One Eighth is a Challenge

Yesterday evening I finished this little quilt, and entered it into a challenge. Here is how that came about.

Recently Helen of Archie the Wonder Dog posted a tutorial as part of the 2016 Quarter 4 Finishalong on how to sew an accurate 1/4" strip. I remembered having done that technique before as part of my City & Guilds. But because my sewing machine foot is different, it worked out a bit differently for me.

Helen (or Archie as I tend to think of her/him - sorry, this can be confusing, I hope you don't mind, Helen) showed how you use your 1/4" foot to follow the previous stitching rather than the cut edge to get better accuracy when sewing a strip so narrow. Her foot has two 1/4" sides either side of the needle, but my foot has a 1/4" guide to the right of the needle, and a 1/8" guide to the left. This results in me having to turn my work with the cut edge to the left rather than to the right as usual.

Which made me think that if I turned it the usual way, I'd be guiding with my 1/8" side of the presser foot... with that a challenge was born!

And so I started to limber up with a test piece, sewing a 1/4" strip, soon followed by a 1/8" strip:

In the corner you can see what my 1/4" presser foot looks like.

In the mean time I was thinking of another challenge: Project Quilting.
This is a challenge where a theme is given after which you have a week (yes, only seven days!) to think up and finish - completely finish - a project within that theme. There is a link-up, and much encouragement online, all in all great fun. I have never done a challenge like that before, but had been thinking that this year I would take part if I could. The first theme was given on January 1st - Eight is Great. But what to make... it was already day 3.

Suddenly it clicked, 1/8" and eight are quite related... So I started with the initial idea to make eight blocks, each with eight insets of 1/8" wide 1/8" apart, made in different colours and the same white background. It would make a lovely small quilt.

I started and made my first block. Do you know how much time it takes to make a block with eight 1/8" inset strips, each 1/8" apart?! That makes fifteen 1/8" strips in a row! Sewing, pressing, trimming, sewing again... I had to rethink!

In the end I made four blocks, 6" unfinished (5 1/2" finished size), each with eight 1/8" inset strips in different configurations. Three blocks also include (a few or many) background strips of 1/8". After the first block with parallel strips, the other blocks evolved as I worked.

I auditioned sashing fabrics:

...had some setback... Yes, I unpicked that - twice - ...

...auditioned border fabrics...

...and after two days not doing much else, finished it off!

I turned the edges in and quilted it "in the ditch" around each block and between the sashing and the outer border. The edge has an extra line of quilting, and each block has a little quilting in it, though because of the size I felt it didn't need too much:

I even added an extra set of eight 1/8" strips into the border:

And there you have it, thanks to my youngest who held it up for photography with only a little persuasion...

Now all it needs is a space to hang!

Linked up (and you can vote for 10 favourite entries there, too) with Project Quilting challenge 1 of season 8 (1/8 again...) because

Eight is Great, One Eighth is a Challenge!

Details:
Name: "one eighth is a challenge"
Total size: 18" x 18"
Machine pieced, and machine quilted.
All cotton fabrics, cotton wadding, cotton thread.
Backing: calico (muslin in US terms), including a sleeve for hanging.
When: 5-6 January 2017
Where: Rural North County Cork, Rep. of Ireland

And I'm adding the Project Quilting button to the side bar so you can go and check it out for yourself...

Sandra

A last finish in under the wire

As well as my Lily Lapin I managed to finish a second project from my Quarter 4 finishalong list! And just in time since the link up will close tonight!

My Drunkards Path quilt is finally finished, thanks to the support and encouragement of the Finishalong community and my Instagram friends.

I started this quilt cutting out the pieces while on holiday last July. I used the 3 1/2" Drunkard's Path templates from Pappersaxten which were ideal to cut up a charm pack. The templates are for a Drunkard's Path version where the curve ends up in the corners of the block. The template set have extra allowances so that it is easy to sew the curves together, and the set comes with an extra trimming template for accurate blocks. Perfect!

When all blocks were assembled and trimmed I tested a few layouts:

With help from some feedback on Instagram I decided on the last version and sewed it together.


Then auditioning border fabrics,

sewing the top together,

and auditioning quilting threads:

In the end I used many different threads in different areas.
I machine quilted this one, emphasising the shapes I associate with retro flowers. 

Not being able to find a suitable binding fabric in my stash, I decided to turn in the edges of the quilt, and quilted the last border areas after finishing the edges.

Finally today I was able to convince my youngest to hold up the quilt for some decent photographs. Pfft!

Linking up with the Finishalong at Archie the Wonder Dog.

And if you want to be encouraged to finish your WIPs (quilty or otherwise), do join us for the 2017 Finish-a-long at Rhonda's Ramblings and other hosts...

Sandra

Notebook Covers

This is a busy time of year, and the blog is one of the things that moves down on my list when I'm busy. Which is why I haven't been checking in here for a while.  I'm still around though and sewing, don't worry...

My most recent project has been for the Modern Quilters Ireland Christmas swap.
It was decided that we would make a notebook cover for our secret partner. Last year I made a first notebook cover, which turned out lovely. Technically it did not go together as I had intended, but who is to know...

Not wanting to struggle with the technicalities of construction this time, I decided to use Cindy's notebook cover tutorial over at Fluffy Sheep Quilting. First I made a basic notebook cover using a different fabric for the spine, but no further elaboration, to get the feel for the pattern.

The tutorial is great, and this cover went together so quickly!

Now, my assigned partner wanted a pen pocket/holder in the hope she would not lose her pen as easily. And I wanted to add some nice features as well. So out came paper and pencil, and I divided up the cover front and back areas to accommodate some different fabrics. Working out how wide to cut the strips took a little while since I kept getting confused...

Did I add seam allowances to all these measurements?

Oh, those flanges don't add to the total width...

Ah, and the background fabric goes behind the flange as well as needing the seam allowance twice!

Would 1/4" seam allowance be enough for the slightly thicker linen?

etc.

In the end I got it written out. By then this was becoming quite a last-minute project... nothing new there, I must admit!

Then sewing it up, at least that worked as planned. 

I used fabrics from the lovely Radiance collection by Beth Studley combined with some neutral linen, and it worked out so lovely, I wanted to keep it for myself!

Fortunately I managed to convince myself to just drop it off at the post office to send it on its way as intended. And my partner is very happy with it, so again, I'll just have to make another for myself to keep (one day...)!

My partner posted the content of her parcel on Instagram, so hopefully she doesn't mind if I show her image here. It does show a bit better where the pen pocket is...

And with all that I would almost forget that someone was also making a notebook cover for me. Just as I came home from the post office to send my gift on its way, my swap notebook cover was delivered to me. Of course I could not wait to open it, and I was soo pleased!

Not one, but TWO notebook covers, one with an lined notebook, and one with a small sketchbook to put down all those inspirations! It was just perfect, so thank you so much, Anneliese (for the notebooks as well as for the goodies you included)!!

Thank you to everyone taking part and organising the Modern Quilters Ireland Christmas swap. And if anyone wants to feel inspired to make a notebook cover, do check out the hashtag #mqichristmasswap2016 (Instagram), there are many wonderful notebook covers to admire!

Now I have to go back to my sewing, I have an urgent project to finish!

Sandra