FAL Quarter 2

I have to say that the first quarter of the Finish-a-Long was actually very very motivating to *get things done*. Therefore I am definitely in for Quarter 2. My list of WIP'S, however has gotten longer, not shorter. Let's review:

1. Skirt Bags



2. 4 Jewellery Rolls



3.A very VERY simple lap blanket that I cut out probably 2-3 years ago. Its really about time I get it sewn up.



4. A 9 patch quilt for me.



5. Creature Comforts cross stitch. This has been sitting un-finished for far too long. I forgot to put it on the last list because I was just thinking of fabric-y things. It only requires the back stitch outline but I keep putting it off.



6. A 241 tote. Again I cut this before Christmas but I only came across it last night when I was tidying up my fabric stash to make some room for my wool stash (sigh).



7. 4 Kids Pencil Rolls



8. Keyka Lou pouches - got 4 clutch size and 6 pouch size all cut out.



9. Black rib scarf - My nemesis. Not really, I just knit really really slow but I want to try and practice and get quicker since my wool stash just got bigger.



10. 4 The Hungry Caterpillar pencil cases.



11. Knitted shawl (i.e a big rectangle) - dragged on for ages but I am making progress.







Right so now I need to decide what I am pledging to finish by the end of Quarter 2 i.e the end of June:

1. Skirt Bags (a MUST finish)
2. The rest of the Jewellery Rolls
5. The cross-stitch. It will probably take like half an hour so just do it already.
6. 241 tote
7. Pencil Rolls
8. Keyka Lou Pouches
10. Hungry Caterpillar Pouches

So thats 7 things for the next 3 months and I think I will manage all of them, fingers crossed. I have other things on top of those that I want to get done so hopefully it will be a productive 3 months.

FAL Quarter 1

A bit late I know!

I have been absent for a while as I've not been all that well recently. Nothing serious certainly but just enough that the last 6 weeks have been a bit of a blur. I was having regular palpitations so I have been having tests etc done. One of the tests showed my heart rate would rapidly increase (which I personally think was just from unfitness and climbing the stairs in the car park but I was told no) so my doctor put me on a beta blocker to slow my heart rate down. These were fine for 2 weeks but then I started getting faint spells. Thankfully I didn't ever actually faint but every day for 5 weeks I would take a turn and think I was going to pass out at least once if not twice. Now that I have been to a cardiologist the tablets have been changed and I'm starting to feel much better.

Hence the lack of blog posts! I even managed to completely miss our March meeting of the West Scotland Modern Quilt Guild through sheer fuzziness.

Anyway, there is a slight upside to this. Those times that I did feel functional I made the decision to sew, particularly because I knew the end of the Finish-a-Long was coming up.

To recap here is what I pledged:

1. The skirt-bags. All 4 of them.
2. The jewellery rolls. Need to do them for my fairs anyway.
3. The ironing board cover.
4. Finish the top for the blue and red Ikea quilt.
5. Baste, quilt and bind the first Ikea quilt.


I actually did not bad considering. I made no progress on the skirt bags but they will get moved onto the next quarters list and WILL get completed.

The jewellery rolls are about 2 thirds done. I have finished 5 and the other 4 are in various stages of progress.







The ironing board cover is DONE! I'm not sure what to do with it yet, whether to keep it as a spare for myself or whether to take it to a fair with me and put it on my table. It is in a bag at the moment until I decide what to do.





Number 4 I took further than I pledged to. After writing that post up I remembered I was going to make a boy's quilt for a friend who was due to have a baby boy so I put it all together quilted it and gifted it. Unfortunately I gifted it before picturing it completed. Silly me! Nevermind.

I also managed to finish the pink quilt top that had been hanging in my sewing room for months. I decided I wanted to finish this one to gift to my manager who we know is having a little girl. We had a surprise baby shower for her about a fortnight ago and so I wanted to have it finished for then.







It went down an asbolute storm. I was a bit concerned that it might be a bit bright for her but it turns out that the things they have already bought for the nursery are bright also so it will fit in and she loves it!


Next post will be the pledges for Quarter 2!

Nosey Parker in the Neighbourhood

1) What are your preferred crafts? Do you have one primary one that you do most of or do you dabble around in many different crafts?

