Two Tops Complete

Two tops complete this week!  And if you are reading this as one of our class members, don't read any further as they will be part of my Show and Tell on Tuesday this week.  

I was shamed into finishing the Toes in the Sand top by C, well not exactly - it was time, she too has the pattern for this quilt and was keen to hear about its progress.  Well........this was a block of the month kit I bought way back in October 2013. 

My Finished Top with the Pattern

I mentioned it here and here.  It started off very confusingly with a big mix up - not blaming anyone but I thought I was buying the block of the month kit which included the pattern book Eh no! So that was an extra purchase, I did know though that I had to purchase separately the specialist Hex and More ruler.  (Which I can recommend for all sizes of hexis, half hexis and triangles of various sizes). Then there was the mix up over the amount being taken each month from my bank account which had to be sorted out too.  As the monthly packages dropped though my letter box each month I was getting a bit more disheartened.  They were neatly folded and packed in little cellophane bags all very nice but......

The Little Cellophane Bags - not so neat now but with all the left over scraps (what will I do with them?)

 

...... as the months progressed I had the feeling I had bought something I didn't like.  I was enjoying making the triangular blocks - but I didn't like the fabrics.  Liberty prints were mixed with ditsy prints, voiles with heavier fabrics, oakshott type woven with whale prints and primitive snowmen, sea urchins and batiks. A very eclectic mixture which in my eyes just didn't gel together.  However I had started and too late to change things around or swap out the materials. I eventually pieced all the blocks but then all 24 triangular blocks lay in the basket.  Frequently I would look through them and return them to the shelf.  Yes here it is on the second shelf, next to the Farmers Wifey blocks and above the Night before Christmas WIP's

My WIP Baskets

I took the bull by the horns this week and ran into yet another issue when cutting the white background triangles.   I think most quilters cut their shapes with double fabric as it comes off the bolt and I'm no exception.  Beware!!  I started cutting and very quickly realised I was not going to get the number of triangles out each strip as required due to a rather large printed black name on the selvedge.  To do this without a huge waste of fabric and also running out of said fabric supplied, each triangle had to be cut out individually!!  There have been a lot of pitfalls with this kit but I may do some of the individual triangles in the future - I also think it will make a lovely scrappy quilt or perhaps a multicoloured rainbow one to use up some of the smaller pieces in your stash or even a Fat eighth bundle.  It's now all squared up and will probably go into the display case until I summon up enough courage to sandwich and quilt it - it's only taken me 18 months so far to get to this stage.  I don't think I will buy a block of the month kit like this again.  I have just proven to myself (as if I didn't already know) that I like to choose my own fabrics and colour combinations.

The second top was produced using a piece of fabric found on its own in a package at the bottom of my wardrobe.  Now this fabric is old, I think I made a cushion for my elder son when he was younger and long before I started quilting.  I fussy cut the fishes and turned it into a quick Exploding Block.  Yes I know I had had my fill of this block but it was just crying out for this fabric.  Result! teamed with a nice bright stripey yellow fabric for the border yet another Linus quilt almost complete.  It's now sandwiched and ready to be quilted.  I am sure it will be treasured by a little one. 

I didn't manage the spring clean of the summerhouse this week and it looks quite forlorn this morning in the cold, damp and wet.  The acers are beginning to burst their leaves, bright against the grey sky,  hopefully the garden will soon have some colour again and it will be warm enough for us to sit in the sunshine.

Until next week, enjoy what's left of the holiday weekend.