaways along the way!

Cross-stitch update

This week's stitching... I had several nights I didn't stitch at all for whatever reason, so I haven't done a huge amount. I finished the green part of the top border and added a little to the lettering. Then I started on the plants on the left hand side.  Not bad, but not huge progress...  Next week, back to the Winter Wonderland.

Little stars

As my current leaders and enders project is coming to an end soon (it's log cabins with very narrow logs - made from 1" strips) I decided I needed to audition a new leaders and enders project. Or rather, I saw these stars on Tazzie's blog and thought they would be fun to try.  Verdict: they are very small, but they are fun and they will be good at using very small scraps. Smaller than I normally use for much more than crumb blocks. But I will feel virtuous using scraps that small, and as they will be leaders and enders, I won't have to sew lots of small pieces in a row, so I don't think I'll get TOO annoyed with them before I have enough to do something with. We'll see how it goes...

Some QST units

In the continuing effort to use up scrappy log cabin blocks I've made to get rid of scrappy strings, I turned some into QST (quarter square triangle) units, using some squares of hand-dyes.  This is not how I will arrange them in the completed top, it's just how they got laid out on the floor...

Cotton Robin Tease

I am once again taking part in the Cotton Robin round robin, organised by the lovely Julie. As before - and as is usual with many round robins - we aren't supposed to show what we've done - at least, not unless you do it in some way which disguises what you've done. You can show the border you made, as long as you don't show the centre block, but I didn't want to do that because I used enough of the feature fabric which was enclosed with the centre block to make it pretty obvious which block I had - and from that point, it wouldn't be hard to see how what I did would go with the centre....

Anyway, I have chosen instead to give a little tease photo - this is a photo of a very small section of the piece  - the photo is larger than actual size - and furthermore, it's laying on its side - but I shan't say which side!  So I think even the owner of the original centre won't be able to work much out from this shot. 

If you want to see the centre blocks we all submitted, check out this post on the Cotton Robin blog. And don't worry, when it's all over and done, I'll share proper photos!

Giveaway update

Just wanted to say, if you are one of the people who signed up to my giveaway, I have sent some of the scraps out.  I still have some envelopes to mail - these are going to Vicki, Virginia, Lynda, Marei and Lynne. (I just grabbed half the stack the other day - mostly UK ones and a few internationals). I hope to get the rest in the post later this week.

Also, someone called Jo left a comment (saying yellows, reds & oranges), but you are set to no-reply and don't have a blog linked to your profile, so I have no way of contacting you. If you read this and want to email me your address, I've got a pile of scraps for you as well!

Free to good homes

A couple of cross-stitch patterns I am finished with and won't stitch again - anyone who'd like them, leave a comment and in a week or so I'll choose a winner (if there is more than one person interested) - a couple of the other pieces I've finished recently, the patterns are in such bad shape, they can't be passed on. I know I should probably make a photocopy of the pattern before stitching it (this would have been particularly useful with my chilis, which I had to start over with!) but I never do....  Maybe someday I will learn!

This cupcake pattern was pretty quick to stitch and quite sweet (ha ha).   You can see it stitched up here.

This pattern is part of a series - I never had all of them, though I think I've had about three different ones. This is the words Creepy and Eek - you can't make the long wallhanging in the middle with just this pattern, but I think the individual words are cute anyway - they are what I've been stitching.  You can see Creepy here and Eek here.

Another top assembled

This is another top I put together from blocks I'd made previously - again, used as an enders and leaders project while I was doing other sewing. These are all Christmas scraps, so I suppose this will make someone a seasonal lap quilt... It lacks contrast in places, but I think it has a lot of interest close up.

Cross stitch update

Lots of progress. It stitches quickly. 

ABC ATCs: MNO

I haven't shown any more of my alphabet series of ATCs in a while, so here are M (moon)

N (nest)

and O (owls). 

And this was a card for the hostess, who wasn't collecting the alphabet but does like cards with tea or coffee on them...

Green scrappy stars

Actually, the stars themselves aren't scrappy, so it's not the best title, I guess!  This is another set of blocks which I've had around for a while, which I finally got around to assembling into a top - I used assembling it as an enders and leaders project while sewing some other stuff, so now it's a top. Another one for the charity pile - hoorah!

Teacups Sampler

 I did say yesterday that I was going to spend some time today quilting (or that I should, at any rate) - so I was very good and did do a little work on the little houses I was working on the other week - not a lot, though, as my shoulder was aching a bit and quilting is a bit tough on it. I haven't taken any photos, though, as the thread was fairly matched today, so it doesn't show well in photos - just textural, really. 

After a half hour or so of that, I decided to move on to something else - something more piecing. I had a selection of fat quarters which I'd been wanting to do something with - I thought they'd make a nice top for a lap quilt maybe for donation to a care home or through Sarah's quilt ministry to someone who is wheelchair bound, or something like that (I threw in a few small pieces of a toning green as well).

I wasn't really sure what to do with them, however, and even looking through some fat quarter books, still wasn't inspired (most of those patterns are for larger quilts and involve background fabric). So I decided to just make a variety of blocks and put them together. The result is a little less controlled than I normally like, but it's still quite sweet and would still, I think, make a nice lap quilt. 

Strip variation

In a continuing effort to rid myself of the scrappy 2" strips I seem to accumulate, I decided to do something slightly different - make some strippy blocks and then sash them with a neutral fabric. Originally, I was going to put a border down the left and right sides, too, but didn't have enough of the fabric I was using to do so.  It would probably look slightly better that way, but I think it works this way as well. I still have a pile of strips (even after 3 whole strip quilt tops - baby quilt sized, but still!) but I'm bored of working with them now, so I think I'll be doing something else tomorrow in my last day of holiday. I should probably do a bit of actual quilting, but I'm not sure I will - maybe a little, and then reward myself with some more piecing!

More low volume hearts

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Here is my final offering for the block lotto  this month - five low volume hearts. I decided not to do any more, partly because my stash isn't really composed of low-volume fabrics, and partly because it's getting quite expensive to mail my blocks off each month, so in future I might only make 3 - which could all be sent to one winner.  I really enjoy the lotto and don't want to stop playing, but because the winners are usually in the US, it does get a bit pricey...  Of course, what I might do is what I often do anyway - make a few blocks for the lotto and then use the idea to make more blocks for a charity quilt here.