Finally, finally The Circle Game

Six and a half years after making this quilt, it's quilted. Fully quilted. I went back and added an extra row of quilting around each of the semi-circles using an off-white thread. Just for extra stability with the wool batting.

The background came from Spotlight. Surprisingly. It's one of their Cloud 9 fabrics. I chose it because my mum hates rabbits digging in her garden!

Finally! The Circle Game

I made the top of the Circle Game quilt in 2014 and it has sat unquilted since then. It is entirely hand stitched. I am totally impressed with how small my stitches are. I think I would struggle to get them that small now - my close up eye sight has worsened.

This first photo shows how un-flat(!) it is!

Inspired by IG quilter, Bec of @sew.be I decided it was time to try black thread quilting. So for the last six weeks I have been working my way through the 16 circles. 15 are pictured. Not sure which one is missing from the photos.

I am now working my way through the semi-circles around the border. All being well, another week and it should be done.

The Circle Game is Done

Almost 12 months later the top of The Circle Game is done. The 68 semi-circles have been hand sewn on.

I have enjoyed it. but am glad it's done so I can move on to something else.

Circles and Flowers

The Circle Game is still going. But is very close to being done - the top at least. I am working on the final border of semi-circles. It will be done by Christmas!

And because I like hand-sewing, I recently purchased this book from Book Depository.

I am not into piecing bits of cake or boats or make up, but I do like flowers. And there are several pages of flower patterns. While they have the potential to be very old-school sampler-ish, I think the fabrics used in these pics make them much more modern, very pretty and very cool. 

I might have a go at some of these in the up-coming Christmas/summer hols.

The Half Circle Border

I am so productive when I don't have to go to work! I should be on holiday more often. In saying that, only nine weeks of school this term until the Christmas/summer hols.

Anyway, I have made two of the half circle borders for The Circle Game quilt. They were lying on the floor when I was at home last week and nephew Lucas said, "Hey look at all the semi-circles. Two semi-circles make one circle." And he proceeded to match them all up. How does an almost four year old know about semi circles? When I was home Lucas and I played numerous games of ludo and Snakes and Ladders with two dice which helps develop number knowledge ... it also speeds the games up! It can take a long time to get four counters around that ludo board.

The helpful lady at The Ribbon Rose in Ellerslie helped me audition numerous fabrics for the border. I am pleased with this choice. It's black (obviously) with cream coloured dots, which is good because the main background fabric also uses cream rather than white.

34 more semi-circles and it's done!

The Centre of the Circle Game is Complete

It was a windy Spring day last week when I got the centre of the Circle Game quilt finished and took it out into the orchard to photograph.

It's taken about 9 months to get it to this stage. It was always going to be a long-term project. I have really enjoyed the hand sewing. I have found the prep need for the project the boring and slow part! It starts with tracing the pattern pieces onto freezer paper. Cutting them out. Ironing them onto fabric. Cutting them out. Then re-ironing onto the other side of the fabric. I reckon it's about 2/3 prep time to 1/3 sewing time.

I really like the brightness of the quilt and the patchy-ness of it.

In between trying to get a picture of the quilt, I got sidetracked and started taking pics of the blossoms.

Then the bees arrived last Thursday night. 12 days later than last year. If you kind of squint you can see the hives stacked up the other side of the truck and the tractor coming in to pick them up to put them out down in the pears. They are very thirsty bees - flocking (if bees flock) to the bird baths in Mum's garden.

I will link up with Lee at Freshly Pieced later in the week.

The Circle Game

I started the final two circles at least two months ago. Both were finished, but they weren't sitting flat so I had to unpick. The not sitting flat has been an ongoing issue with this quilt. I have my theories including by the time 1mm is added to each side of each pattern piece with the fabric folding over the freezer paper, the pieces no longer fit together as you would expect.

I am looking forward to getting the centre section of this quilt finished.

A Half and a Three Quarter Circle

I have the final two blocks half done and three quarters done. I am at the stage of cutting and ironing more pieces - which is the bit I don't enjoy. However, without doing those bits I can't get to the bit I do enjoy - the hand sewing.

The half done strip has sat on the arm of the couch all week. Some days I come home and it's all screwed up on the floor. I wonder who is to blame for that? She does look a bit grumpy in this picture.

Meanwhile, five days left this term ... this half year. I have no idea where the school year has gone. In some ways it feels like we have just started the year.

I am off to present at a conference in the hols. The bonus is that it's in the seaside city of Carlsbad in California. The temperatures have been looking a bit average at only 19 degrees C, but I see it should be in the mid 20s by next week. No point going to California if it's not going to be warm and sunny! The only sewing related activity might be a visit to Fabricworm as we tiki-tour south from San Francisco.

Circle Game Progress

Now I am caught up with all the binding, I have been back to the Circle Game.

Two more blocks are finished:

And I am now working on the final two blocks.

They should be finished by the up-coming hols.

Monday Modern's May Mission

Really, it's a challenge but that would ruin the alliteration I had going on!

Robyn won last months blocks and set us a 'Swamp Block' challenge. I made one and then thought, why not another. They are pretty quick to whip up.

My first one is pretty bright, so I tried to darken things down in the second block. Using a "light neutral" in the corners, rather than white, made me think twice about my centre squares. Everything came out of the stash. I like blocks like that!

And I have made a start on my next Circle Game block.

I will link up with Lee @ Freshly Pieced on Wednesday there.