First Row by Row BOM is now available for download

The first row pattern is now available from my Etsy site.  I know it is no longer a free BOM but I hope that you still join the pattern will be discounted for the 1 month (a little longer for the first month to get the ball rolling.  The price for Row 1 is $1au ($1.10 if GST is applicable) on the 1st of October it will go up to $3au ($3.30 if GST is applicable).

I am hoping to get the rest of the row up for sale on my Esty site in the next few weeks.  These will be at the full price until it is their month.  

The BOM will run for 9 months with the final month including all the 3 pieced rows and final requirements for backing and binding.  

Fun Relaxing Workshop and Row by Row Finish

I haven't done a workshop for a while and a few months ago Hetties advertised Judy Newman so I thought I'd put my name down.  I hadn't done a class with her but my two co-conspirators had and had a couple of her patterns started.  

It was a lovely weekend of looking at quilts and learning tips to do with hand piecing.  Judy is a very easy going relaxed teacher, and I enjoyed the class even though she did insist on stitching a row of my block and choosing some of my fabrics.   I know a lot of students are happy for the teacher to stitch their block but I find it very hard to do that as I find that I learn better by doing.  

I ended up purchasing a few of her templates so that I could start stitching. I think I may do Mayfair first (block above) the blocks are quite large and there are only 16 in the quilt.  Although this block took me the better part of a day to stitch I think the rest won't take nearly as long.  

Yesterday I finished putting together the row by row.  I hope to have the first few patterns loaded by next week if possible.  It has turned out a bit larger than anticipated.  It fits comfortably on a king single with plenty of length to fold over the pillow.  If you don't want the extra length you could always remove 1 of the rows if you want to shorten it, or take out the pieced rows.  Next week I'll get batting and start quilting.

It is going to be wild and woolly this weekend so I am thinking it is going to be perfect weather to start pattern writing.  

A bit absent

Can't believe it is nearly a month since I last posted.  The row by row is nearly finished.  On the weekend the final appliqué row was completed and I am already more than halfway through stitching the fans for the final fan row.

Today I started working through the pattern writing.  Mid way through August with any luck I should be able to get patterns posted in my etsy shop and start the first row of the month.  I was going to do a border but I think the finished quilt is going to be slightly bigger than I first anticipated so it probably won't happen but will leave the final decision once all the rows are together and see how it looks.

I have 2 other quilts needing to be quilted but I think that this one will be bumped to the top for now.

There was also 2 sew it together bags stitched in the last couple of weeks.  The first one turned out better than the 2nd one which Mo wanted as a pencil case.  The only reason it wasn't as good was that  I rushed it because I didn't realise she wanted it for start of school and she told me Sunday lunchtime.

The kids have had school holidays and I got a couple of extra days off because I really needed some down time.  My stress levels have come down to an almost normal level now and I feel a bit more in control.

Mo has got another part time job, this time at a Fruit and Veg shop.  The first couple of weeks her anxiety really kicked in but now she is handling it better.  We go for a walk with the dog before her shift and she can download (talk my ear off for an our) and it helps her deal with the anxiety.  

Maesto's part time job took a turn last week when the manager failed  to tell him had a shift (even though he checked with her twice and he had been promised 2) the owner rang him when we were at the movies asking where he was.  He got no shifts this week even though it wasn't his fault.  He's had 2 jobs in hospitality and I really think it is a shitty industry to work in.

Catch you next time.

Slow Going

2nd to last appliqué row is finished and today I’ve finished cutting out the appliqué flowers for the final appliqué row.  

Work has been a bit of a nightmare for the last 6 weeks which is probably a bit of understatement.  The job is stressing me out, and for the past 4 months it has started to affect me health.  It has meant that I haven’t been able to sew as much as I have wanted to as I am just so tired when I get home.

I’ve been really looking forward to this final appliqué row, its my favourite of the whole quilt.  So I’m thinking this row won’t take too long.  Fingers crossed that work lets me get this done.

Holiday is over and the cold reality of going back to work has hit home

 I been back just over a week and I really loved my time away but getting back to work has been hard and pretty unforgiving.  But first to the end of our holiday.

It was wonderful I came back revitalised and with all my sewing mojo ramped up.  Here are the hand pieced blocks I managed.

