Hexagons and Wonky Log Cabins

I was looking through my Craftsy BOM block photos last night and realised that I hadn't taken any photos of my completed April & May blocks! (Or my June blocks, but I haven't even started those yet!)

So without further ado, may I present:

April Block #1 - Hexy Stripe

I very much enjoyed the Hexy Stripe block - I wish I'd thought to do what Phillipa did with hers and place the hexies on the diagonal so that I didn't have to cut any up! Infact, I enjoyed it so much that it served as inspiration for my QCA Handmade Swap project that I have under way at the moment.. more details about that another time, though (it's a secret!)

April Block #2 - Sunny with a Chance of Hex

This block was *so* easy.. I can't imagine anyone being intimidated by hexagons after trying this block.. hardly any whipstitching, and if you're as lazy as I am you will have used your sewing machine to applique them onto the background! Perfect for a beginner.. really! If you've never tried hexies, don't be afraid!

May Block #1 - Framed Wonky Log Cabin

I *really* love how this block turned out! I confess to having fussy cut the centre squares for both of the May blocks, and I'm so glad I did. This is one of my favourite blocks so far, and I'd certainly use it again on another quilt. (This rather surprised me as I'm not really a super modern kind of girl.. or am I?) 

May Block #2 - 5 Sided Wonky Log Cabin

I really hated constructing this block.. the whole time I was bitching to Phillipa about how it looked crap and I didn't think it was going to turn out AT ALL. Clearly I was wrong, because now that it's finished I think it looks kind of awesome. I made the conscious decision halfway through to put the centre block en pointe and I think that made all the difference. If I ever made this block again though, I would start with a 5 sided centre block instead of a square.

I'm so happy with my fabric choice too - Delighted (by The Quilted Fish for Riley Blake) has such a great range in the colour palette which has given me so much flexibility in my blocks. I think my favourites are definitely the pinks, blues and greens... but the reds and yellows are striking too.

And now to do those June blocks...

2012 Quilty To do List..

Blossom starts Kindergarten this year (3 weeks to go!) so I'll have 2 days/week ALL TO MYSELF! For the first time in nearly 6 years I'll have 2 full school days to do whatever I want without someone whinging, needing to be fed/changed/entertained etc. So of course I'd mentally pencilled in a whole lot of craft time! And if I'm going to be crafty, perhaps some structure would be nice?

So in honour of my new found freedom, I appear to have signed myself up to a million and one projects (ok, more like half a dozen!), including:

1. Finish Bean's Harry Potter Quilt - Needs to be completed by May 1.

2. Make baby quilt for my sister-in-law - Needs to be completed by the beginning of April.

3. Learn how to FMQ - I took the pledge to join SewCalGal's 2012 FMQ Challenge

http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/p/free-motion-quilt-challenge.html

4. Joining MALT Designs' Disappearing 9 Patch Swap - The theme is "Spring Floral" and each participant makes 18x 9-patch blocks to make a total of 72 smaller blocks, keeping 8 and sending the remaining 64 to Michele @ MALT Designs. I finished all my 9 patches today, and then sliced and diced them and now all I need to do is post them! Goodness that was quick and easy!

5. Participate in the Valentine's Day Accuquilt Blog Hop - more about this soon ;) I have all my fabrics picked out, I just need to get Flo the GO! cranking..

6. Joined the Craftsy BOM - 12 months of quilty goodness led by Amy from Stitchery Dickory Dock. Here are my 2 January Blocks (I'm using "Delighted" by The Quilted Fish for Riley Blake)

Wonky Pound Block

Asterisk Block

7. And tonight I've managed to also sign myself up to participate in I'm a Ginger Monkey's "Swoon-along" where we all make Swoon blocks from Camille Roskelley's Thimble Blossoms pattern. I plan to use my "Tulips in Bloom" fabric that I purchased to make a quilt for myself and my husband - what better to snuggle under than something swoony?

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1904864@N22/

8. Make "Good Fortune" (Kate Spain for Moda fabrics) mug rugs for my girlfriends.. I make some D9P blocks out of my GF charm pack today..

Not to mention the other things that are floating much further down my "To Do" list!

It certainly looks like it will be a quilty year..

Catching up..

Goodness me! I've just realised that it's been a month since I last posted about something crafty on here! It's not for lack of crafting, let me tell you! Infact, it's probably exactly why I haven't managed to post.. aside from the fact that it's "that time of year" and things have been super busy with end of year concerts and parties as well as half a dozen birthdays, I've been spending quite a bit of time focussing on the actual crafting which has left significantly less time for the blogging. I've been lagging behind badly on my blog reading, too - falling asleep on the sofa has become my new normal.

So here's some of the stuff that I've been doing this last month...

Crochet "wine glass cover" #3 - about 3 rows to go.

My first completed "Split Drunkard's Path Star" (will blog tutorial)

2 stars plus the tumbler medallion.. Harry Potter Quilt still in progress

Quilt for Blossom's Kindy teacher, who is retiring.
Each child in the class decorated a square, and I put it all together.

Back of the teacher quilt.

Christmas table runner, complete!

I just love the backing fabric.. might even pretend it's reversible ;)

I also broke my fabric ban.. it all started so innocently.. with a voucher for $40 off at Spotlight when you spent $100... and I needed more fabric/batting for the quilt for Blossom's teacher, so it totally didn't count towards the fabric ban.. and my husband decided that I should make some "Minecraft Creepers" for Bean & Blossom (like these) so I had to buy fabric for those (because I seriously need ANOTHER project that has to be finished in time for Christmas!) and my SIL decided that she wanted a jungle themed quilt for her nursery instead of Peter Rabbit, and I found a gorgeously perfect panel..

And most people would leave it there. But not me... once the flood gates were open, it was on. It didn't help that there were a whole pile of Black Friday sales being tweeted left, right and centre... The first thing I indulged in was a 21 FQ set of Riley Blake's Delighted from The Intrepid Thread, which reminded me how much I love fabric designed by The Quilted Fish so I went hunting for some more Sweet Divinity to go with the fabric that I bought a couple of months ago (which will be turned into a quilt and accessories for Blossom's new room when we finally move)... and I found what I was looking for at two separate etsy stores.. A total of 10 yards, made up of 10x Sweet Divinity fabrics, 9x Sugar & Spice fabrics and the "Quite Contrary" Green Stripe by My Mind's Eye. Yes, way more fabric than I will need to make Blossom a quilt, given that I already have 5 yards of Sweet Divinity (5x fabrics).

My Christmas present to myself

And then I went back to Spotlight and bought myself a walking foot, some coordinating fabric for my SIL's baby quilt, some more fabric for the teacher quilt (because my backing fabric was an inch short and I decided just to buy another piece than mess around) and then decided that I was all binged out.