Busy and Another New Club on Offer.

It has been really busy here at Cynthia's Ark over the last 3 months. With a major upgrade to the website, new fabrics and products, plenty of new classes and workshops on offer and new clubs and BOM starting over the next 6 month being worked on. It has been non stop here.
Phew! I have been busy. Though my sewing has been put to one side with all these going ons happening at least I have still be playing with fabric during this time.

Today I would like to introduce our new stitchery club  from Fig n Berry and the theme is high tea. Over 12 month you will collect all the stitchery patterns and receive instructions to make a quilt from your blocks. It is a mystery block of the month so I have no picture to share with you of the finished quilt. It will be an adventure. To receive only the pattern each month it will be $16.95 plus $4.00 postage, this way you can use your own collection of stranded cottons or if you want to receive stranded cotton each month it will be $19.95 plus $5.00 postage in Australia. When ordering the High Tea with cotton please state what colour you would like in the comments box and each month you will receive 2-3 skeins of the colour in a variety of shades eg red (like redwork). I will be using pink for mine so if no colour is selected you will receive a variety of pinks each month, like mine.
 I am happy to post international but the postage charge will be more.
 You can join up at Cynthia's Ark

I hope you will join me in this stitchery adventure.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Victorian Lace Shop Sample

When I was at Cotton Carnivale back in March, we did a class with Michelle Yeo making a block of her Victorian Lace pattern which we all received a copy as part of the class. We also received enough fabric to make one block. Once I got home I finished my block and decided I needed to create something from this block as a shop sample for Michelle's pattern which I now carry in the shop.

So I decided on a table runner with 3 blocks and a couple of borders. I was tempted to make a quilt using 9 blocks​ and the block I made that was different would be the centre block. Then I raid the shop for some extra fabric for the two blocks and borders. I did have enough of 1 fabric to cut 6 more wedges from but I needed 12 to create a balanced look. The plan was to use a second fabric and alternate the 2 fabrics to help tie the three blocks together. That was my plan but when I was sew the blocks I seem to have forgotten to do that and I sewed 3 of the same in a row. Damn it! I hate unpicking stitches so this is what I am going to do so I didn't have to unpick and start again.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

One Monthly Goal - May's Link up

I set myself the challenge of getting these 3 blocks together for a table runner.

Now it doesn't seem much but it was the only real progress on any of my sewing I had during May. I still have had very limited sewing time. This is something I need to fix very soon, as I fall further behind in projects that need my attention.

I have linked this post to Elm Street Quilts so you can pop over and check out some of the other project goals that have been reached.
I think next month goal will be easy to select.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Progress Report on the Gypsy Wife Quilt

Some sewing time here today during Project Uninterrupted. I managed to do some more work on the Gypsy Wife Quilt which is are new block of the month here at Cynthia's Ark. I really wish I had the top done by now but the world has been plotting against me lately.

I could complain about how far behind I am but really I would be wasting more Time​. So here are a couple more pictures on my progress.

I am loving working with the Riley Blake Designs Shades range. This will be a bright and colorful quilt when we finish it.
Until Next Time
Keep Stitching
Cynthia

A Quiet Day

It was a quiet Mother's Day here, which was just what I needed. I hope you all had a great day.  I woke you not feeling the best. I think my body was telling me to slow down a bit. It has been crazy here and there has been so much work to do and still more to do, deadlines are looming. I have to the end of May to complete two projects, one to quilt top stage at least and the other needs a draft of the pattern submitted.  But sometimes you just need to stop and do nothing and I mean nothing. That is hard for me as even when I sit down to watch some television I automatically pick up my hand sewing to keep some progress happening.

Well I can tell I did nothing except lie on the lounge and watch some television all morning. I couldn't tell you the last time I spent that long in front of the TV on a Sunday morning.

Eventually I did get up and write a retreat newsletter and packed a couple of orders  Then went back to the lounge room to watch some more TV and do some sewing for the evening under my heated blanket as the evenings are getting a little too cool for me but not quite there for my husband, hence the heated blanket. The cats love it too. They will all pile on top of it when I get it out and turn it on.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Expanding my Knowledge

Busy! Busy! That is how it has been since the beginning of March around here. Today was a chance to do something different even though my head was shouting at me No you have stacks of work to be done. I throw caution to the wind and attended a group session on Foundation paper piecing. This is a technique I have tried a couple of times but I am not very comfortable with. I do have a project on my Project Uninterrupted list that features this technique.
So the plan is to expand my knowledge with a small project and hopefully this will help me master the technique so I can continue on to bigger and better projects which I have the patterns already. Yes I admit it I have brought some patterns that I love, knowing I did not have the knowledge to make them yet. The plan was to buy the patterns and then learn the technique. A case of I have the patterns now I can learn it. Instead the patterns got put away with all the other patterns I have.
 This is the pattern we are having a go today.

I got my fabric cut for two placemats as there is only two of us.

Sewing was more challenging for some of us. We did get half of one placemat completed to this stage. I think the second half may go a little better now I have a better understanding of the technique.

