November Round Up

It's been a big month for purging and organising but a little month for sewing and quilting. I don't really mind though. Sewing has been a respite from everything else going on.

Home Organising 101

Bathrooms
Mudroom
Master Bedroom
Family room
Dining room
Lounge room

Purging

Pantry
Master closet
Baby clothes
Kid's clothes
Toys - Fisher Price Little People, Thomas trains, Bob the Builder
Children's books
Games, puzzles, stationery

In 14 days we move to our first permanent home in 10 years of marriage.  This is what it looks like. It's on 5 wonderful acres and has 3 chickens in a chicken house.

So December will be a big month for packing, moving and unpacking again. Yuck! After 6 rental properties and move nearly every 18 months, I hope to not move for a good many years!

'To Do' First December 

I have not added anything ambitious to my sewing list for December.

Quilts to Make

Mystery Quilt - to make a back, baste and quilt
Sherbert Dreams - to start

Blocks to Make

QCA December Bee block - paper pieced feather for Kate

Sewing Items

Wombat Stew Secret Santa gift

Home Organising 101

Master Closet
Sewing Room
Kid's closets

Packing

books
dvds
cds
linen
office
garage
LEGO
toys
clothes
Kitchen appliances, plasticware
Games, puzzles

oh and the whole house by the 14th December!

Linking up with Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts

'To Do First' October

I missed the sign up to the 100 Day Hustle over at Kelsey Sews (blissfully out of range on a coastal holiday) but I am going to follow along anyway. I don't need fabric prizes to motivate me BUT accountability is essential. So I will be accountable nonetheless. 

I can't think in terms of the REST of the year but I will be faithful to my 'to do first' commitment for October. My 'to do' list is a LOT smaller now that Zakka Style has left the building after 6 months of inflating my list.

MUST do:

Passport Cover - later this month we are off on a family cruise to the Pacific Islands of New Caledonia, Loyalty and Vanuatu. So this will be essential to hold our 5 Passports. I purchased the pdf pattern and tutorial from One Shabby Chick on Etsy.

QCA Bee #1 October Block - a nice easy block for Kay @ Shocking Hocking.

Wombat Stew - A very cute House block for Jane @ Where Jane Creates.

'Say Cheese!' Polaroid Block Swap - 10 more to do.

Mystery Quilt (back) - this will be a gift for the Preschool Director in December so I had better get a wriggle on.

Very Merry HST Block of the Fortnight - with Alyce @ Blossom Heart Quilts. I have 3 to catch up on so far.

LIKE to do:

4 Liberty fabric pillow cases - to match the 'Liberty Cross' quilt I gave to Jean last year.

6 Halloween fabric pillow cases - to match the Halloween quilts I made for the kids last year.            They kind of look a bit weird with Toy Story, Thunderbird and Babushka pillow cases.

Katie Jump Kites - baste this monster quilt. I may not get a chance to quilt it until November  as I hope to borrow my mum's embroidery machine with a longer arm.

'Little Stitches' Embroidery - My machine has been in for its annual service this past week and so whilst on holidays I have been sewing by hand some of Aneela's patterns. I am not sure what I will make with them though.

DON'T WANT to do:

Craftsy BoM - I have to catch up on June, August, September and October.

HOPE to do:

Sherbert Dreams - maybe start this quilt finally!

Tall Boy runner & Larger Nesting Box - to match the rest of the bedroom runners and Zakka Style nesting boxes.

So how is your list looking for October?

'To Do First' is the brainchild of Charlotte @ Lawson and Lotti.

'To Do First' September

I think September is one of my favourite months of the year. It's the beginning of spring and I feel re-energised. Hopefully this will translate to to the Zakka Style Sew Along. I have been part of it from the beginning but began to fade after the water bottle project in Week 14, back in July.

