A Finished [Easter] Fox

I straight line machine quilted the fox yesterday on the diagonal through the crosses. The backing and the binding come from Spotlight.

It's still summer-like in Auckland, so it has been washed and dried today. Looking at the long-range forecast - the rain is due to start on Thursday. Just in time for the school hols. Perfect!

Details for Mr Fox can be found at Making Life Prettier and at Pile o Fabric.

I am taking a pile of unfinished quilts to Carol in Onehunga tomorrow after school to be quilted. I do love handquilting, but some of these have been works in progress since May 2011 and it would take me a couple of years to get them finished! (And I don't really even like the top one anymore so I don't want to spend ages finishing it.)

I can't bring myself to send my oldest WIP in for quilting. My stitchery quilt I finished in 2010. Maybe I will quilt it when I finish my Circle Game quilt, although I am planning to make Kim McLean's Lollypop Trees my next big project.

In the hols I am keen to try an equilateral triangle quilt like this one Linda is working on, as well as making progress with the Circle Game. A puffy 'April' block is bugging me. I have some unpicking to do I think.

A Fox in the Garden

Not a real one. This is New Zealand - we don't have any wild critters or snakes. Thank goodness. I don't like it when birds accidentally fly inside, not sure what I would do if something wild came inside. I would probably have to move out until it did.

Anyway, the top of the fox quilt is done. It is quite a good size. I was worried about it being a bit useless. I am no longer worried. I just hope Lucas can 'see' the fox!

Given Easter hols are eight days away (is it really the end of Term 1 already - I feel like I have just got started!), I will get this machine straight-line quilted this coming weekend.

One Shirt and One Fox

After a week of mistake after mistake the first shirt is finished.

I decided to use domes rather than make buttonholes - thinking that would be tidier. But then I sewed all the domes on wrong side up so had to unpick them all. And because the buttons were attached to the domes, they all came off too.

Today it all came together and it is now in the mail to baby Lucy. If it fits, I will be finishing the other flowery one and making a third with the fabric my sister-in-law sent me during the week.

The fox is closer to being done, although I am out of essex linen so until more arrives, it is sitting in the half done pile!

I plan to add one more light x block under his nose to finish it off and then I want to add an 8" border of essex linen around the whole thing. It will end up about 48 x 48", 122 x 122cm. Not sure if that's a particularly useful size, but if you are only three and a quarter you will fit under it or perhaps hang it on your bedroom wall.

A Fox

I saw this great quilt a little while ago and thought I would give it a go. Helpfully Samantha linked her Mr Fox to an x-block tutorial at Pile o Fabric.

Here is where I am at so far -

I don't like his nose in the chevron - it's too harsh. I will re-do that one. This is my first time using Essex Linen. It's certainly not as loose a weave as 100% linen which is a good think when sewing on the bias.

I did think nephew Lucas might like this on. He demonstrates how to sniff the air like a fox and occasionally refers to Swiper the fox. I say, "I don't know who Swiper is." "He's on tv," I get told. And there is a fox in The Little Gingerbread Man record/book we listen to.

I think the fox will measure about 34" square before I add a natural 4" border.