As long as I don't leave it too long and forget what I learnt.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

My Project Uninterrupted 2017 List Update.

We have reached May and I am wondering if I have made any real progress on my list. After two months with limited sewing time I fear progress has been left behind.

1. My Dahlia quilt. This one I have started but there was no progress on it in 2016.
This project had only just started and I have decided to scrap it and let the fabric be reabsorbed into my stash. Cross this one off the list.
2. My latest Inklingo hand piecing octagon quilt. 12 blocks made.
This one has seen a little progress made. I need to cut some more pieces so I can continue.
3. My black and white hexagon quilt another Inklingo project. Halfway through.
No progress yet this year. It isn't a big project so I should move it along. All the pieces are cut ready for sewing.
4. Forget Me Not Sew Along EPP hexagon quilt. Up to Step #9 which is about 3/4 through the top.
A little progress here too but still working on the same step.

5. Allietare Mystery Quilt 2015. It is Bonnie Hunter's annual mystery quilt. 
No progress here.

6. Vacation Time 2015 Block of the Month. Halfway through the blocks.
No progress here. I am think the blocks will become a smaller quilt and the rest of the fabric will be returned to my stash.

7. Bitty Blocks from Quiltmaker blog. I'm just over halfway through the blocks. I am wondering if I can do something else with these blocks. 

No progress here.
8. Paper piecing Quilt Along. I started this one hoping to improve my paper piecing I made 1 block and cut lots in preparation but couldn't find time to work on it.
No progress here.

9. Craftsy 2015 Block of the Month I think I made 2 blocks. Kept meaning to cut the next blocks out but it never happened. This is block 1 no photo of block 2. Oh boy.

No progress here but it will be a smaller project as I had someone who needed one of the fabrics to finish a project so I gave her most of what I had of that fabric, so she could finish her project.

10. My Victorian Fling Quilt is halfway through quilting this one. I think this will be my first finish for 2017.

This one has been completed!!!!

11. My Sew It Together Lucky - Handmade Quilt. It is ready for quilting.

This one is completed!!!

12. My Pemberley Quilt This is a Block of the Month so we will see where we get with this one.

Some progress on this one but I am thinking I may leave a few elements off to try to finish it sooner than later.

13. The Shop Octagon quilt This one is a 12 month fabric club so we are still collecting the months papers and fabric. Still plenty more to come.

Nearly all the blocks are made and I will be ready to start joining it all together soon.

14. My Tea Party Quilt. The blocks are complete and the sashing strips are cut, so the top is ready to be sewn together.

No progress here. I have looked at it a couple of times and thought if I could just have a couple of me sewing days I could get these block to a completed top stage.

15. This year Bonnie Hunter's En Provence mystery quilt. All the Clues have been released so now we can start assembling our blocks. Mine will be smaller so once I make up  some of the hourglass blocks I will lay out what I have.

 Nearly all my blocks are completed but I still need a few more hourglass blocks.

16. My Reel it in quilt. I have only just started this one. 

A couple more blocks completed.

17. My Hourglass Quilt is ready for quilting.

This one is completed!!!

18. I have started Pat Sloan's Solstice Challenge which we have only started. I want to use up some on my batik stash/ scraps.

A couple more blocks have been made.

19. My Christmas Reproduction Sampler Quilt. All the blocks are completed.

No progress here.

20. My Scrap Dance Tango project.

No progress here but it is only a small project so I might have to pull it out and see if I can complete it 

21. My Star Wall hanging which is supposed to be a tutorial as everyone liked my original.

This one is completed!! It become a cushion.

This is not going in the right direction. Four projects completed and 1 scrapped. That still leave 16 projects on this list and I have 3 new projects started that if I am not careful will be added to this list. So I better hit the sewing room and do some work.
I do have a Facebook group where we work on our unfinished sewing projects trying to encourage and help each other to finish projects so we can start new ones. New members are welcome at Cynthia's Ark Project Uninterrupted

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

One Monthly Goal May's Goal

It is time to select May goal for Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal. What to select, there is a few possible choice to pick from.

There is these three blocks that are test blocks for a future program in the pipeline. A small project is the only way to go at the moment.

 I need to make some in reproduction fabrics as the program is featuring them, but it is good to see the blocks in brights.

So my goal for May is to turn these three blocks in to a table runner of some sort. I will be happy if I can get the top pieced together for this month. It will be a bonus if I get it complete.

I am linking this post up with Elm Street Quilts so pop over and have a look at what everyone is working on.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

350 Block Project - April's Report

We have reached April already. This month Total is 29 blocks.


Once again I'm off to a slow start, Mad March has continued into April. This what have I managed to sew this month.

1 Octagon block

1 block out of 3 for a shop sample that will be a table runner from Michelle Yeo's Victorian Lace pattern. I wish I had the time to make the whole quilt.

9 blocks from the Gypsy Wife.

6 flower blocks

2 spool blocks

I have to admit there has been other sewing but I don't think they count in this list, like hemming my husband work pants.

 So my total is 19 this month.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia