Time is Flying By.

I was cutting my fabric for my block of the month projects and thinking of 100 other things when I made a cutting mistake. Oops! At least it was the first cut and not a whole batch cut wrong. There seem to be a lot going on and I'm not getting anywhere fast. I can't believe there is only a week of October left. That means only 2 months left for this year and there is a ton of work still to be completed, mainly on my unfinished projects which I wanted to complete by the end of the year. I think some are going to end up on next year's list. Really does it matter? I have achieve some much this year compare to 2013 I should be happy, should I?
Time for a review to see where I am at to and see what I can still complete before the end of the year.
Here is my list.
1. My Pies & Tarts Quilt I am half way through hand quilting this one.
This one is already on next year list. I have only done a tiny bit on it.
2. My Batik Hexagon Quilt top ready for quilting and binding.
Completed
3. My Batik Log Cabin Quilt I am nearly finished the blocks (4 blocks to go)
Completed
4. My Farmers Wife Sampler quilt -only have 30 blocks to go then sashing and borders.
I won't get this one completed but there is only 6 rows to piece together and add on.
So I am aiming to get the quilt top completed.

5. Bonnie Hunters Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt the final layout was only released on 1st January 2014 I have 24 blocks completed.
Completed
6. My Double Wedding Ring quilt I started at the end of October at a workshop. 3 rings completed only.
This one may become a bed runner instead of a quilt. I'm going to do some work on it on Sunday. We will see what happens.

New things to tackle this year, there are plenty of new things I want to try but there is only 365 days to work with..
7. Building Blocks Quilt. 2014 Free Motion Quilt Along created by Leah Day. This one is going to allow me to tackle 2 things on my list, improve my free motion quilting and have a go at the Quilt as you go technique.
This one I have mixed feeling on this one, I have improved my FMQ skills with the blocks I have done but I have fallen way behind. Not sure what is going to happen with it. It may be a smaller quilt.
8.A new Cynthia's Ark design featuring our Mystery Batik Sampler Pack. All designed just have to sew, write the pattern and kit it.
Halfway through the blocks and pattern.
9.A new Cynthia's Ark design featuring hexagons using the Inklingo technique or EPP.
My Camellia Quilt is Completed
10.Quiltmaker magazine Black Tie Affair using Riley Blake Evening Blooms (in stock atwww.cynthiasark.com.au)
I haven't started this one.
10. Pat Sloan's Globtrotting  BOM for freequiltpatterns.info (One block a month)
Blocks are completed just have to piece the blocks together and add the borders for the top to be completed.
11. Fat Quarter Shop Wishes Quilt Along BOM (One block a month)
Up to Octobers block so should have the quilt top completed by the end of the year.
12. A Dahlia Quilt I have a pattern.
I have started this one but it will go on to next year's list as I am hand piecing it.

To view all the completed projects this year click on the tab at the top on my blog. There has been a number of extra projects completed on the way. 

Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt -FMQ Along #15

In our free motion quilting quilt along I am up to block 7, the disappearing nine patch block. Having made this block before it came together very well and it wasn't long before I was ready for quilting. There is 3 blocks to quilt and the first one was pretty straight forward to quilt. So it should by now, straight lines.

The second block was more challenging with the square spiral and the circles all the same size in rows. Well the neat rows of circles disappeared into pebbles and the last block aha moment on pebbles I want to do more so I did more.

The third block featured a spiral with some stippling. The spiral was interesting to stitch, a little wobbly in some spots but it turned out ok with the stippling. 

The next block is going to be a bit more challenging so we should have some fun piecing them.

Until next time

Keep stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt - FMQ Along #14

It has been a while since I have done a post on this project. Honestly I haven't been happy with my progress and the project has been sped up so I knew there was no way I could keep up. So it has been sitting there in it bag since the end of May I think. Over the last couple week I have been thinking about it I should at least keep going even if I can't keep up. I really want to improve my FMQ, so I pieced the next 2 blocks ready for quilting.

Finally I got to the 4 pinwheel blocks and after some warm up on my Celtic Solstice quilt doing the borders. I got them completed. So here they are.

My spirals are rubbish but I had a-ha moment with the pebbles I think I have them worked out but need to work on them in a larger size.

 This one is very interesting how it turned out.

 One of my favourites

My other favourite.

I am stilling having problems with some designs but there was a few designs I am now starting to enjoy like wiggly lines, zig zags and straight lines especially if I don't have to mark the blocks.  That is my major problem, marking the blocks I just can't see the marking clear enough to follow them and I think that is really putting me off. So these blocks I only marked the 8 inch square in the middle for guidance and went for it after watching Leah's And Josh's tutorials on each block.  I must admit there is improvement in my technique; thank goodness I was starting to think I wasn't going to get passed the basics. There is hope for all of us who think we are not good enough. 

