The Chester County Criswell Quilt

 I have finished my second block of this Block of the Month just in time for the release of the third block. I chose to make it in the same colour-way as the original with the green in the centre piece but others are making it with the green as the leaves. It wasn't a difficult block to stitch and once the prep work was done it only took a couple of hours. I don't trim my blocks until I am ready to piece them together so they look slightly different in size.
I do hope some of you are stitching this quilt too as Sharon from Two Bit Patches has offered it as a Block of the Month (pattern only) and it will be offered over 3 years. The first block is free and the remainder will cost $2.50 to be sent the pattern via email. I paid for a year's worth and it only cost me $22. It's not too late to start and will make a lovely appliqued quilt.
 It has been passed down to Sharon through her family and she is very generously giving information about the makers of the blocks as well as drafting the patterns for us.
She has a separate blog for the quilt and it's well worth a look at the blog to get more information.
 I've shown both my blocks above and I think it would be lovely to have more people join in with the journey and share our progress. Come on a few hours and a few dollars a month is a good investment don't you think? Let me know if you are going to join in and I'll cheer you on as well.
I'm working nights again for the next few days so will check back when I'm awake.
Hugs, Jan Mac

A Finish and a Change of Pace

 I have finished the evening gown and it looks much better than in the photo. It was fully lined and the bodice is boned so a bit fiddly and I'm glad it's done. She will look lovely when it is pressed, and she has the right shoes, bra and jewellery.
  I have also been working away at the hexagon quilt and have now got a sore spot on my fingers from pushing the thin needle through all the fabric layers. So it's now time for a change of pace and some applique which will hopefully use a different part of the fingers when stitching.
I've prepped the pieces for the second Chester Criswell County Quilt and will get it done in the next day or so as the third block is due out very soon.
  I'm back on night shift again tomorrow too so I hope everyone behaves and we have some quiet nights for a change.
See you tomorrow.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Just Focus

 It's amazing what you can achieve as far as finishes when you focus all your attention on just one project. Or at least focus mainly on one. I really want to get this hexagon quilt finished so I can work on my new hand work projects and so I have been steadily working on finishing off all the hexagon shapes I had already started. I have completed stitching all the cream hexagons and now I'm just adding another row of full sized hexagon shapes and then the half and quarter pieces.
 I haven't been able to focus just on my hand stitching though as I have started the evening dress for DD and have made the lining today and plan to adjust the pattern and then tackle the main part of the dress tomorrow. It is emerald green satin and I'm adjusting the size to be tightly fitted over the bodice and not as full in the skirt but still full enough to "flow" when dancing. It will be good to be back to quilting where one size will fit most!
 More to come. I may even have more finished hexagons to show.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Second Day of Classes

 On Sunday I took a day class with Chris Serong and we had a choice of making the Joseph's Coat with Buttons pattern or a hand pieced Pickle Dish. They are both hand pieced and I find this type of stitching is very relaxing, especially if I spend a lot of time at the sewing machine or computer. Chris is a lovely tutor and does very precise piecing and also plays special importance with pressing the blocks. I always pick up lots of tips when taking a class and this is the second one I've taken with Chris and would also highly recommend her classes. She only teaches each pattern for a short time and then retires the pattern to teach something new. She has won awards for her quilts and when you see them you can understand why as they are beautifully constructed.
  I finished piecing a complete circle as well as some part circles so this will be my next carry-along project, I just need to be careful with all the bias edges. I'm using  white background and my collection of 1930s fabrics. It's about time as the year of 1997 is stamped on the selvedge of some of them. It was easy to just grab the tub of fabrics and put them in the car and just pull from the tub as I worked.
 And lastly you can see my finished blocks from the Saturday class with Lessa Siegele. Are they bright enough do you think? LOL
I spent last evening working on my hexagons as the end is in sight, or at least it is unless I decide to make it longer. I'll share photos of progress later. Have a great day of stitching everyone. I'm off to buy fabric to make youngest DD another evening dress but I hope to stitch tonight.
Hugs, Jan Mac

A Quilting Weekend

 I had a lovely weekend of quilting classes thanks to my Melbourne Quilt Guild, AQA. I took a class with Lessa Siegele, based on 60 degree triangles, and called 3D Boxes. It was a very enjoyable class and the very strong geometric shapes will certainly appeal as a masculine quilt. Lessa was a lovely tutor and very generous with her time and knowledge. She has also written a pattern for baby blocks and includes a template to make the construction easier. I purchased the pattern as I have more baby quilts to make for babies due early next year. I made 9 blocks instead of the 5 as shown for a wall hanging, and will probably use them to make a larger quilt to donate. I didn't realize that I didn't take a photo of all my finished blocks so will take one to show tomorrow.
 I have also been busy working on my hexagon quilt as I want to get it done. I have started another hand piecing project in my class yesterday and will post details about that one tomorrow as well as my hexagon progress.
 It was a lovely weekend and fun to catch up with friends as well as making new ones. The committee did a very professional job with the organization and I can certainly recommend the weekend of classes which are held very second year.
 I hope you all enjoyed a weekend break too.
 Hugs, Jan Mac

Filling in the Gaps

 I've been focusing on getting this WIP finished this week despite more working hours than usual. It's gorwing and I'm going to work on it over the weekend when time permits. I'm off to do a 2 day symposium of classes with AQA this weekend and will post photos later. Who knows I may even get this top almost done. I have to decide whether or not to add 2 more rows of shapes before it's finished and then add borders.
Have a great weekend everyone. I'm happy to take a break from paid work.
Hugs, Jan Mac

It's Time

 I've only had today off paid work so I decided to have a quiet day of stitching. I need to get some of my WIPs (works in progress) finished as I have some more I want to start lol! I started these two quilt tops by using my 2.5 inch squares that have been building in number. The top quilt is made using hexagons and grouping the fabric by colour and shade. I calculated that I only need another 9 hexagon sections to finish the top and then use half and third hexagon shapes to form the border, so a finish is very achievable in the near future if I focus. I made some more hexagon pieces and will show a photo of progress soon.
The second top is also being made from my collection of 2.5 inch squares but these are fabrics which don't read as any particular colour. I think this will be a lap or cot sized quilt so I need to work on this one for some time until I have pieced enough stars. This will make a good carry along project for my next few trips and quilt meetings.
  I'm happy that I've decided to finish off some of my WIPs and get some of the shelves cleared ready for more new beginnings. I haven't abandoned my applique either but I didn't have any prep work done so decided to work on the paper pieced shapes instead.
Is anyone else working on some finishes too?
Hugs, Jan Mac