Packaged and in the Post

I finished my other 4 QAYG blocks yesterday. It has been very useful Machine Quilting practice for me. 
I haven't done a lot of Machine Quilting. This is for 2 reasons: I like hand quilting ( I find it relaxing and therapeutic) and I have had great difficulty putting my walking foot attachment onto my machine( you need to be left handed - I'm not! - & very nimble fingered to fiddle with an extremely short screw).

However, a few months ago I was gifted another sewing machine and in a 'light bulb moment" I decided to leave my machine fitted with the pesky walking foot so it was ready for action.

Today I am hoping to tackle sandwiching my Wee Bees April quilt and that will be mostly machine quilted.

In addition to the two QAYG blocks I showed in my last blog post, here are 4 more:

 

All six blocks packed up and about to go to the Post Office when my husband and I walk into town.

 

I have just added up how many of these blocks I have sent to Nicky and it's 17, just 1 short of 2 quilts-worth. I think I have got the addiction out of my system for the moment, so back to the 2 quilts that I am in the process of completing.

Off the Back Burner

I recently sewed up a pile of QAYG blocks for Nicky's Block Drive (mrssewandsow.blogspot.co.uk) The Siblings Together Quilt Block Drive!for Siblings Together.
I ran out of batting so had to put two of the blocks to one side.

I recently had some batting delivered to my house as I am now ready to sandwich the Wee Bees April quilt and needed more batting urgently.
Before I start that big quilt I decided to get some smaller things finished so the QAYG blocks came off the Back Burner and here they are:

 

Nice and bright - just how I like it.

 

Of course I have now got the bug for making more so there are 4 more in progress.

 

I am not really procrastinating about sandwiching the bigger quilt but I haven't been well again ( this time a balance issue connected to the virus I caught 8 weeks ago!) so kneeling on the floor battling to get the quilt sandwich smooth is not for me at the moment.

 

So, in the meantime I am cleaning out a few more scraps for a useful project.

 

Happy sewing!

Pink, purple & orange Quilt - finished!

Another finished quilt - my 4th for 2016 and my 2nd for Siblings Together.

And the pieced back made from several different fabrics.

 

About three weeks ago I sewed together 12 Sewing Bee blocks which were a UFO from 5 years ago.

 

I added 5 hearts to one block as it looked rather empty in the middle.

 

 

 

And here it is in the finished quilt:

 

 

The appliqued hearts were hand blanket stitched with embroidery floss and then I hand quilted around each heart using a variegated purple Perle cotton.

 

Another of the blocks looked very pale and minimalist compared to some of the other blocks so I added 5 triangles which were blanket stitched and hand quilted in the same way as the hearts:

 

 

I also hand quilted in white thread around the windmill sails to make them stand out more.

 

Three more of my favourite sections of the quilt:

 

 

 

I am so pleased with this quilt.  Another set of UFO blocks turned into a quilt which will be donated to Siblings Together, such a worthwhile cause.

It has made a very useful-sized quilt, 50" x 62".

 

More finishes

I really have the QAYG blocks bug!  Makes a change from the horrid bug I have suffered from for 5 weeks:  incredibly sore throat, high temperature, aches and pains, time in bed, lost my voice for several days ( no witty comments about my husband enjoying some peace and quiet!) and then a croaky voice for weeks.  Hopefully now back to normal.

However, in between lying in bed feeling rotten I made 8 more QAYG blocks for
Nicky's Siblings Together Block Drive. They are such fun to make.  I have another two block fronts made but ran out of batting so I'm waiting until my order arrives in the post.  Hopefully these 8 blocks are now with Nicky.

 

 

 

 

As I am part of the Wee Bees Group making quilts for the same charity I decided to get on and make the 2 May blocks suggested by this month's QB Gill. She has chosen Disappearing Nine Patches, a design I have seen and put on my ever-growing List of Things to Try.  So now I have.  Loved making the blocks which are very large so we can make quilts quite quickly. These used 7.5" squares.

 

Now putting together the border on my own Siblings Together quilt. I have another SB quilt ready to sandwich and  a commission Baby Quilt to sandwich so plenty of sewing on the go!

On a roll! Turning out the blocks

It's the start of May already. Here in the UK it is May Bank Holiday and it's wet and horrid.
I feel sorry for the folk who work and this is the day they were hoping to go out for the day, spend time gardening etc. As my husband and I are retired we don't usually make plans for Bank Holidays.

However, I have been very busy over the weekend churning out blocks to make into QAYG blocks for Nicky's Block Drive for Siblings Together. (Siblings Together Quilt Group post from Thursday 28 April 2016).

Here they are, spread on my bedroom carpet:

 

 

All bright and colourful - they are so much fun to make and it is good to see partly used FQs and scraps being used up for a good reason.

 

I have definitely got the bug for making these blocks and whilst I was on a roll I made 10 blocks! 

Then I had to ferret through my stash looking for low volume fabrics for the backings and also batting scraps.  It's surprising how much fabric and batting pieces I have used up in order to create 22" squares. Nicky said we could piece batting and also backing scraps which I have done for several of the blocks.

But I am now completely out of batting  apart from one large piece I am keeping on one side to use on the April Wee Bees Quilt I will be putting together later this week. A shame because I just have 2 more QAYG blocks to assemble.  Never mind, these two will have to wait until my next visit to a Quilt Shop. Not sure when that might be, perhaps mid June when my Patchwork Group usually has an outing.  Otherwise I hope there might be a little left over from the Wee Bees April Quilt so they can be finished sooner.

I have started to machine quilt the other 8, two finished and this one had its ends sewn in whilst I was watching television yesterday evening.

 

The blue & lilac flowered fabric which looks like 1970's bed sheets is  actually from a pack of (very) roughly cut 10" squares of fabrics I have had in my stash for several years. I picked them up at my NZ Patchwork Group when one of the members was getting rid of unwanted scraps and stash.

These QAYG blocks seemed as good a project as any to start to use them up.  I have used quite a few: pink & lilac and yellow & pale orange ones too.

 

Off to machine quilt the rest of the blocks.

 

Happy sewing!