August Round Up

It's funny but until I put together my pic monkey collage I would have honestly said that August was another non-productive month like July. However, it hasn't been. It seems that I have been inspired by lots of other quilters out there this month.

Even though I have kind of fallen off the Zakka Style Sew Along bullet train, I have made 4 of the projects this month. 

Two of the Zakka projects, the elephant bookmark and delightful linen bag, were perfect for my mum's 78th birthday. She loves elephants and I am trying to encourage her to buy either an ipad or a kindle for herself to put in the DL bag.

Fran got the sugar cookie sack to put with her tea set.

The other ZSSA project, the bakery basket, was perfect for my baking friend Marieka of Bespoke Bites. It's not her birthday but I love her to send things for just being her.

It was also the Practically Paper Piecing Blog Hop at  this month and my project was very time consuming. I lost 5 days to a dreadful flu that had me bedridden and so I had to quickly make the trees and leftover houses in 2 days before I delivered a patchwork talk, illustrating my life, to 40 ladies at a Friday night dinner.

The back of the Neighbourhood Playmat was inspired by Kristy's Quiet Play LEGO Playmat for her son's birthday. 

Juliet's Tartan Kiwi paper pieced Art Folder and Rachel's Stitched in Color Nursery Versery mini-quilt were the  inspiration for my own Nursery Versery Art Folder. 

Left - Nursery Versery Art Folder
Top - Bakery Basket, Sugar Cookie Sack and Darth Maul cape (easiest thing I made all month)
Centre - Neighbourhood Playmat
Right - back of NPM featuring LEGO blocks, Mondrian blocks
Bottom - Delightful Linen Bag, Elephant Never Forgets Bookmark

How did you fare in August?

Dry July Round Up

July has been quite a dry and barren sewing month for me. Out of the 31 days, 15 of them were school holidays. So I cannot cross off many items in my 'to do' list for July. I have been involved in a lot of fabric swaps this month - so that meant a lot of cutting and posting of fabric. I also had the travelling fat quarter stash turn up too!

I only completed one Zakka Style project with the Sew Along this month. I finished the Delightful Linen Bag today and I made a start on the Elephant Bookmark as well. I have missed being connected to the Zakka group regularly.

However I did learn an important skill - Paper Piecing (which will come in handy with the Practically Paper Piecing Blog Hop which kicks off at Quiet Play tomorrow. Kristy was the one to, not only inspire me but also, teach me how to do it.

This August @ Quiet Play

Kristy came up with a simple paper pieced house pattern for me to use and I have made a start on a little neighbourhood. Then she designed some trees and helped me to design a simple charm pack tree for the Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop for small blogs.

Still happening 

The word about Sunday Stash here every Sunday at 'Finding Fifth' is getting out because July saw a regular 5-6 people link up and share their 'finds'. 

Here every Sunday 

Dry July
So here are my actual 'finishes' for July.

8 paper pieced house blocks
4 pp charming trees
1 pp tree
Christmas tree decorations for the Handmade Secret Santa swap
charm square swaps
1 mosaic block for July QCA Bee
Delightful linen bag for the Zakka Style Sew-Along

So how did your July stack up? I guess, one good thing, it will be easy for me to just transfer July's 'to do' list over to August!

Happy Sewing

Linking up with...

June Finishes

It's funny but as I was browsing back through all of my finishes for this month I was kind of disappointed. I have not really done much in the way of quilting. I have been a bit preoccupied with the Zakka Style Sew Along. Some of these projects were among the trickiest so far.

But I do like putting the finishes together in a mosaic. So here they all are. Thank you to Gemma from Pretty Bobbins who runs a Facebook blog support page called The Blogging Library for putting me onto pic monkey. Nice fast uploads and design flexibility.

Main Feature - 'Rainbows on Grey' ZZSA Block Quilt (front) by Kristy of Quiet Play. This quilt is a 'Collaborations for A Cause' project between myself and Kristy. It will be auctioned off to raise money for 'Angels for the Forgotten' in late July/early August. Then from Top left in a clockwise direction (click on any to take you to the post) Fran in her green corduroy skirt  Green corduroy skirt - finished - 22/6 Fucshia corduroy skirt - finished - 22/6 Quilting for a Cause - I-Spy Quilt back - finished 26/6 ZSSA - Zip Organiser - finished 14/6 ZSSA - Stem Messenger Bag - finished 11/6 ZSSA - Orchard Path Tweed Pouch - finished 17/6 ZSSA - Patchwork Potholders - finished 29/6 ZSSA - Happy Handwarmers - finished 24/6 QCA June Bee #1 - Ribbon Star Block - orange block finished 30/6 QCA June Bee#1 - Ribbon Star Block - 2 blocks finished 23/6 Katie Jump Kites - top finished 6/6

Things I worked on but cannot show until July:

QCA Handmade swap - extra sweetener - finished 24/6

QCA Handmade swap - to a secret partner - finished 5/6

What I did not get done:

       

                         Craftsy BOM June blocks

So how did you go in June? I am linking up with...