Until next time

 Keep Free Motion Quilting 

We will get there in the end; it just may be the long way round.

Cynthia                      

Building Blocks Quilt - FMQ Along #13

I am still working on our Cheater Drunkard Paths blocks with 2 left. I got the second one done with a few wobbles here and there and that was mainly because I couldn't see where I was going, the lines were a little too light as I have misplaced my yellow marking pencil. I wonder if 1 of my cats has stolen it. I will have to look for it before doing the next block. The wiggly curves in the arches  are looking better at least.

Here is the link to see what others have been working on.
http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/fmq-project-link-up.html

Until next time 

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt - FMQ Along #12

Here we are in May already and time seems to be flying by so fast. In our Free Motion Quilt Along we have a new block to piece and quilt - the Cheaters Drunkards Path and we get to quilt the first one  with Lines and Grids. I haven't tried raw edge piecing before and after hearing mixed opinions on this topic I decided to just follow Leah's instructions and it worked out better than I thought it would. 

Now we are at the quilting part so I marked the block and watched the tutorial. I decided to try sewing the curves in one go instead of stopping and starting, so I don't get the pointy bits. I also decided not to turn the block around as much as I have been doing, as Leah suggested if you are working on a large quilt we will not be able to turn our quilts easily. There is some wobbles in the curves, travel stitching and in the triangle sections and I think I lost one of my triangle points in the small curved section but I did it with only a few pauses. It could have been a lot worse. At least you can see the design I was aiming for, I didn't break my thread and my stitches are looking a lot more even. I think I have found the sweet spot on the throttle. Not too fast or too slow.

Until next time

Keep Stitching 

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt - FMQ Along # 11

More gridlines in 4 different sizes. The Gridline blocks so far I have enjoyed. It has been 1 of the designs I have seen improvements and because of this I am enjoying doing these blocks. FMQ straight lines without the walking foot and just adjusting the stitch length to 0 is working for me. So here is my block done. My lines are a little wobbly. The smallest one was too small for my liking but I can see me doing an abstract version of them in a slightly larger size.

I have been wanting to do a larger project with my new FMQ skills as I know practise is the key so here is what I was quilting on Friday to practise my skills. A little wobbly in spots but I can see the improvement in doing a large project.

See what other quilters have been working on.

http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/fmq-project-link-up_25.html

Until next time 

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt- FMQ Along # 10

I have fallen behind in our Free Motion Quilt Along. I left it to last in my list of sew alongs to complete. I have been struggling with some of the quilting designs and not happy with some of the results. I know my problems were common problems and practise was required to overcome them but that wasn't making me feel any better. I think I have solved 1 problem, I finally found a marking pencil I can see on my fabric. It is a yellow quilting marking pencil. First the last block from March to complete. Again circles appear, luckily only 4 this time. My circles are still not true circles yet but I like the results from the lines. I did complete the block without breaking the thread and my stitches were more even.

Front of the block.

Back of the block.

Now for piecing April's block. Something easy to sew. All done.

Now to mark the stippling pattern, I only marked the 2 largest stippling patterns as Leah suggested. Stippling is something I have tried before. This was my only experience in free motion quilting before this quilt along. So I was fairly confident I could do this one.

Here it is. I stitched the 3 larger ones with no troubles I did have a little trouble with the smallest stippling I did snap my thread right at the end and was having trouble seeing where I was going. 

I don't think I would use the largest stipple design in a project but I found the second and third stipple sizes more suitable to use in future projects. 

Here is the link to see what other quilters are up to.

http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/fmq-project-link-up_18.html

Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt - FMQ Along # 9

This week block was cursive words. It was a disaster block for me. So I am not happy. The only thing that was ok was the first row of loops that I traced and followed. I was hopeless with the writing and it shows. I don't know if I will tackle words again too soon. I just couldn't see what I was doing to get it all lined up. LSH ( my long suffering husband) suggested an extra light to help with the shadows. It did help a bit so I will set it up on the next blocks too. I almost didn't do this post as I am a little embarrassed with the results. I think I am at the bottom of the class this week.

To see some better looking blocks follow this link.

http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/fmq-project-link-up_28.html

Until next time 

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt - FMQ Along # 8

This weeks quilting lesson was focused on wiggles and teeth. I manage to do this one early in the week rather than at the end of the week. After watching the tutorial I was a little worried when Leah suggested not to trace the second wiggly pattern and second teeth pattern. Just trace the beginning to get you going. Well I did what she said but in my head I was thinking I can always trace it if it was a disaster.  So imagine my surprise  when I was able to copy the line next to it free hand and had less trouble than following the traced lines. Not perfect but if I was doing more on a quilt border I think I would improve 10 fold. I may have to use these patterns in upcoming projects so I can practise. Again I snapped my thread a couple of times.

