Future Projects

What a busy four months! Sold our car and caravan, repaired and prepared a house for sale, sold it, and started renovating our back yard.... AND planned our next holiday. No wonder I haven't been able to spend much time in the sewing room. Maybe this week.

I tend to do the same challenges / sew alongs /projects each year, with the different one offs in between. This year I planned to finish off some  tops that had been on the shelf for a while - of which I did finish a few. The first sew along of the year for the past 6-7 years has been the Focuscutting Sewalong. This year the shape was a square. Usually the shapes make a hexie, and a square (above) doesn't fit my 'hexie' quilt, so I'm not as enthusiastic about it this year. I've made a few, and have a few more to make - they will be holiday sewing. 

Another year long project is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I really enjoy using up scraps and 'crumbs' to make little bits and pieces. I usually make them as leaders and enders when sewing different projects. This month the colour is yellow.

Block Mania is another monthly project that I like. I don't do a lot of the blocks but when something comes up that I like, I make it. This month the theme is 'Night Sky'. I subscribe to The Inquiring Quilter and I really like the block that Jennifer has designed. I found this fabric, but might go a little darker for the sky. I can see me making a number of these blocks, each one a little different. But for tomorrow, just this one.

A FaceBook Group I follow, Moda Blockheads, is starting a new project the end of September, so I'll be making some or all of those blocks. A new block comes out each week. I'll start this after the holiday.

And last, and probably my favourite, is Bonnie Hunters Quiltville Mystery. I love sewing pieces each week and seeing how the pieces all come together. I've made this mystery every year since Orca in 2011. This starts in November.

Link Up Parties for Inspiration: 

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Wednesday Wait Loss - The Inquiring Quilter

So Scrappy 

 

This Week in the Sewing Room

Another week of bits and pieces, although I didn't really have a lot of time in the sewing room. I still had my aqua blue scraps out so made a few pineapples. They are about 5" x 7.5" and I designed them myself - an easy design, as my daughter wanted a pineapple wall print and I thought it would look good as a wall hanging - or lap quilt, or something else entirely.

I also did some more hand stitching on one of my many fussy/focus cutting projects from years ago hosted by Naomi. One project at a time - right! 

As I was spending more time doing paper, well really computer work, I also finished the hand stitching of table runner that my Auntie had started.

I'm toying with the idea of stitched sayings pennants, but that is still a work in progress.

Link Up Parties for Inspiration: 

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Wednesday Wait Loss - The Inquiring Quilter

So Scrappy 

Fussy/Focus Cutting EPP's

I am not doing all the Focus Cutting Sew-along blocks this year, mainly because now we are not travelling as much I don't have as much time to hand stitch, and I am using fabric I already have. With that said, I do have a few blocks that I have made the past few months. Above sunflowers block was from week 5. The theme for the month of February was yellow, and this was the motif block. 

Week 6 block was obscure sections - not too obscure.

Week 7 was matching, so I made a block with a yellow sewing machine.

March was orange, and also when we went cruising - so no orange blocks.

April was pink and I have a few blocks cut out, but only finished one - Week 15 - matching, while I had the machine fabric out.

May colour is red and I have yet to finish my red blocks. The past two weeks I have been working on a Modern Triangle Quilt top, which I should finish this coming week.

Link Up Parties for Inspiration: 

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Wednesday Wait Loss - The Inquiring Quilter

So Scrappy 

2026 Focus Cutting Sew Along

This year Naomi's Focuscutting Sewalong focus is the square. I wasn't sure if I would do it or not..... but I love hand stitching so.......

I keep tossing up between making curtains or something else. I guess when a I have a number of blocks I will decide.

Week one above is motif. The theme for the first 4 weeks is the colour white or cream. The can be background or focus. At present I'm using one and a half inch blocks, but may change that depending on the fabric. 4 blocks make a 4-patch. Week 2 was obscure sections. I 'cheated' and used a striped pattern to make the block - my block my rules, right 😆!

Week 3 was matching. I usually don't like the matching as I think it wastes too much fabric and it's REALLY hard.

 

 I still missed one section.

  

Week 4 was freestyle so I made another motif block. 

   

Link Up Parties for Inspiration: 

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Put Your Foot  Down - Quiltery

Wednesday Wait Loss - The Inquiring Quilter

Sew and Tell - Melva Loves Scraps

Part Three - Lupine and Laughter

Part 3 was three different sizes of half square triangles. I was lucky to have a container full of already made half square triangle, so I went through the box and pulled out most of the smaller ones and  a couple of the big ones.

There were two different colour ways and now I'm running out of white neutral fabric.

I was also able to stitch a couple more hexies, still playing catch up - S is for scissors and Scottie dogs for the FocusCutting Sewalong.

I'm not sure if I will do this years focus cutting. It will end in a square, which means a new quilt - or maybe I will make some curtains - I need curtains!😀

Link Up Parties for Inspiration: 

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Put Your Foot  Down - Quiltery

Wednesday Wait Loss - The Inquiring Quilter

Sew and Tell - Melva Loves Scraps

 

Focus Cutting Sew Along - EPP

Haven't done a lot of sewing this week. Still slowly unpacking the caravan so we can sell it and de-cluttering the house. I have made a few more EPP hexie blocks. Above is O for owls. Below is O for octopus - matching.

Next is P for platypus

 and P for pattern.

 The last one is R for red.

That's it for this week. 

Link Up Parties: 

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Put Your Foot  Down - Quiltery 

Wednesday Wait Loss - The Inquiring Quilter - Sadly this blog will not let me link in. I had the same issue a few months back. 😞

Beauties Pageants - From Bolt to Beauty

Some More Hand Stitiching

This week I was making some special bunting, that I will post in a few weeks - after the event. I also managed some more hand stitching on mini epp to go in between the fussy cutting blocks from a few years ago black and black and white stripes.

I had a few shapes cut out from previous years so decided to sew them. This one is 6 triangle shapes sewn together to make a 2" hexi. The picture was on sails on wind surfers. 

Another triangle one, I'm guessing the theme for these two was sea side. 

Wow, this one was about 4-5 years ago. It is a half hexie with a half inch triangle to make the 2" hexie. The fabric was Mexican hats. I really like the pattern. 

This last one if for this years focus cutting sew along - N is for needles.

Link Up Parties: 

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Put Your Foot  Down - Quiltery 

Wednesday Wait Loss - The Inquiring Quilter

Beauties Pageants - From Bolt to Beauty

Focus Cutting EPP Sew Along

It's been a week of EPP this week. I've been working on the quilt from a few week back, 

and as it's been so cold in my sewing room I have only made a few blocks on the machine - will post them next week. Above is block 23 and it is L for Lizard. Below is block 25 - M for mug.

Other than sewing, I did re-pot some phalaenopsis orchids, and helped get the vege garden ready for planting. Here are two phals with the buds just opening.

Link Up Parties: 

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Put Your Foot  Down - Quiltery 

Wednesday Wait Loss - The Inquiring Quilter

What I've Been Working On

We took a short trip away in the caravan and I had some time to work on a fussy cutting EPP project from a few years back. I still had a few pre-cut pieces to sew, but mostly it was sewing the already made blocks into the quilt.

I am way behind in this years focus cutting blocks. This is block 23 - L is for lizard. It is an Australian Frilled Neck Lizard.

Happy to be able to link with Wednesday Wait Loss again after months of not being able to link.

Link Up Parties: 

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Put Your Foot  Down - Quiltery 

Wednesday Wait Loss - The Inquiring Quilter

Slow Week - Not Really

I try to spend at least 2 half days and 3 full days a week in the sewing room and this week started with an extra day - woo hoo! But all good plans...... both granddaughters were 'sick' on one of the full days, so I never got downstairs.

I did a little bit of hand stitching, and above is block 22 of the Focus Cutting Sew Along - K is for koala, and the stitching was matching. Matching is not my favourite and I have been skipping this prompt, but the fabric I had was pretty easy to match. I also attached 5 finished blocks to the lap quilt from 2023 Focus Cutting quilt - slow going but it will get finished eventually. Should have taken a photo! 

I also finished a placemat using the Modern Triangles pattern. This (obviously) wont be going in the purple and teal modern triangle quilt - Echo. I do like the shape though and will probably make a set - in different colours. They would be perfect for a  round table.

However, I did do a lot of sewing when I was in the sewing room. 'Between the Lines' has all its borders on now, and 'Old Town' has two sides of its 3 borders to go. Why didn't I take photos - I thought about it at the time. So I am happy with what I accomplished this past week, fingers crossed next week will be the same .... but it is school holidays! 

Link Up Parties: 

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Put Your Foot  Down - Quiltery