3 are from pretty circle game, 1 is Glitter which I am going to be doing in red creams and blues.  And 1 is a delilah block.

I also half basted a quilt but gave up because the table top wouldn't allow me to stretch the backing sufficiently for machine quilting,  so I will either start again finish basting the 2nd half.

We ate out most nights.  Sewed every day and plan to do it again next year. There are a couple of things we might do differently (like not bring so much food).  But we had such a great time, we all had our own space to relax in if we needed a break and I don't think anyone got anyones nerves at all.

Since returning to work it has been crazy.  My boss heads overseas for a month today and I’ve been working lots of hours to get the majority of Junes and half of July’s work done.  It’s done now and I feel less stressed but it kinda took the fun out of the holiday.  The work stress is starting to affect my health so there is going to be some reavaluating in the coming months.

I did reach 10 years the other week with the company and I was given a very expensive watch which is beautiful, but it has just made all the above that much harder as now I feel guilty about needing to rethink things.

Halfway Point the Getaway

We are halfway through our sewing retreat getaway.  Were we are staying is very quiet this time of year but we a close enough to restaurants and shops if we need to be go out.  The house is perfect for our needs there is an island bench for all important fabric cutting (and occasionally food prep) and a big long table that we can spread out on when we need to and the lounge is lovely to sit in an sew in from of the TV watching a movie or royal wedding.

We’ve sewed A LOT I think yesterday I stitched from 7.30am  until 10.30 pm with breaks for shower, food and the Royal Wedding.

My plan was to work on a different project each day.

Row by Row

Friday was my row by row. I finished the resew of the florist shop row and stitched the rows so far together.  It’s looking good.  3 more rows to go and there is no way it will be finished by June, but hey that’s fine.  The real job has been really hitting hard lately and some nights I just can’t bring myself to sew.  I’ll finish the rows when I can and then we will get the patterns up.

Pretty Circle Game

I was a bit behind on Circle Game having not finished last months block with all my row by row renewing that needed to be done but I am almost up to date now.  The 2nd block from this month is about halfway together.

Plan for Today

Well today I might start a new project and then maybe move on to Delilah.  I packed some fabrics for Glitter (another Jen Kingwell’s design and I might just cut a few blocks out.  I admit to having a couple of Jen Kingwell’s quilts at this stage.  I just cut a few blocks when I feel like it and will then gradually stitch them together.  Florence is in a similar state as is Daisy Do.  There is no requirement for these quilts to be finished they will just be waiting when I want to start stitching them.  These are pretty much 1 block quilts which I think is perfect for this style of slow stitching.

Girls Getaway

This time last year over a sewing day, 3 girls made a plan to do a sewing road trip to celebrate 2 of us reaching 0 milestones.  Mainly due to my work being nuts and having no backup whatsoever and needing to fit in with everyone else’s family commitments (including my own) the extravaganza has been whittled down to 5 nights down the Coast extending a weekend.

I’ve started narrowing down (well trying to) the projects I’m going to take.  I’m sure I will weaken and decide to take more over the next week and a bit but I’m trying to stick to 4.  As it is there is going to be more sewing stuff than food and clothing going into the car.  They tried to tempt me with a joint project but I was strong.  I really don’t need to start anything new at this stage.

Sue has sent a list of food places to eat and I don’t think we have enough meals to fit them all in.  Someone mentioned taking DVD’s just in case TV is crap as I don’t watch much free to air TV that is a distinct possibility.  My Kindle is stacked with books and I must remember to put in my bluetooth headphones in case I need to listen to some books.

I just got my latest stash builder bundle from Amitie so that has been added to the pile to take.

The projects are:

• Start Golden Days  all the backgrounds selected and I should eI casily get through the first two blocks to catch up.  
• Month 5 of Pretty Circle game is all cut out ready to stitch.  
• Row by Row - I have to restitch one more row this week o I can get the bottom 2/3’s of the quilt stitched together.  
• The first 5 months of Delilah is cut in prep for hand stitching.  
• Last Years BOM is going so I can baste it.

I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to going and getting away from work which is really getting to me at the moment.  I need to distress just have to get through 6 weeks work in 2 week over the next little while.