Follow this link to see what other quilters have achieved.

http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/fmq-project-link-up_21.html

Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

My Quilt Along Addiction

 When I saw the Layer Cake Sampler Quilt Along on the Material Girl Quilts blog, how could I resist. I may have a problem.  I may have become addicted to these Quilt Alongs this year. Last year  I participated in my first Quilt Along which was  the Inklingo The Case of the Secret Garden quilt, which I hand pieced. I enjoyed it and I have finished my quilt. One of only a handful of projects finished last year. It was a lean year sewing wise.

 So late last year when I came across Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt I jumped in using the Inklingo method. I am still working on it. I learnt a lot with Celtic Solstice including posting progress pictures online and adding links back to my blog. It has started me on a big adventure I discovered and I am really enjoying it.  One of the best things is sharing my progress on the quilt alongs with others doing the same project and see what others are doing and where they are up to.

A little sneak peak at what my Celtic Solstice quilt layed out.

So as we entered 2014 I was on the look out for new Quilt Alongs I could join and I may have gone overboard but I how could I resist these beautiful quilts and I was looking to improve my skills. So here are the Quilt Alongs I am  currently involved in.
1. Globetrotting  1 block a month with Pat Sloan.and freequiltpatterns.com
2. Building Blocks Quilt- Free Motion Quilt Along- This one has weekly lessons with Leah Day teaching the piecing and the free motion quilting.  The pattern is available at www.leahday.com  to purchase. This one is to improve my free motion quilting.
3. Aurifil Block of the Month- 1 block a month from different designers with an interview with the designer for added interest.
4. Wishes Quilt Along- 1 block a month  with the Fat Quarter Shop 
5.Layer Cake Sampler Quilt Along- 2 blocks a week with Amanda from the Material Girl Quilts.blog. This one uses layer cakes in its construction for something different.
6. This one is the newest on my list Triangle Quilt Along from Paula at The Sassy Quilter blog. This is a short 5 week Quilt Along and should be fun. I alway wanted to make a triangle quilt. It starts on the 21st March. So this one is about to start.

Have you joined any Quilt Alongs? I would love to hear what ones are being done out there. Or is it just me with this addiction. I am posting my progress on my blog on all the ones I am doing.
                                                          Until next time
                                                          Keep stitching
                                                               Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt- FMQ Along #7

This month block is rail fence blocks. A nice easy block to piece. With that done it is time for the marking and quilting of this month's first block Lines.

 I'm still having trouble with marking my blocks and seeing the lines to follow. So I have traced over my pattern for this block with a black Sharpie marker to make them stand out more. It was an improvement, I could now see the lines to trace them. Now I was ready to quilt, next time I should check my bobbin as I ran out part way through my block, another end to sew in.  At least my hands and machine seem to be working together better as I had no broken threads this time. My  lines got a little wobbly at stages but I enjoy the zig zag sections. My travel stitching is still a bit off, I need to practise that a bit more trying to stick to the previous line. After I finished the quilting and looked at the back I noticed I missed 1 stitch in the ditch line. I was going to leave it as I had travelled stitched through it but it had gaps. So I just went back to the machine and stitched it. Just need to sew in my threads. Here is my block.

 I will ask the question To stitch or not to stitch  the ditch line? Does it matter or not?  To me when I looked at the back it look uncompleted as I had stitched in the other ditch lines but there is plenty of quilting on this block so if I was using a busier background fabric it won't stand out as much so it might be ok to leave it. Share your thoughts with me in the comments section. I would love to know what others think  for future reference.

To see what other quilters have achieved follow this link. 

http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/fmq-project-link-up_14.html

Until next time

Keep stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt- 2014 Quilt Along #6

This week I decide to catch up on the last 2 quilting blocks- Circles and Wiggly Pasta. I shall start with the Circles. Guess what I don't like them! I can't believe the trouble I was having. More practise will be needed to master them. I just couldn't find the flow point so I was stopping and starting all the time creating some rough edges. On the upside I have learnt my machine doesn't like going backward and I still need to get my hands to move a little faster in time with the machine. Don't look too close I may redo this block at a later stage if I can't live with it.

