Progress

Yesterday was a horrid day here: we woke to snow on the cars and decking and it was freezing.  I ended up having to go out twice in the wind and the sleet (walking both times!), so when I finally got in I figured I deserved to be warm and to sew

I made a start on joining up my double wedding ring quilt: I LOVE how this is looking!

I also finished off one of my projects for Rhondas FAL:

 This was part of Lynnes hexie QAL two summers ago.  I think I used fabrics that I don't really like, as I don't like the whole thing

I am working tomorrow, which sucks (especially when I am in dispute with my manager re overtime payments: I am owed 50 hours, but she will only pay me 25 and has told me to take time off in lieu - I would love to do that, but I don't have any days free to do that between now and Christmas.  I have worked the hours, about 8-10 hours extra each week, so why arn't they paying the overtime!)  Then I have four days off : just what I need!

FAL finish

I have my 2nd finish for Rhonda's FAL: my Christmas Rose Star wall hanging is all finished and I absolutely love it!  Can't wait to get it on my wall now

A while ago I joined another bee: bee a brit stingy.  We don't start properly until January but in the mean time we have had a little 'get to know you swap' and made pincushions.  Mine was made by Di and arrived on Monday

There may have been four pieces of chocolate!!

 It is such a perfect pincushion, the materials and the design, I love it!  We have to make from scraps and Di got this spot on. 

Such great fabric!  My pincushion is on its way to Collette (we all knew in advance who was making for who so I'm not spoiling any suprise).  I did cheat a bit, as Collette is also in our Hipbees swap so she also has my November fabric in there too!

Cheery EPP'ing

 I have spent quite a few happy hours since August putting all of these together for my double wedding ring quilt.  Don't they all look great piled up like that!

I still have the end pieces to do for each row and I am working away on those.  I have started to take them with me to work now, so if I am early for an appointment or have to wait in between appointments, then I am making the most of my time!!

November Hipbee

November is my month in the fabulous Hipbees and I have decided to go for Lynnes Lynnebobsquarepants block

I love this block, but knew it would take me forever to make a lot of blocks.  Here's one I made today

 I figured I needed to make one, before I ask others to make some for me!  I will need 16 blocks in total, with the 4 central blocks having various purple backgrounds, like this one, as well as each corner

The coloured fabric is Power Pop by Jenanne Morrison.  I have 10 FQ's that have been waiting for the right moment, and this is it.

I'm really pleased with how it's turned out
The other blocks will have charcoal as their background

Good news

Good news!  My project came back, all marked and verified, and I have passed!!

This project (4100 words plus appendix: 23 pages) took up a lot of my weekends, working from 9 - 2 or 3 each day and I really felt under pressure with it as there was a time limit on it, so to have passed it straight off is such a relief. 

Thank you to all those of you who keep on telling me that I can do it and to keep going :-)

Only one exam (a re-take) and I am done!  Just think of all that sewing.....

I did also finish this panel and turned it in to a cushion, all quilted and handed over to my friend for her birthday on Sunday.  I shall have to ask her to take a picture, as I completly forgot and this is my first finish for the final quarter of Rhonda's FAL

Get a move on

So, its time to enter the final quarter of Rhondas finish a-long  This FAL has really helped me to get things finished, and I am really hoping to get everything on the list ticked off

Get my trade winds star all finished (I love this!)

                                      

 Christmas rose star wall hanging to complete: I have sewn two and half stars down already, and this one has a very obvious deadline!

    

 Do something with this12" block: probably a cushion

Complete Joans quilt: my dad and stepmum are coming to stay over half term, so if I can finish it by then, they can take it back up with them

 And do something with these, just not sure what I want to do with them (one is missing, need to find that!)

 Finally, get this finished.  I have kind of fallen out of love with it, not sure why, so I will try and get it turned in to a table runner and donate it to the Farleigh Hospice ladies

Hmmmm, will I get all of this done.......?

More catching up

 I managed to catch up on even more things yesterday: what a great weekend for playing catch up!

I got the border sewn on to the Christmas rose star wall hanging.  The backing fabric is 'Holly' that I bought from Justine : its perfect. 

I also got my Trade Winds star all sewn up, ready for quilting

I love these colours

                                    

The blue backing was an on offer Oxford pillowcase from Dunelm for £1.50

 Now I can get on with thinking how to quilt this lovely

Obligations fulfilled

I spent most of today finishing up projects that I've been needing to do for a while: my pincushion for the bee a brit stingy swap (can't show you as its a suprise) and a couple of siggy blocks for bees, a few other projects and generally catching up.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been busy EPP'ing Christmas Rose Stars 

 I have even been some whilst sitting in the car between school visits or before I have been presenting training, it has really made that time whizz past

 I'm really pleased with how they have turned out and amazed that I have done anything Christmassy so early (I think its only because its EPP!)

 I bought the green material from Justine: its called Holly and its a fabulous green.  I am thinking along these lines:

                                                     

Make it in to a wall hanging : probably with the green a bit narrower and some gold or white sashing around the outside: what do you think?

And, oh yes, I may have bought one of these too!!

                                       

Goodbye September

Well, it would appear that September wasn't overly productive for me on the sewing front. This is probably because I had a 4000 word project to complete in Internal Controls and accounting systems.  I am including that in my September finishes, as I did actually get it finished yesterday.  It gets sent for marking now, so I just have to wait.....

I have complete Jans Hipbee block: this is a block that was never meant to look like this but due to an epic fail in the maths department, ended up as such (I am happy with the final result however)

I finished my giant star on Saturday night, just in time to get it in for Rhondas FAL.  The photo does no justice to the colours and the material!

 I have completed a Christmas Rose Star, with another one nearly completed (sorry for including this one Sarah!)

 And this was a practise bee block as I am Miss November for the Hipbees.  I really love this block, but it doesn't utilise my jelly roll, as the blocks are not 2.5" friendly and I have proved to myself that I shouldn't do my own workings out for blocks, so it's back to the drawing board for my bee block....

Now that I have completed my project (bar any amendements I have to make) I only have one exam left, which is actually a re-take, and I will then be AAT qualified.  This is great news after nearly 3 and half years, but the best bit is that I will have all my weekends free again: free to sew without feeling guilty!!

Linnking up with Lynne's fresh sewing day