Linen Zip Pouch

I have my Noodlehead-esque pouch finished in time for our Monday Modern gathering. I didn't enjoy this at all. The linen was too thick, the half square triangles were too small, blah, blah, blah.

I nearly quit. I nearly threw it in the bin. I decided enough was enough and I left the back plain. I was making something that has no purpose (in my eyes) overly complicated.

I only started liking it when I could pull it all through the right way. I think it looks kind of nice. I totally saw this design on the great www - can't find now though. That sew-er obviously has more patience that me because she has two rows of tiny tiny half square triangles which continue onto the back.

If I ever feel the need to make a zip pouch again, I would def use this same pattern/tutorial. I just wouldn't muck around with embellishing the pouch.

I like it sitting in front of my newly-painted-blue front door. After 8 years of living with the 60's orangey red, I am loving Kenepuru blue from Dulux.

PS The pouch is lined with navy and white spots.

Tiny Triangles

Our challenge for Modern Monday is a zip pouch using Noodlehead's tutorial. I have been putting it off. But I finally made a start over the weekend.

First I cut a few 1.5" squares and then drew a diagonal line on the back of them.

The I sewed 1/4" either side of the diagonal line. Thank goodness for chain piecing. I always think this part is like sewing a kite's tail.

Then cutting and ironing. Voila ... half square triangles.

And I didn't get much further. Lucy the Cat looked on from the ironing pile.

Teal and Pink HST Done-o-rama

I made this one because I had lots of HSTs left over after the Teal and Orange HST quilt that I could not waste. It took some time finding the 'right' pink (which doesn't photograph at all well).

It's only the second baby quilt I have machine quilted, and while it went better than the first, it's not perfect nor easy! But it is hugely time saving. I find the dense quilting means it's a bit less snuggly than I would like. But, hopefully, that will improve after a wash or two and some use.

I like the look of this one a lot. Although I have only now noticed the variation in grey. Not intentional at all. Hopefully, that's just a lighting/photography thing.

It's off to live in Christchurch.

Straight-ish Line Quilting

Voila! I started by marking the centre with some masking tape and just went from there with grey thread on top and white on the bottom.

The straight-ish lines are about 12mm apart. There were no major disasters. I have a couple of threads to pull to the back and knot where I either ran out of thread or had to unpick and re-sew.

I have some pink and a couple of the teals left to make a scrappy binding.

Watermelon and Teal Half Square Triangles

Re-acquainted myself with my sewing machine and got the top of this baby quilt finished. The magic basting 505 spray is at school, so this is as far as this one will get this weekend even though the batting and backing are bought.

It's a good day for sewing - overcast. There was a very red sky this morning when I woke up and then fog for ages. Now it's just grey.

I am back to quilting the Wonky Log Cabin now with My Sky-ed episodes of 'Call the Midwife'. I love that it stars Miranda Hart from 'Miranda'.

Teal and Pink HST Baby Quilt

I am not going to make another HST quilt for a while. I really like the look of HSTs, but two quilts in a row is a bit much - all those little tails that need trimming!

I have two thirds of the top of this one made. It is not going to be ready for the baby shower tomorrow afternoon. But it will be done by the time the baby is due in five more weeks.

There's Pink and Then There's Pink

The next HST quilt has been sitting for a week or two. I was waiting for more teal to arrive, which it did about a week ago. But still it sat. I wasn't loving the pink ... it was a bit too magentary for my taste.

I was in Spotlight this a.m. getting fabric for another project when I saw a solid the colour of dark watermelon. Bought it. Cut it. Sewed it.

It photographs poorly. Think watermelon. Think dark watermelon pink. I like it a whole lot better.

So now all the HSTs are made, the next job is to sew the squares together. The baby shower is in 12 days.

Thankfully, the builders moved a little bit faster - once they finally arrived. Large patches of the deck were rotten. The builders discovered the boards had been laid straight on the dirt and old concrete terrace. Boards that aren't supposed to come into contact with the actual ground. Hence, the rot.

It's been interesting coming home each evening to see their progress.

It was even better to come home on Friday and find it finished.

Teal and Orange HST Quilt Finished

I machine quilted this. It is possibly the first and last baby-sized one I ever machine quilt. I hated the process. I found it really frustrating have to manoeuver the quilt through the throat of my machine. I nearly unpicked it several times during the first quadrant and even when half of it was done, I hated it, thought I had ruined the quilt and seriously thought about unpicking it all. I don't know how peple quilt bed-sized quilts on domestic machines.

However, I like it now it is done. It's certainly not perfect though. Machine quilting makes for a much stiffer quilt because it's a denser stitch compared to the quilting running stitch. I think I prefer the feel of a hand quilted quilt - much softer. But I do appreciate what would have taken me a month to hand quilt, took me a half a day (or so) to machine quilt and bind.

It measures about 1 m x 1.3 m, or 41 x 51 inches.

New supplies of teal elephant and abacus have arrived, so I look forward to working on the teal and pink quilt this week, depending on homework of course.

More Half Square Triangles

I have lots of teal and grey HSTs left over. I can't waste them.

I bought a solid magenta when I was at Patchwork Passion yesterday to go with them. I was worried the magenta would be a little blinding for a baby, but it looks ok so far. I won't use it excessively.

HST Quilt Top Done

It's a little breezy here today. Super-sunny again.

I am not sure about the quilting. I am tempted to try to machine quilt it as my walking foot has finally arrived.

I should be doing school work. I did go to school today (only because I had to go to a meeting) and brought my marking home, so I am one step closer to getting it done. I hate marking - I usually try to get it all done before the hols, but I just ran out of time.

Orange Squares in the HST Quilt

I decided to fill in the gaps with squares of orange and grey - more orange than grey. I then subsituted a few more orange HSTs in the place of some teal ones. I quite like it.

I had forgotten about all the seams that need to meet when you sew Half Square Triangles. Lots of pinning and lots of ironing.

A New Half Square Triangle Quilt

I felt like sewing machine sewing today so pulled a nice fat quarter bundle of teal greens out of my stash. My favourite print is the elephant. He seems to be upside down a lot though.

I bought white to go with the teal, but it was too white and anything off-white just looked dirty. So I went back to grey. I think it will look ok.

I am not sure what to put in the empty spaces nor why I have a pattern of two empty spaces ... hmmm. I must be able to get all the two spaces down to one with a little re-arranging. I am sure it will come to me this evening.

Re-naming

The Half Square Triangle (HST) quilt, is now Max's Quilt.

Max's Mum is baker-extraordinaire Courtenay - one half of Baking Makes Things Better.

Ta da!

I love ta da! I love the scene in Amelie where Lucien uncovers the expensive groceries for Dufayel, "Ta da!"

Anyway, the Half Square Triangle Quilt is done. Bound, washed, now drying.

I can attest to its snuggliness, having fallen asleep under it on the couch on Friday night. Where it covered knees and feet.

I am loving the flannel on the back. I have not used flannel before and would use it again as it is super soft and snuggly.

On a less enthusiastic note, day light saving finished this morning. I forgot. Woke up at 7.45am and thought, I'll get up at 8. Bonus, when I realised it was still and hour and a quarter until 8.

I think day light saving should last all year. I don't change the clock in my car ever - it stays on day light saving time because I know it will come round again.

Now day light saving is over and it is April, I might have to admit it's autumn. But I am still wearing short sleeves, so I don't think I have to admit anything just yet. Ask me after a week in Hawkes Bay and I will probably be ready to admit it is autumn. Bugger.

But I suppose summer can't last forever. If it did, we wouldn't appreciate it or have anything to look forward to when it rains every day in July!

One Step Closer

Nothing like coming home from work and going straight to the sewing room to get a job done. Now all that's needed is a bit of hand sewing and bob's-your-uncle.

Why You Should Wash it When You Buy It ...

... because when you get home earlier than usual and are all enthusiastic about cutting and sewing the binding, you can't. You have to wash the fabric.

Instead of binding I vaccuumed and washed floors and made pumpkin and bacon pasta for tea. I suppose I should not complain really. I did achieve something.

Ready for Binding

Finally. It was so not a BIG job, but it has sat on the footstool in the lounge untouched for 3 whole weeks. However, job done now. Binding next.

Progress on the Half Square Triangle Baby Quilt

I have made progress this afternoon. If I made a more concerted effort more often, it'd be done in a jiffy. It might be my project this week because I do want to see it finished.

Quilting the HST

I have started quilting the little HST baby quilt I made in the hols. I was going to send it to the quilter, but was convinced otherwise.

I am using white perle thread and am quilting two sides of every white triangle. Hopefully, I'll have it done in a couple of weeks.

Little Patchwork Village

The fabric (Martinique by Moda) arrived yesterday from The Fat Quarter Shop. It took 8 days to arrive from the US and works out at $3.15NZ a fat 1/4 including postage - half of what it costs here. And they wonder why we shop online/overseas in New Zealand.

Anyway, got to work this arvo. Because I want to make the quilt bigger than the pattern I had to re-size the blocks. I am quite impressed with myself resizing the half square triangles, etc, espec when I am no Maths whiz. I made a test block using old scrap fabric. And once that was all good, I started on the real thing. I got three blocks done and I think it looks very prettty so far. It will keep me busy for the rest of the week.

PS Thanks to Melissa over at Baking Makes Things Better for introducing me to Picassa and Picnic for photo editing. I do like making collages (-: