Resewing the Scraps

So a week ago the tall boy runner improv back looked like this:

And now it looks like this:

I was not happy with where the WiP was going and so I did some unpicking of what I had done and some other leftovers. A bit of flipping and turning and I am much happier.

The Front and the Back....

I know that the seams do not match up but they are near enough for me not to worry. I have basted and then will get to work quilting these two to make it double sided.

This Week's  Sewing  Stats

Completed projects  -  Tall Boy Runner (back)

                                         'Sliced Scrappy' block for QCA Bee #1

Currently in progress -  Tall Boy Runner (quilting and binding)

                                                                                           

Yet to start  -  'Spooling Around' paper pieced block

                          'Sew Mid Century' paper pieced block for Wombat Stew

                          Lorax Quilt

                           

  

Linking up to WiP Wednesday...

Astor Manor Dresser Runner

So nice to finish my retro-fitted runner and have it ready for Autumn. This NEW side will match my Astor Manor quilt that I will break out now that we are in Autumn.

It has such lovely earthy tones to it. Yes ALL our internal walls are brick!

It has been this side up for ever-so-long. This was made with scraps leftover from the 'Hope' quilt plus a Moda Scrap bag.

Linking up to TGIFF this week.



Chicken Update

Breanna has stitches in her neck and a drain to help drain the fluid build up

Both injured hens have been reunited with the flock in the NEW chicken yard. They have to go back to the vet for daily antibiotic injections but they are looking so much better. The vet is very pleased with their progress. And after Washington laid an egg in their yard they have told us to bring them back any time. They said it's been nice to treat something other than cats and dogs and having them free range out the back makes it feel 'very homely'.

Medical Update

Duncan is doing much better and has a barely noticeable gait when he walks but he is not back at full walking speed. He will return to school today. He has missed 8 days of school with this virus.

You can see the difference in appearance and movement in my right index finger

Me - The hand specialist does not think that tip of the palm spike is causing the stiffness, swelling, shine and sensitivity to my right index finger. He think I have developed what is called CRPS - Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. 

It's been a week for googling medical diagnosis. This one is particularly nasty and the longer left untreated, the worse the results. Thankfully pain is not the main feature of my condition - but loss of movement/function is. So instead of going back to Brisbane to see another Specialist (Pain and Rehabilitation), I am going back to my GP to get a referral to see a Physiotherapist who can help me with restoring movement back to my finger.

I must say that since reading about the condition I have been massaging the skin to stimulate blood flow and also using it and moving it a lot more and it seems to have improved in both appearance and function. So I am hoping to make a recovery. Surgery usually makes the condition worse and since my little procedure on Feb 14th I must say that the symptoms got worse. Before then I could nearly straighten my finger. The palm spike tip is still in my finger but not causing pain at the site at all. 

A Top Runner

Before our wild and woolly long weekend I did manage to get my Tall Boy Runner top complete. I have not been able to sew since due to the clean up, all of my kid's starting the school year and some scheduled electrical upgrades here in our new house.

I am going to make it double sided with different fabrics on the back. I have a couple of mini - charms of Astor Manor and some scraps leftover from my queen bed quilt. I am still looking for the right pattern but am leaning towards a smaller version of Charming Stars which I used for a double-sided RWB Runner last year.

In hindsight I wish that I had made my dresser runner double sided but I just backed it with calico. I hope to start my 2nd top this weekend when I join a group of ladies at Rainbow Patchwork this Sunday for a 'Sew In'. It will be my first 'real' quilting group held each first Sunday of the month. And I am hoping Kirsten from Gemini Stitches will be there too!

This Week's  Sewing  Stats

Completed projects  -  'And Sew On' Jan block

                           'Just My Type' 'Faith' block for Kristy

Currently in progress -  Tall Boy Runner (top complete)

                                               

Yet to start  - Sherbert Dreams Quilt

                           

On Hold projects   - Sherbert Dreams Quilt

                                     - 4 Liberty Pillowcases 

                                     - Victorian Garden Quilt - to baste

                                     

Linking up with...WiP Wednesday

Candy for Tall Boys

First WiP in 2013

This is my husband's dresser. It is called a tall boy. It has been naked on top since we moved in and ditched the old 12" tv that used to be on top of a piece of fabric. I have been meaning to sew a proper runner for it since last year when I made one for my dresser.

The motivation was re-ignited with the two Moda Candy Mini Charm Packs that Lara sent me with my Wombat Santa gift a week or so back.

I pulled out my scrap bag of leftovers from the dresser runner and combined them with the 'Butterfly Garden' 2.5" squares. I love Moda precuts because they are pinked. All I had to trim were a few of my French General textured and 'Hope' scraps. 

This Week's  Sewing  Stats

Completed projects  -  Polaroid 9 Patch block

                                              QCA Bee#1 Dec - Feather block

                                              QCA Bee#1 Jan - Winged Squares block

                                              Wombat Stew 'Teapot' paper pieced block

Currently in progress -  Tall Boy Runner

                                               

Yet to start  - Sherbert Dreams Quilt

                           'And Sew On' Jan block

                           'Just My Type' 'Faith' block for Kristy

                            

On Hold projects   - Sherbert Dreams Quilt

                                     - 4 Liberty Pillowcases 

                                     - Victorian Garden Quilt - to baste

                                     

Wear Gloves Next Time

Minimal rotary cutting is all I can manage for now as I am sporting a gardening injury to my dominant index finger.

On Sunday afternoon I was pruning a particularly nasty palm tree that overhangs our backyard pond when one of the spikes lodged in my knuckle. I pulled it out. But four hours later my finger began to throb and swell up. I knew it was the spike. A quick Google search lead me to information that these palm tree spikes can be full of bacteria that can get into your joints and cause all sorts of painful damage.

All those dead branches are cut off now

I could not bend nor straighten it by the morning! It seriously felt like I had broken it. A quick trip to the Dr and some antibiotics on Monday meant that now the swelling is decreasing and the range of movement is increasing. And I gave that palm tree some serious 'what for' pruning yesterday afternoon. But this time I made sure I wore gloves. Even so he still managed to get through a few times but no where near as deep.

Linking up to WiP at Freshly Pieced for the first time this year.

An extra day!

I had a finish this week. My very long table runner, slated for the top of my bedroom dresser, was quilted and bound. I had planned to just shadow the ditch but it meant only 4 lines of quilting  and was very lacklustre. So I went to 2 blogs for inspiration: this block by Jess of 'The Elven Garden'

 and this block by Kristy of 'Quiet Play'.

From what I can gather both ladies did 1/4 inch distances between the triangular lines, however, I wanted to keep the fabric and design soft, so I opted for nearly 1/2" distances.

I knew that I needed something geometric to give the central strip some character and texture. So, taking my trusty 6.5" ruler I set to work making the diagonals with a washable marker.

I used a walking foot.

I was afraid that it might be too stark, so I put out a call to my online Quilt Club Australia' friends for opinions. No one though it was too minimal. 

I like the use of negative space in design. I did seriously consider a small triangle opposite the point of the negative space, but thought it might like too trite.

Then I used up some scrappy binding and added some more....

and was "this close" when I ran out. Dang! Inset new piece of binding and join the ends together.

Then instead of pinning, I decided to try a bobby pin method I'd seen on Pinterest. It seemed to work quite well and much faster but next time I will put them in upsidedown.

The scrappy binding looks much better then the tone on tone brown I auditioned.

The new look dresser table top.

Beside table - his

Beside table - hers

This week's stats:
Completed projects - 1 = Scrappy "Hope"  table runner 

New projects - 1 = baste and quilt 'HR Far Far Away 2&3 Fussy Fairytales' quilt

On Hold - 1 = Feb  scrappy log cabin quilt - once all the blocks come in

Currently in progress - 1 notebook cover,
                                             - 3 dolly quilts - 2 of them are now backed, basted and ready to quilt.

I am linking up with WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced....lots of other goodies out there today.

'Heather Ross Far Far Away 2&3 Fussy Fairytales' quilt top ready to baste.

My mum pieced this one and she altered Kate Conklin's pattern by making the coloured frames floating and adding more blocks. It is just gorgeous and the linen blend fabrics are so nice to work with.

Scrap Bag Log Cabins

Last year I bought 2 Moda scrap bags. Most of the scraps were long strips not quite as thick as a jelly roll, but close enough.

I found myself with many strips of fabric in burgundy, brown and navy. And there was nearly a whole scrap bag of the gorgeous 'Hope' fabric.


WIP - Wednesday


So I set to work to make something for myself. I had never made a log cabin block before so I started on some. They were easier than I had expected and I couldn't stop at one!

Then I left them for 2 months until this week. I managed to finish the borders, baste and quilt both. 

I used basting spray as the job was so small

I made some binding using leftover cut-offs from my 'Astor Manor D9P' quilt. 

binding

sewing the binding on to the front

pinning the binding on

getting better at machine binding

The top one is for my side of the bed and the bottom for my husband's side.

Now I have plans to use a lot of the scraps to make a stacked coins quilt table runner to go on top of our naked dresser.

This week's stats:
Completed projects - 2 bedside table mats, 2 Craftsy BoM Feb blocks
New projects - None

On Hold - 1 custom strip quilt - will start when I receive 50% deposit , 1 Feb  scrappy log cabin quilt - once all the blocks come in

Currently in progress - scrappy coin table runner, 3 dolly quilts to back (still! Am thinking of using vintage sheet fabric for these).

How did you fare this week? Pop over to 'Freshly Pieced' to link to other WIP blogs.