Flying through the Year - Time for Quarter 3 Finishalong Plans

With another measly three finishes last quarter (HERE, HERE and HERE), my list is not really shrinking fast! Time for an updated list, with many still on it from last quarter, but also some new additions. One day I will finish them, hopefully some this quarter... I keep trying anyway!

1. Hearty

This quilt top from (More) Hearty Good Wishes fabrics and sashiko-stitched linen is virtually finished. Time to make this top into a quilt, though I am still debating if I will add a border to it...

2. Oakshott

If I keep it in the list, it will be finished one day, right?! Every quarter some quilting stitches are made in this one, slow going though!

3. Cubes quilt

I did work on this one for a day or two last quarter, still not finished though.

4. Curved improv

The top is (probably) finished, time to turn it into a quilt.

5.Sunflowers

The blocks are together for years, I intended to quilt it for free motion quilting practice. The idea is that the riot of colours and shapes will not show up my inexperience too much...

5. Stack and cut log cabin

Another top ready for quilting!

6. Feathered Star top

Yes, you guessed it, this needs quilting!

7. Drunkard's Path

While on holiday I cut a charm pack into Drunkard's Path pieces with the fantastic templates from Jenny of Pappersaxten, and started piecing them together by hand. I am not sure if I will continue by hand, or will grab my machine one day, but I do want to see how these will look together when done!

Better get to it pronto!

Linking up with the Quarter 3 Finishalong!
#FALQ3sewofcourse

Sandra

Summer break 2016

As usual this time of year, we went away for a trip. This time we stayed in Durrus, which proved again (we were there last year, too) to be an ideal starting point for exploring West Cork.
Some highlights:

A walk along the Sheep's Head peninsula

sea both left and right show how narrow the peninsula is

towards the tip of the peninsula the ocean right in front of us

on the way back some sea mist catches up with us

Schull, West Cork

sea anemone

I am fascinated by rock pools

A visit to the gardens at Garnish Island

the pond in the Italianate garden showed off these water lilies

the gardens at Garnish Island are beautiful, these unplanned ferns caught my eye

and the view from the gardens are spectacular

another view from the garden

You have to take a boat to get to the gardens on Garnish Island, which lies in Glengarrif Bay. On the way a pair of eagles was pointed out to us:

And the bay is a favourite place for seals, too:

I never was this close to a seal before

There were many more activities this week, from a chamber orchestra concert, picnics, walks both in evening sunshine and a very misty morning (hear the sea crashing on the rocks below, but not able to see it), to visiting a local market, eating ice cream, playing card games...

All in all a break to remember, and aren't those the best?!

Sandra

Third finish for Quarter 2 of the Finish-along

And this is the third finish for this quarter:

Original goal setting post HERE.

Linking up with the finishalong 2nd Quarter.

Sandra

Second finish for Quarter 2 of the Finish-along

Another very short post to link up my second finish for the 2nd Quarter of the Finish-along:

This pouch was on my list, too, and is now finished:

Original goal setting post HERE.
Linking up with the Quarter2 Finish-along.

Sandra

Finish-along 2016 Quarter 2 - The Result

Just a short one this time. I thought I had not finished one single item, but looking back at what was on my list, I actually did have not one, but even three finishes!

Here I show you the charity quilt I finished with the help of the Library Quilters, the group I teach in our local library:

The quilt is very much like the previous one we made, they were more or less made in tandem, though one was finished before the other. To show you that there are indeed two, I got a picture of them both together:

If you remember in the finish-along goal setting post, this quilt was just a set of blocks.
I trimmed them to equal sizes, added sashing, layered the quilt. Then I machine quilted along the sashing to stabilise the top. It could now be passed around for quilting without any pins.

Several ladies passed the quilt amongst themselves to hand quilt the blocks. As you can see in the top picture, they all quilted circles over the blocks, apart from the appliqué Sunbonnet Sue block, which was outlined in quilting.

I then received it back to stitch the binding on, and add a label.
A few weeks ago I handed both quilts to someone who organised a whole load of quilts to go to Crumlin Children's Hospital in Dublin.

We're all hoping the quilts get enjoyed and will comfort and give support to two children going through a hard time, and beyond.

And even though I have not done every stitch in this quilt myself, I think it deserves being mentioned in the finish-along, because without the support of the finish-along this quilt would most likely still be in twelve blocks.

My goal setting post can be found HERE.
Linking up with 2016 Q2 finish-along.

Sandra