Monday, April 2, 2018

Whoops, missed the end of March

April has somehow snuck in before I was quite ready to give March up.  Happy Easter everyone!  While on the one hand I feel like I have been quite busy... on the other hand I don't feel like I have achieved much.  The end of March is a particularly stressful time at work, and to be honest, I have found I have been incredibly tired by the end of the day... and not found the energy to spend much time sewing.  Blogging also falls somewhere into the background.  However, quilting on the 2017 RSC is still progressing at a snails pace.


You can see the places still with pins left to quilt.  Also the stripes and border sections need attention.


And I finally today finished the Green March block for the 2018 RSC which I am completing scrappy Double Nine Patch blocks... I like how the black centres create a really strong design feature that helps to hold the scrappyness together.



Don't they look pretty all lined up?  I have already decided this will be sashed with cornerstones... no way am I going to line up all those internal seams!

Backyard birds is also progressing slowly... first the background was pieced together from scraps, then the stems were hand appliqued on.  Just the leaves and birds to figure out now.  As March was green month I chose a block that was heavy on leaves... OK, we are at 99% imagination at this stage :o)


Although the quilt along for Emily Denis's City Tiles/Cross Tiles quilt has long finished, I am still plodding away.  Finished up block 23



And block 24 is well underway.  Just one more block to complete then I can start piecing this one together.

Going off the beaten path a bit, I decided to sew a long sleeved t-shirt pattern, and after constructing the PDF pattern pieces, laid out the sleeve and neck band pieces on my contrast fabric and cut them out.  THEN, I used the leftovers to cut and put together this Barrett Bralette.


It actually looks really good at first sight.  In the grand scheme of things, it was an epic fail because the lining fabric I chose didn't have enough stretch in it... so the bralette was a bit on the small side (I have read the term "negative ease" which seams appropriate), and almost impossible to remove (I did think I would need to resort to scissors at one stage).  I also used fold over elastic, when I should have used lingerie elastic, and a wide elastic band for the bottom... so needed to adjust the construction methods a little bit.  BUT it was a great learning curve and not totally exasperated. I used the last of my leftovers to trial a different free undie pattern - a boyleg brief style this time, and since it was all a trial I used the lingerie elastic I had been a bit scared of trying for the bralette.  Also a learning curve.  The undies turned out just fine... not perfect... and I am keen to try the bralette from a stretchier fabric with the correct supplies.  And I'm actually keen to try a mix of the two undie patterns I have tried to sew the Megan Nielsen undies with a higher waistband.  So there you go.  Returning to the start of the story... I still need to cut out the rest of the pieces for the long sleeved t-shirt but after my twisting and turning adventures I was a bit over clothes sewing!  Patchwork is so much more straightforward!  NEED to disappear into my shed and play with fabric!  I have a completely new project yet to be taken from its packaging... watch this space!


3 comments:

Kathy's A Quilter said...

You have a vast and varied selection of projects to play with. Quilt On!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Great projects! the one you are quilting is really cool!

Julie said...

Loving your city tiles quilt in progress, good on you for trying lingerie sewing.