Saturday, August 30, 2014

Scrappy Progress and a Change of Plans.

 Apart from doing the weekly washing, today was spent dealing with some of my many scraps. I'm a messy quilter! I wish I wasn't but I am. I aim for the waste paper bin when I trim squares etc but as much goes on the floor as in the bin. I also find I have many scraps falling to the floor when I am in full-steam working on a project. So this morning was spent in sorting all the different pieces of fabric that needed to be put away as well as gathering all the random scraps around the cutting table. I wanted a break from sorting so I started making half square triangles, just joining light and dark triangles. I didn't worry about their size as I sort them into bins according to their size later. This gives me a ready supply of bits and pieces to work with. Lately I've been using the 2.5" scraps to make Split 9 Patch blocks and I've just finished one using 3 " squares and HST's.
 I make the triangles larger than required and then trim them as I find it is more accurate for me.
 My largest pile at the moment is the 3" bin and I also have mostly 2.5" size. I try to select a pattern which will use these sizes when the bins start to get full. Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville http//www.quiltville.com has some great patterns to use up scraps and I just adjust the size I'm using depending on what size is most plentiful in my scrap bins.I'll start piecing more blocks soon so I can tidy up more scraps and get them made into quilts.
 I also finished off the third blanket using crocheted squares I made on our trip home from Queensland. I used more pink than I would have liked but I was almost out of yarn and pink was the only colour I could find in Atherton (Qld) as their hot weather for most of the year means that they don't stock much yarn in the remote areas. I wouldn't normally use so much pink in one blanket but it was all I had and will still keep someone warm.
While I'm tidying and sorting the sewing room, I'm also thinking about which projects I want to focus on to get some UFOs or WIPs finished. Last year I found it easier to get things finished if I selected 4 and focused on them, otherwise it's easy to get caught up with the next "New" thing and not get things finished. I had good reason to get some projects finished for two Exhibitions so I think I need to do it again and keep focused. I also want to do the same for my cross stitching, knitting projects etc. I have had a re-evaluation of the ripple blanket I had started before we went to Qld. I mainly started it because I wanted to try the pattern. I was not really happy with the colours I chose and as I have no particular need for the blanket at the moment, I've decided to pull out what I have done and use the yarn for more crocheted squares to make blankets for the homeless. I can stockpile squares and as the warm weather is coming I think I'll put away my crocheting soon and focus more on my other hand work.
  I'm back working nights again tomorrow but hope to get some more stitching done beforehand. I must get back to my half inch hexies too now that I am home again. I didn't take my La Passion hexies with me to Qld as I am working with lots of white hexies and I knew it would be hard to keep clean while we were camping.
Is anyone else making plans for their UFOs or is it just the Spring weather affecting me?
Hugs, Jan Mac

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