TEN UFO Sightings!

No, no!  ET has NOT landed.. but MY UFOs has!  You know those UnFinished Objects you ignore up to a point when you realize its either time to finish them or forget them completely!  Well I have ignored my UFO's for far too long now, and decided that this year I am going to do my very best and finish what I've started.  

So I am joining in this years' a lovely year of finishes hosted by Fibre of all sorts and Sew Bitter Sweet Designs.

The plan is, to finish off at least one, either old or new project in one month.  Now I have more than enough projects to keep me busy for quite some time, but there is at least one project that I am sure that I wont be able to complete in one month, and that is my one inch hexies quilt.  There are over 1500 basted hexies to piece together, so I am going to make it my goal to piece at least 50 together in a month.  This will not be part of the linkup I am sharing over at a lovely year of finishes but just a personal goal I want to set for myself.  If I dont make it, its okay too, I just feel that unless I push myself I wont finish at all!

So for January I am going to concentrate on my clam-shell crochet blanket.  I am close to finishing it, and to just get into the whole idea of completing something before month-end I am going to keep it simple.  I want to add at least another 10 inches to this blanket (at 47 inches wide), so it should be finished it no time.  

There is a catch though, it is summer, and with temperatures going up to 34°C (93°F) it is going to be,... well ... HELL, lol.

But I am hopeful, and I am going to get it done!

* My posts delivered to you *

      


 

Anything Goes Quilt 'n Sew #20 - May in review

When looking back at the month of May, what seemed like a 'not so productive month', have in fact turned out to be quite busy.  In between all of my sewing and quilting, I even had a week where I babysat a 7 month old baby girl.  

So, to recap, I started a baby quilt, played around crocheting butterflies, pieced my Lucky Stars BOM, free motion quilted a fabric postcard as part of a FMQ Postcard swap I joined on Facebook.  I started piecing and played around with hexies.  I also joined in a 'Feathers' Challenge along with others over at SewCalGal, and for fun I made a few Cathedral Window MINI key chains.

While I was busy sorting out photos on my camera I realized I never shared with you my Sugar Block Club BOM's for April and May.  So here they are:

April BOM - Sunny Days (Foundation paper piecing)

May - Signed-Sealed-Delivered BOM ... can you see the envelopes?

So all and all, I have quite a bit to show for this past month.

Sew now it's time for this week's linky party

It's Monday and a new week, so lets all share some of our projects, please link up any current projects you've been working on, anything at all...  This link is open for a week and will run every Monday.  Remember to come back next week, or follow my blog to get regular updates.

If you wish feel free to add any other blog posts you write during the week, since this linky stays open for a full week, I think its a great idea to share and keep sharing.

All I ask is that you either add the 'Anything Goes' blog button to your sidebar or add a text link to your blog post, and comment on a few of the other links too, share the love and make this weekly link party a fun way to connect.

<div align="center"><a href="http://marelize-ries.blogspot.com/" title="Stitch by Stitch"><img src="http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj592/MarelizeR/LinkyButton2_zps83805f35.jpg" alt="Stitch by Stitch" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Happy quilting.

Hexie fun!

My hexie quilt is going to be one of my biggest projects ever. When my mom sent me the hexies she basted for me, together with mine I decided to start piecing right away.  In case its your first time visiting, it comes to more than a  1600 one inch hexies.  I am still adding more basted hexies to this collection.  Most of the colours being used is either green or pink, so I'm adding blue and purple too. 

(I apologize for the bad light in these pictures, its early morning and the sun is shining directly against the orange curtains right behind my cutting table.)

I started piecing hexies at random, 4 pieces at a time and by shade separating them light, medium and dark rather than colour.  I have not really decided on a layout yet, but this morning I had an idea of making 'blocks' with 16 hexies in one shade.  So far this is one placement I have in mind.  Its rows moving diagonally from light to medium to dark, then starting again with light.  So far I think I am going to stick with this placement, but I'm sure once I have pieced a lot more that this I will be able to see if I really like it and if it will work. 

This has become a really nice pass time, especially on Saturday's when my husband watches every single Rugby match on tv.

I am using a light thread and was a bit worried that the stitches will be visible in the front, but the few stitches you do see, will definitely not be a distraction.  I think because they are spaced so close makes the difference.