Now for Wiggly Pasta, I found this an easier block to quilt and by the time I finished the wiggly pasta lines in the blocks, I could see myself using this design in future quilting. The border quilting was a little rougher I'm afraid. I got a little carried away and a little wayward but there was improvement as I went. My main trouble was not seeing my tracing clear enough to follow and my hands moving too slow so my stitches were really small and I snapped my thread a couple of times because of it. At least I know what I am doing wrong so I can work on it. Right.

Keep practising is the key I think. We can only get better, not worse I hope.

To see what others are up to go to

 http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/fmq-project-link-up_28.html

Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt- 2014 Quilt Along #5

Some how I am a week behind. Never mind, no point stressing over, is there. I got my nine patch blocks made and I am ready to trace the design on. I still haven't found a suitable marker and I am still having trouble seeing the design through the fabric. In the end I copied the design instead of tracing it with the lightbox and I used a different marker(a frixon pen) I only have a blue one so it was a little hard to see but at least the lines stayed on. I might try a different colour for the next block.

One of the first things I have learnt through this Quilt along is I do like to FMQ straight lines and this block went a bit better than Gridlines block did. I'm so happy to see there is more improvement. Just had a little drifting in my straight lines and  a few on my travel lines were a little wobbly.

Now I need to get my act together and trace the next block and jump in to the next one Not sure about all the circles in the next one.

See what other have been working on this week at  http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/fmq-project-link-up_21.html 

Until next time

Keep stitching Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt - 2014 Free Motion Quilt Along #4

This weeks quilting lesson was spirals. They gave me some problems I just couldn't find a happy medium. I was going too fast or too slow, my hands weren't working with the sewing machine. Maybe I should of stopped more often but when I did I ended up with little pointy bits. This was the hardest one so far. 

                                    This weeks block all done, with all my problems. More practise time please.

Out of the 3 blocks we have completed I was most happy with the second one (gridlines) It was so cool stitching the lines free motion rather than using walking foot.

I look forward to next week lesson when we piece the next 3 blocks.

 

You can see how other quilters are going via this link. http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/fmq-project-link-up_31.html

  

Until next time keep stitching

Cynthia

 

 

Building Blocks Quilt- 2014 Free Motion Quilt Along #3

This weeks free motion quilting lesson was on gridlines. I like the idea of sewing straight lines after the curves of last week. I must say I enjoyed this challenge. I have to do something about my free motion quilting foot on my machine. It isn't an open toed one so I was having trouble seeing where to stop and turn. Good news I rang my favourite sewing centre and they tell me there is an open toed foot to fit my machine, so before next weeks lesson I will go and buy one.
 From the front I am happy with my attempt. My travel stitching needs more work but my lines are reasonably straight. When you look at the back you can see the trouble I was having with my travel stitching,  not being quite on top of each other enough. More practise is on the cards I think.

The back has a couple of threads that need to be sewn in.

 

The front doesn't look too bad. Well not as bad as the back.

 

You can see how other quilters are going via this link. http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/fmq-project-link-up_24.html

  

Until next time keep stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt- 2014 Free Motion Quilt Along #2

This week we had our first free motion lesson with Leah Day. The challenge was to quilt Wiggly U shapes on our first four patch block. With plenty of tips off I went. As the pictures below shows I had some problems. Firstly I was having trouble seeing where I was quilting and secondly getting started once I stopped, when I got going it went a little bit smoother and stitches were more even.  You can't see the quilting very well on the front but on the back you can plainly see my troubles. At least by the time I got to the last quarter I can see some improvement and the free motion stitching in the ditch was much easier than I thought it was going to be. This is the first block so I can only hope to improve as we make our way through the lessons.

The block before quilting.

 

The back of my first block.

                                                        The front of my first block.

You can see how other quilters are going via this link. http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/fmq-project-link-up_17.html

  

Until next time keep stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt- 2014 Free Motion Quilt Along #1

One of the projects on my 2014 list is the Building Blocks Quilt- Free Motion Quilt Along. This project is has a double tick by it. It has 2 techniques I wanted to have a go at. First I want to improve my free motion quilting skills and second I have been wanting to have a go at a Quilt as you go project. Leah Day (www.FreeMotionProject.com )has cover the 2 in this project. I look forward to get stuck into this Quilt Along.

This is my first block made and you can see I have gone with blue and grey fabrics for the blocks and  a navy blue solid will be the backing.

 I am using Aurifil 50 wt  #2630 Dark grey for piecing my blocks.

 

The first 3 blocks ready for the quilting. I just have to trace the patterns onto them and pair them with batting and backing. Then I will be ready for Monday quilting lesson.

This is going to be the thread I use for quilting Aurifil  50 wt  2620 Light Grey.

 

You can see what other quilters are up to via this link. http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/fmq-friday-link-up.html

 

 

Keep stitching

Cynthia