So after I wrote up my 'to do' list, I may just rename the whole month 'Zakka Style September'. These are the 7 projects that I have yet to do:

#14 Water Bottle Holder
#16 Patchwork Ribbon
#20 Little Pocket Pillow Case
#21 Sweet Memories Photo Frame
#22 Pleated Coin Purse
#23 Happy Garland Message Board
#24 Nesting Boxes

Quilts

I still have to come up with a creative quilt back for my Katie Jump Kites top. I want to go beyond stacked coins from scraps. There is a new FREE Quilt Backs course by Elizabeth Hartman on Craftsy that I have signed up for. Hopefully that will give me inspiration. If not, I am seriously thinking of throwing it open to you readers to decide on a design.

image from Kate Conklin Quilts

I would like to finally start on the Sherbert Dreams quilt now that I bought the pdf pattern from Kate Conklin Designs.

Blocks

I have joined a new paper piecing group with some of the ladies from Quilt Club Australia. we were going to call it 'Dingo Pie' with a bit of a cheeky nod to the talented ladies in the 'Ringo Pie' group on Flickr. However, we've decided to go for another Aussie title of 'Wombat Stew'. This first month Alyce has chosen the theme of sushi and we each have to design and complete an 8"x8" block to post off to her in Japan. You can find our new 'Wombat Stew' group on Flickr and follow along.

I am also joining up with Alyce's Blossom Heart Quilts' A Very Merry HST BoF. I may need to pull fabrics from my stash for this.

QCA Bee #1 for September is for Jodie and she is thinking of doing a Stripey Lone Star block in red, white and blue. Remember that Jodie was the recipient of the Fourth of July table runner that I made back in May. I would love to do more R,W & B projects.

At the lower end of my priorities will be the June blocks from the Craftsy BoM, and then catch up on August as well.

Swaps

I think my swapping days are coming to a close now. I have only one Travelling Stash left to go. I have not signed up for any more fabric swaps but should receive some novelty charms and vintage sheet FQs  back in the mail at some stage.

So I must hit Zakka Style September running!

Zakka Style Pencil Pouch

To Do First


May already! Time for a new list - or at least an updated list. I am going to try and be realistic this month - thank goodness for 31 days!

• Zakka Style Sew Along (ZSSA) weeks 5-9
• patchwork pencil pouch
• itty bitty quilt block magnets
• raincloud mug rug
• messenger bag
• zakka block quilt
• Quilt Club Australia (QCA)
• May Bee block - scrappy disappearing 9 patch
• Handmade swap - to a partner due June 30th
• 'Mystery' quilt - to add borders, baste and quilt
• 'Katie Jump Kites' quilt - to finish cutting the rectangles
• 'Fussy Fairytales' quilt - to SLQ shadowing the ditch and windows. Then add some hand quilting around the blocks and peek-a-boo border pictures.

Yesterday I spent 3 hours on my hands, knees and butt basting this huge 'Fussy Fairytales' quilt featuring Heather Ross' Far Far Away 2 & 3 prints. The quilt top was actually put together by my talented mum and she modified Kate Conklin's pattern by substituting 1/4" flat solid window borders with a folded and floating version. 

We had planned on making one quilt each. But before I could even start mine, she had gone home and whipped hers up in a matter of 2 days! Then she phoned me and asked if I wouldn't mind cutting up some more fabric and sending it up to her via the post. I couldn't be bothered cutting from the stash again and so I cannibalised my precuts and sent them all up. This then made her version much wider and longer too.


I am no longer going to try and make another version of this quilt but I will finish my mum's version - which is adorable. So I have pieced a simple back and will use some straight line quilting to shadow the ditch. Then I am going to try my hand at hand quilting using Kate Conklin's tutorial.


Zakka Pencil Case

This was a lovely little project and I can see why some of the other people in the Sew-Along have made more than one version. In fact I made more than one version myself.

I stuck with my Far Far Away fabrics and made use of their cute selvedges. I used the op-shop linen from the Sewing Kit and some of the leftover cotton prints from it too. I pieced the back because I did not have enough linen and I wanted to use up a nice panel of FFA.

I ended up using leftover 21/2" strips of batting and spray adhesive. With this extra buffering they are perfect for my rotary cutters. 

There are some really, I mean really, cute versions of these pencil cases on the Flickr group if you are interested to see the variety.


How are you going with your version?


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