My main craft is sewing. I love to try my hand at most things sewing except if it is a teeny tiny thing. I dabble in a lot of other crafts too but not one of them takes up as much of my free time as sewing. In the past I have partaken in scrapbooking, cardmaking and jewellery making. Not to say that I wouldn't ever do these things ever again but these crafts I tend to employ for items for myself.

I also enjoy knitting and cross-stitching although at the moment these have taken a bit of a back seat at the moment because my attention span is equal to that of a goldfish and I prefer to work on a project that has a quick turn-around. With knitting, my mum used to decipher patterns for me and then I would just follow what she told me to do rather than learning how to read the pattern myself, meaning that without her I am a little stuck. Doing cross-stitch can be a bit of a pain as I think I am starting to get arthritis in one of my fingers so because its such a small scale project I can't always do it comfortably.

2) What avenues inspire you most in your sewing/crafting that we might like to check out?

e.g. what are your favourite books or websites or shops to visit etc... that we *must* know about ;)

When I first started sewing Sew Mama Sew was a big source of inspiration for me but now I would say blogging in general inspires me. Seeing what other people can make and come up with boggles my mind but at the same time opens it up to the possibilities. My mind becomes fascinated with people who can come up with an amazing, original design for a bag or a purse or for a quilt. This in turn inspires me.

3) Are you a one project at a time person or do you have "craft ADD" - OR are you somehow like me and have a combination of both?

I am major ADD! Sometimes I can decide that I will have a sewing day and will spend all day in my sewing room without ever accomplising much because I work for half an hour then get up to get a drink or to move things or to clean or to take out the rubbish, etc etc etc. Then there are other times where I am OK like today, I worked on a 241 bag from start to finish in about 3-4 hours. I wish I could bottle that determination and use it all the time.

I didn't think I was too bad with leaving WIP's until I looked them all out for Rhonda's Finish-a-long. It definitely happens because I get bored of whatever I'm doing or that the project is going to take a while to finish so I start something new for some instant gratification. I would hazard a guess that there is a good percentage of us crafters do the same thing.

4) What is/has been your longest ever Work in Progress (WIP)?

Probably the cross-stitch that I still haven't finished. It is a Creature Comforts Cat that I picked up on sale at the HobbyCraft show at the SECC in Glasgow 3 years ago. All thats left to do on it is the outline and yet it still sits in my craft organiser that Sarah @ Narcoleptic in a Cupboard made for me as part of the Goodie Swap back in September.

5 ) What are some of your crafty projects that you've made recently (or not so recently is ok to) that you'd love us to see?

Once I get to be home at a reasonable time in which I can take some pictures I'll show off what I've finished lately. I am particularly fond of the 241 bag I have made with kittens floating with umbrellas. It's coming I promise.

P.S - Apologies for being quite quiet the last week or so, having a few health issues that are knocking me for six. Surprisingly though I do actually have new finished things to show!

Mandors

Just a quick blog post before I leave for work.

Mandors are running a voucher on a discount website I use.

Heres the offer:

£16 for a £40 voucher OR £24 for a £60 voucher to spend on fabulous fabric, a huge range of haberdashery or a wide selection of stylish wallpaper at Mandors The Fabric Store in either Glasgow or Edinburgh – save 60%

If any of you are interested then please use the link below to take you to the offer. Basically if 3 friends use this link to purchase this voucher I get credit back for my purchase, so if you were going to buy anyway then I ask could you use my link?

Itison - Mandors Voucher

Thanks!

Catch up

Evening folks!

Apologies for the lack of Sunday stash yesterday but I have a very good reason for it. I was working all day yesterday but admittedly that part is a lame excuse. The less lame reason is that yesterday was Superbowl Sunday so I spent the evening preparing myself to stay awake long enough to watch the full game.

I'm actually lying in bed just about to go to sleep right now cos i'm soooo tired! I will get caught up properly tomorrow and Wednesday.

Just a reminder that my giveaway for the Travelling Stash is still open. For the new readers and anyone who missed it, it you are in the UK and want to find out what the travelling stash is and details on how to enter then just click the link below.

Travelling Stash giveaway