Enough playing around, I have to get busy cutting fabric for my Sugar Block Club and Lucky Stars BOM's.  I still have to do April's block (sugar block club) together with May, so I have to get started, at least I've already picked out the fabrics I'm going to use for these blocks...

Linking up with WIP Wednesday over @ Freshly Pieced.

Happy quilting.

Christmas in May?

..it sure felt like it when I came home from the post office this morning.

My sister who lives in the UK surprised me with a 6pc fat quarter bundle.  She is a Stampin'Up demonstrator, if you like you can visit her website HERE.

While she was attending a craft fair she got me these.  Isn't it gorgeous?

..oh wait, another parcel all the way from the UK.  Helen from tiarahelen offered to send me one inch paper hexies for the hexie quilt I'm making.  She has a die that cuts 48 paper pieces in one go, and she offered to send me some.

I cant even imagine home many there are... the ones on my cutting table is only half taken out the envelope.  No more aching thumbs yeah!!

A big, no wait, a HUGE thank you to you both!  ♥♥♥

Happy quilting.

Anything Goes Quilt 'n Sew #15 - My Mom is the best!

A couple of weeks ago I told you that my mom was helping me basting hexies.  Well, she decided to send them to me and on Friday they arrived in the post.  

At first when I opened it up it was hard to imagine that there are over a thousand basted.  

So I started unpacking them on my cutting table and the picture changed completely.  

  

Its really  nice how things worked out as most of the hexies I basted are mostly dark colours and the ones my mom made are light and medium.

Don't they look pretty? 

I think this is going to be a nice project to keep busy during the coming winter months. 

That was not all that was in the box.  Some years ago when my parents where visiting my sister in the UK she painted these panels as part of a class that she was giving at the time.  The colours are so bright and much prettier than in the pictures.

  

I have not yet decided what I'll make with them, but one thing is certain, I will be quilting them.

My Mom is simply the best!  I honestly cant find the words to explain how much she means to me.

Let's get to this week's linky party.

It's Monday and a new week, so lets all share some of our projects, please link up any current projects you've been working on, anything at all...  This link is open for a week and will run every Monday.  Remember to come back next week, or follow my blog to get regular updates.

If you wish feel free to add any other blog posts you write during the week, since this linky stays open for a full week, I think its a great idea to share and keep sharing.

All I ask is that you either add the 'Anything Goes' blog button to your sidebar or add a text link to your blog post, and comment on a few of the other links too, share the love and make this weekly link party a fun way to connect.

<div align="center"><a href="http://marelize-ries.blogspot.com/" title="Stitch by Stitch"><img src="http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj592/MarelizeR/LinkyButton2_zps83805f35.jpg" alt="Stitch by Stitch" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Happy quilting.

So much fun!

The weather has cooled down considerably this past week.  So I did not spend a lot of time behind my sewing machine.  

Instead, I've been basting some hexies again.  This project, I thought would take a long time, but it's turning out to go much faster than expected.  Many of you know that my mom has been  helping me, so with all the hexies she has basted, together with mine, it has come to a total of 1600, roughly...  

So I found this LINK to calculate how many hexies you'll need for a specific size quilt.  For the total we have at this moment, I would get a quilt of aproximately 65 x 65 inches.  I don't have a specific layout or design in mind jet.  Once I have all the hexies here with me, it would be easier to decide where I want to go with it.

Free motion quilting design hot-hot-spiral

I also worked a bit on my Goddess quilt, and  free motion quilted hot-hot-spiral in one of the rays.  Its a fun design to stitch, but I found it was so easy to stitch myself into a corner, luckily travel stitching around the edge of the rays made coming out not such a big issue.

Kayleigh had her birthday yesterday so I baked her a chocolate cake.  I tried really hard getting a picture of her licking out the bowl, but every time I came closer with the camera she stood up. She is such a busy body... LOL.  You can see a cute video I posted yesterday where she blew out the candles, she is such a cutie.  They grow up way too fast!

This morning I woke up to the sound of rain.  So I decided there and then that soup will be on the menu tonight.  I started very early preparing the soup and suddenly from no where I had an urge to crochet.  I don't have a lot of experience in this craft, so I found a 3 part video tutorial on youtube and made these cute little flowers.  I think I will stick them too some hair clips for Kayleigh to use.  Or I'll try making some head bands, and use it for embellishment.



