Sunday 17 February 2019

Same shades

but still making progress, even with a little pop over to the quilting side of my crafting persona.

A new blended thread colour is required to get the main part of the robe and the top of the torches finished.

Well that and hunting down the fractional Ninja stitches hiding in all those folds of material.

Cross stitch



Not sure if it is my picture taking or if I will need to do some blocking when it is finished as the right side looks to have pulled across a little on this picture.


As I have worked there have been some joyful moments when I have run out of thread in my bobbinated box.

The top three layers are on bobbins and sorted by number. The next three have the skeins sorted into groups, so all 200, then the 300 and so on. They are strung on a bit of string. 



Yarn storage in a bag






and the joy in running out, going to the skein  spares box and finding what I needed.


Thread storage


It feels strangely satisfying using up thread from the stash and at the same time the used thread is going on a list to reorder as soon as I require enough to make the postage worth it.  The local shop is more expensive and therefore for emergency's only. Mind given I bought a lot of this thread at the same time as this pattern and in the same place (Utah, and on sale) any replacement purchase is a big increase in the price. 

Saturday 16 February 2019

Sampler quilt

getting back to this project.  I stalled after the last block grandmas-fan, mainly because the next block in the book was not a new block, not even a used once before block but my patchwork starting place.


If you have visited with me before then you will be aware that it is a go to pattern for me and therefore I wondered if I wanted to have it in my Sampler Quilt learning journey.  The next one along, as a variation of log cabin is also one I have used before, Church ( Court House) Steps.  so I stopped to make up my mind.

And I have, I am sticking with the plan of doing the blocks in order, from the book.  Well almost, the strip size on these blocks was so small (1 and a quarter inches including seam allowance) that I had a feeling if I worked one in full I might baulk  and the other. 

Yes I have done the Church steps small before, even smaller than this  as pin cushions but still!

So I have been working them together, the log cabin progresses slower then Church Steps as once you are past the first squares with that pattern you can add two strips at a time. Logcabin you are restricted to one.

So after an evenings sewing the log cabin looks like this. 

Log cabin blocks for sampler quilt

With another set of pale and pink to go before it is ready to join together.

And the Church Steps

Court house steps



Ready to join up, maybe I might sash it as the colours are looking quite pale. I have time to think about that.

Saturday 9 February 2019

Waiting for the colour

at least that is what my mother says about this project.

Angels in cross stitch


Whilst there will be some shades other than the ecru ext shortly, there are no big bold colours ahead.

Still, making progress that is quite satisfying.

The pattern says to leave the over one sections till last (well the back-stitch and beads after the over one but last of the cross stitching at least)

I wonder if that is to help get it finished, if everything else is done then the over one will be less daunting.

I am not too sure about that, I might need to do faces or hands once the robes are complete.

Still battling with quarter stitch ninjas, they appear only after I have cut off the thread in that particular shade.  Threading up again, especially with blended thread just for one quarter stitch can be very frustrating.