WIP Wednesday- Charm Packs in action

I’ve just remembered that I’ve not shown you one of my WIPs started a little while ago. I started it as a distraction project (and have already named it “Hello Chevron”) and it will use 3 charm packs in it’s construction. I’m not letting myself pick it back up again yet though as I need to get thinking “curtains” and stop procrastinating.

I drew up this plan in EQ7- the pink bits are patterned pieces from the Hello Luscious charm packs, the rest are solids cut from yardage…

As you can see I’ve done the top row already. As my room is a mess because the other side of the garage is being painted and what-not, I could only really trap it in the door to photograph early this morning, but I think you get the idea!

My next project has been puct back over and over again so I am going to allow myself to finish this one before next wednesday with any luck. Also from a charm pack, this time Tend the Earth by Deb Strain. I was originally going to make a kaleidoscope quilt with this charm pack and it didn’t really work out and I ended up with a few wasted charm squares and the whole thing got bundled away for a while. After I found THIS PATTERN in Modern Quilting magazine I knew I had to make it, I bought handles for it ages ago and then last week I discovered my slightly abused charm pack would be perfect for this as it says it needs only 33 charm squares (though I counted and it’s actually 34)!

Sorry for the slightly blurry pic, as I say, it was early! These are my two front panels, I’m just finishing the sides, bottom and flap pieces then I have to do the bit I hate- cut out ALL the interfacing and lining pieces. This is why I don’t normally make bags- too much pattern cutting! Just need to buy some more fusible fleece, mega strong interfacing and a big zip!

 

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The curtain fiasco

It’s time I told the (boring) story of the curtain fiasco that I hinted at earlier in the week. I now kind of wish I just made it into a quilt.

Firstly, you know how I was finding the piecing so boring? Well I finished enough to make one complete curtain, deciding to finish that one before embarking on the second. I added a band of white to the top and the bottom, but the measurements were based on guesswork. Holding it up to the window, it was too short by about 5″.

At this point it wasn’t a problem, I decided to add a 6″ band of yellow to the bottom. I then sewed the lining on, which is smaller than the front of the curtain so that the front curls round the back. Only when I actually had the curtain rings did we discover it was about 6 inches trailing the floor and they were too long! So I unpicked the yellow and stitched up the hem with just the white.

Only now it was several inches too short and it didn’t cover the bottom of the window! ARGH!

So what I have done is restitch the yellow back on yet again, but made the hem smaller and because it was stitched on after the lining, it makes the construction a little different. Some how this has made it the right length at last!

Bearing in mind I kept stitching the bands the wrong way round and had a lot of unpicking along the way I have really hated making this curtain. There’s loads of stitch holes from where it was unpicked that I’m trying to ignore, and also despite washing it there is still some really horrible brown stains that must have been on the fabric when I bought it. And I have another to do for the other side! At least I know what to look out for this time. I need to buy some more curtain lining.

I do kind of like it though, especially from the picture where I can’t see the problems and the faults as clearly. I love how it showcases my favourite ever fabric line.

On a happy note, my fabric arrived for the Japanese Charm Swap so I’ve cut my squares and they’re being posted today. And I will get 56 5″ squares back in all different japanese fabrics! I feel an eye spy quilt coming on.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday as there’s another curtain to go before the month is up!

WIP Wednesday: Really Big George (and a lovely fabric stack)

Since it’s Wednesday, I decided to show you one of my new WIPs, based on Giant George…

It’s now all glued together and I need to sew it next and then quilt it! It’s only taken a couple of days to turn the edges under and glue. The background is Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry and I think it looks great. I should probably get back to making my curtains soon now that’s sort of out of my system.

And this stack came through the post yesterday, just after I wrote I’m expecting my last few fabric packages before Christmas and not ordering anything else. I was lucky enough to win a $50 gift voucher for Abbi Mays from the Pets on Quilts competition on Lilypad Quilting and this is what I bought! 6x 1m cuts of Keiki Oops a Daisy from Moda. I only ordered Friday 17th from the US and they arrived in the UK on Tuesday 21st! AMAZING!