Then ...

...I have a kind request from all of you here at blog-land.  I have submitted my disappearing four patch baby quilt to the Quilter's show and tell contest.  The theme is 'Just squares and rectangles.  To vote click HERE.

Voting starts today and will end on (my mom's birthday ♥♥) Monday morning 22 April 2013.








Linking up to FMQ Friday @ The Free Motion Quilting Project.

Happy quilting.

Lots and lots of hexies.

When my parents where here a few months ago, I mentioned to my mom that I needed a 'hand' project to keep busy at night.  For some reason I find it so boring watching tv lately, that's when I decided to start piecing one inch hexies.

So I started cutting out templates and sorted out scraps.  My mom then volunteered to help.  So I prepared a bag with scraps and templates that she took home with her.  Here she is (left) at her home sorting out all the hexies by colour and prints.  This picture was taken about a month ago and she already has over a 1000 basted in total.  She even went out and bought extra fabric to help this project along.  I love her to bits ♥♥

I too have been busy basting hexies but I don't have nearly as much.  Here is a post I wrote with some useful links to create your own templates, not only for hexies but other shapes too.  

So I eventually ran out of templates and on Monday I printed out some more and started the tedious job of cutting them out.  It took a whole day to cut out 20 A4 pages.  My thumb was so sore and tender after, that I decided stop.  I can carry on another day.

I now have a little over 400 hexies basted and still counting.  The plastic container I used was completely full, so I moved them to a larger one.

It looks so empty now...

2½ inch pieces of fabric

I am linking up WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced.

Happy quilting.

Anything Goes - Quilt 'n Sew #9 - Useful Links

Some days most days I want to kick myself for staying up late at night surfing the internet.  Not just because I wake up tired, but mostly because of all the beautiful things I see that makes my "I want to make this" list grow even longer.

But I was quite happy when I stumbled upon a few links that I think you might find useful if you enjoy english paper piecing. 

I am currently paper piecing hexagons from scraps, and I came across this useful cutting guide, explaining exactly what size fabric squares you'll need for a specific size hexie, and of course how much hexies you'll get from strips, FQ's, quarter yard or half yard fabric.  You can download it HERE.

Here is another useful link if you want to create your own downloadable and printable PDFs, creating the exact size hexies you want.

You can also use this LINK for other types of graph paper like circles and squares.

So I suppose in the end, going to bed in the midnight hours is not all that bad, except for having far to many midnight snacks.  With winter around the corner it is NOT a good thing, since I love my comfort foods... LOL.

But now it's time for this week's linky party

It's Monday and a new week, so lets all share some of our projects, please link up any current projects you've been working on, anything at all...  This link is open for a week and will run every Monday.  Remember to come back next week, or follow my blog to get regular updates.

If you wish feel free to add any other blog posts you write during the week, since this linky stays open for a full week, I think its a great idea to share and keep sharing.

All I ask is that you either add the 'Anything Goes' blog button to your sidebar or add a text link to your blog post, and comment on a few of the other links too, share the love and make this weekly link party a fun way to connect.

<div align="center"><a href="http://marelize-ries.blogspot.com/" title="Stitch by Stitch"><img src="http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj592/MarelizeR/LinkyButton2_zps83805f35.jpg" alt="Stitch by Stitch" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Happy quilting.

WIP Wednesday - In love with feathers!

Kayleigh's quilt is coming along really nicely.  I am in love with quilting feathers, it is so much fun and it looks soooo pretty!  I've been trying to let the feathers go in different directions to not have them all point in one way, so at some places there are quite a few swirls to fill the space.

I have also found that quilting the feather towards me (starting the 'stem' at the top, stitching the point of the feather to me) that my feather ends up more 'rounded' and the loops of the feather are bigger too.  Depending of the bulk inside the throat of my machine, I now try to stitch it that way.  I like when the feather appears 'fat' rather than 'skinny', LOL.

I have a little space space left then its just the binding and I'll be done.  This little quilt came along surprisingly fast. 

I am also working on my hexies these past few nights.  I now have 248 hexies pieced.  I'm still not sure what I'm going to make with these, except that it feels good using up all my scraps.  

Remember, today is your last day to enter for my giveaway, I have reached a 100 followers, yee-ha.

I am linking up to WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced.

Happy quilting.