Update on the Exploding Block

As promised the next stage of the block.  I decided to use the same fabric on all of the blocks for this round.  I did consider adding another round too but decided in the end to stop, cost may have been a factor as I would have had to buy more fabrics.

This quilt has been a very quick and easy project and even better it has used up more left over fabrics.  I did have to buy some inner border fabric but I managed to pick it up on the sale rack of the local quilt store.  I am please how quickly this has come together.  I hope your have enjoyed giving it a try too.

This has been my sewing project this week, but I have also been knitting - another small Linus Blanket for premature babies. This is a good project to keep in the car. No thought needed and you all know I can't sit and do nothing!

We have been on the look out for the usual wildlife on our travels and have seen a number of ospreys, a couple of bald eagles, lots of dragonflies, fortunately no mosquitos!

Yesterday we saw our first bear of this trip.  A beautiful big black bear of the cinnamon variation.  He was minding his own business walking along the track on the other side of a little lake where we usually watch out for the ospreys on their nest.  I think you will agree he is quite a handsome fellow.

We have had a lovely relaxing week, mixed weather, drives in the sunshine, sitting by lakes and rivers watching for wildlife, reading books, knitting and sewing and even some shopping in the city.......just what holidays are for!

Exploding Block continues .....

I have left my original pale pastel Exploding block behind and swapped it for bright fall colours. If you look closely and have been following my blog you will realise that this Exploding block is being made from left over scraps of my Fall in the City Quilt below.  

So you may have guessed I have flown across the Atlantic Ocean again!  We arrived a few days ago to a typical Scottish type day, dreich, wet and cool it felt like home.  Today however the sun is shining we have blue skies, I can see the mountains and I know I'm on holiday.

The sewing machine came out the other night, and as I always do I look to see what scraps and left over fabrics could be used up from previous projects before going off looking for something new.  Fall in the City leftovers just had to be used up.  So here is a selection of some of the exploding blocks so far.

Quilters have difficulty with 'random' and I am no different from any other.  The pastel exploding block is very definitely random but this time I thought I would keep all the plain squares in the centre.  We will see how it looks as the days go on.

Off out now for a drive and to enjoy this wonderful scenery.  We may have seen it so many times before but I love it just the same.

Oops Sorry

Sorry I forgot the link for the Exploding Block in the previous post I have now fixed it and you will also find it here.

The Exploding Block

I think the tutorial the other night at class was quite successful.  I am looking forward to seeing some of the ladies try this out for themselves.  This is a good beginners block but can also challenge the more experienced amongst us.  Armed with my pre cut squares from my lucky dip boxes (remember the boxes which hold my less than a metre cuts of fabrics) I set out to demonstrate to the ladies a technique I found courtesy of Jenny Doan of the Missouri Star Quilt Co.  The video can be found here.  This simple method produces a quick and easy block similar to a square in a square block, and the good thing is you can start with a square any size you like and build it up as you go.  The only step I would add to the process is to trim each step and square the block as you go for a neater sharper finish.  The class will work on this mini project for the Linus project.

I mentioned last time I was trying this out before the class using leftovers of pastel blues and pinks and I can now reveal part of my quilt top.

Progress

It's been a busy week again here. Tradesmen coming and going and making a good job of our nice new velux window in the boys shower room.  That of course has meant a good deal of cleaning and tidying up after all their good work.  However the results are looking good.  A much brighter airier room and now, since I have washed down all the tiles and painted the window surround I am pleased with the results.

Strangely enough even although I have been engrossed in household chores I have managed a bit of sewing.  A few more blocks have been added to  the bundle of blocks I am using for the tutorial this week at class.  I will tell you about that next week.  This will be another Marie Curie quilt in pale pastel blues creams and pinks. I am using up the leftovers from my MILs quilt below which I made some time ago when I was still a novice and  making quilts for all the family.   It's good to bust the stash!  

Mother in Law's Lap Quilt

Rainy Day And Plenty To Do .......but

As the rain is falling here once again you would think I would have more time to sit and sew. Even the garden looks a bit bedraggled and the birds have deserted the feeders it's so wet. At least we haven't seen much of the predicted storm here.

My problem seems to be sitting thinking and not doing and a lack of decision making on what exactly I should be doing.  Too many things going around in my head related to household, family, holiday and quilting.  I need to start making lists again!  

I have a few WIP as I said last time.  My BOM quilt is almost done, just a few stray threads to hide and the label to be put on.  (Just Do It!!!).  I've had a lot going on this week at home and there are only 24 hours in a day and like everyone else I need to sleep.

I finalised the class syllabus just in time, gathered up my sewing bag and checked everything was in place for the first class of the new session last Tuesday.  I even managed to bake a lemon sponge cake for our cup of tea.  This was to be the grand reveal of our BOM project we have been working on since this time last year.  What I surprise, what a wonderful array of quilts, very talented ladies who don't seem to know their own strengths and abilities. Colours were rich and varied, Christmassy, fresh and zingy, cool and warm, modern and traditional, muted and striking, pastels and brights, each one well stitched and set in a variety of ways.  Each of us could find fault with our own work and that's ok, hopefully we will have learned a lot on our journey working through the blocks on this quilt.  It's not the making the mistakes it's how we fix the problem or know how to change things for the next time. I know we all agreed that cutting accurately, and having an exact 1/4inch seam was essential.

Next week we start planning our next big project, we will all be working on our own again but will spend one class night each month working on an appliqué project by Bunny Hill. Watch this space to see how I get on.  This is a new challenge for me. I've never attempted anything quite like this before, read small and fiddley, handwork and time consuming.  I understand from the ladies though that it is very therapeutic and relaxing - just what I need. There are so many methods of appliqué, choosing the right one may be my first challenge.

Slow Quilting Week

I've been working on quilting my BOM quilt for class this week - it's taking me longer than I thought.  Today I hope to spend the afternoon sitting in front of my machine to try to get it finished.  The Show and Tell of this project is on Tuesday at class and although the requirement is to get the top pieced for this week I would just like to get mine finished so I can move on to something else.

I have at least three WIP projects lying in their baskets and a list of projects I would like to start.  I need to break through the lethargy and get moving again.

K and I had a little trip yesterday and had lunch out and a blether before visiting Kaleidoscope for backing and binding to finish our quilts.  The ladies in the shop were getting ready for the trip to Birmingham and were preparing scrap bags of batiks to sell at the annual quilting show.  Some of our ladies from class are making the trip next weekend and I hope they come back full of enthusiasm with new ideas to share with our class.

Enjoy what's left of your weekend whatever you are doing.