Wednesday 11 September 2013

Work in Progress Wednesday

It's been quite a while since my last post, so I fear this will be a long one. At last (yay!) the work has started on the house, though we still have not had the money from the insurance company (supposedly due to arrive within the next 2 weeks). The other good news is that the police have a suspect for our burglary .He is responsible for several burglaries in the area but they are waiting for the result of forensic tests to actually prosecute him. The police haven't said so but the local gossip says he has just got out of prison and embarked on a spree on his release.No sign of any of the stolen items though, as he is a 'professional'.

 
 
 
I've had 2 weekends when both my boys  (old and young) have been away, so I have been able to sew  all day long and I've managed to get a lot done. This was before I contracted a yucky bug that has kept me off work ( unheard of!) for 2 days.
 
Firstly, I finished all 42 blocks for Madlen's scrappy trip around the world.  I did another scrappy trip earlier in the year and had also done some bee blocks. Consequently, I had a lot of spare strips. So what's a girl to do but make her first scrap vomit!
 

 
 
The 'A' blocks were no problem, as I just used up my spare strips and managed 8 blocks just from the scraps. I then strip pieced the other 5 blocks. I had to make the 'B' blocks from scratch but decided to strip -piece them using Katie's tutorial. This calls for 22inch strips to give the necessary 12 blocks,but I already had loads of 18 inch strips and as it's meant to use up scraps I used them. It meant I had to cobble together a few more strips to get all 12 blocks.
 
 
This is destined to be a quilt for Lydia, one of my BF's daughters.
 
I have also finished most of this months Bee blocks really early!. First up, Siblings together:
 
 
 
Then a block for Amy for the Simply solids bee. She asked for a 15" impro block.
 


 
I also made her 2 blocks for Wonkyville.
 
 
 
I also  finished my blocks for Sam in the Star block quilting bee. This bee is now over , although 4 of the women have not sent me my blocks back even though my month as Queen Bee was March!
 
 
 
 
Mary chose the Economy I-spy block for Together@do.good stitches:
 
 
I had already decided to make a quilt using these blocks for a colleagues daughter, but I thought that 5 inch finished blocks were too small. Firstly, I worked out the necessary size of squares to make  a 9 inch (finished size) block:
 
 
but decided these were too big, so did the maths again to make a 6 inch ( finished size ) block:
 
 
I'm happy with these, so just need to make another 75 blocks!
 
I promised some time ago to make  a quilt for the 13 year old son of one of my oldest friends. Originally, I was going to make SewKindof wonderful's  Abacus pattern but after trying it out, I decided it was too hard. Instead, I have chosen a pattern from Amy Ellis's book Modern Neutrals. This is a very graphic pattern and well out of my 'normal' range, but I think it will look fab.
 
 
It's paper pieced but fairly simple, so I should be able to work steadily at it.
 
 I'm accumulating so many quilt tops that need finishing once the building work is all done. At the last count there were a whopping 7 tops all finished, 4 quilts which need more blocks (not including the 2 new ones I have started) and one Bee quilt where 50% of the blocks are such poor quality that I can't use them.  I haven't decided  what to do with those.
When the roof is back on, Mr Hare and I are going to have a long holiday. I'm really looking forward to it.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 




 
 



7 comments:

  1. Glad to hear things are improving for you.
    Thanks for the Siblings Together block.
    I especially like the star blocks you made. What a shame you have bee blocks of poor quality, I can't believe people have the nerve to send them out.

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  2. I joined this blog late, what happened to your house?!

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  3. Carol great to see some action on your house YAY,all your work is looking great ......................i still have 3 lots of fabric and/or blocks still not arrived !!do not hold out much for them getting here and i have just fm ed them again :((((( and Sams blocks are still to do .Keep up the good work and i hope you are feeling better !!

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  4. Carol great to see some action on your house YAY,all your work is looking great ......................i still have 3 lots of fabric and/or blocks still not arrived !!do not hold out much for them getting here and i have just fm ed them again :((((( and Sams blocks are still to do .Keep up the good work and i hope you are feeling better !!

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  5. lots of loveliness there
    great that the work has started
    boo to the pesky lurgy - I hope you are feeling better x

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  6. I hope you're feeling better! As soon as the sun sets on summer, illness comes out, or at least that's the way it always seems. I'm glad that your roof is underway at least and I hope the money comes quickly too. I love all your blocks, especially Amy's improv one; it's gorgeous!
    Bad news about your poor quality blocks, I hope I wasn't involved ;) Anything I can do to help??? XXX

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  7. Hope you are feeling back to normal now Carol.
    Whoa you have been busy... and you are in a LOT of bees! How do you keep up!! And all your blocks are gorgeous.
    I'm very sorry to hear that you have had bee blocks that aren't usable. Is it seam allowances that are the problem? Like Jo, I hope I wasn't involved. Could they be unpicked and remade? I could try and fit in redoing one for you this month.
    I'm glad that they have caught your burglar and also that there is work afoot on your house.
    xxxx

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