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Photos added 1st July 2017 after I got home as the blogger mobile app was not co-operating with me at all as I tried to use it while away.
Friday 30 June 2017
June OMG achieved
I have cut it fine, but my June One Monthly Goal is done! All things being equal it would have been finished early this week, but a trip out of town to Texas put paid to that plan and I spent last weekend frantically quilting the last part of the border and getting the machine sewing of the binding completed. Then with a push and a shove I squeezed the quilt into my suitcase on top of my tools, toiletries and work boots. A few quiet evenings in my hotel saw most of the hand sewing done, but I still had about 18" left when I checked out this morning in Austin TX. A quick Google found the Honey Bee Quilt Store so I headed there and was able to sit at their project tables and put in my last few stitches.
Photos added 1st July 2017 after I got home as the blogger mobile app was not co-operating with me at all as I tried to use it while away.
Photos added 1st July 2017 after I got home as the blogger mobile app was not co-operating with me at all as I tried to use it while away.
Saturday 24 June 2017
Back on Etsy at last!
Over last weekend I spent some time getting various ducks in a row and I am now back on Etsy as AhasakiDesign. So far I have relisted some of my pre-existing items and will be adding new things over the next few weeks. This is our company logo - a raven, which has meaning to my husband and myself.
This week has seen my sunflowers fully appliqued onto the background, next steps are sandwiching and quilting.
Having been infected by the Dresden plate bug I decided to make some new summery cushion covers for some of my throw pillows so I can wash and store the Christmas ones that are still being used. The green plate will also have a yellow border and the centre circles and the backs will be yellow too. So I'm still using up scraps and left over binding strips in colours for three different months of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!
Today I am linking up with:
This week has seen my sunflowers fully appliqued onto the background, next steps are sandwiching and quilting.
Having been infected by the Dresden plate bug I decided to make some new summery cushion covers for some of my throw pillows so I can wash and store the Christmas ones that are still being used. The green plate will also have a yellow border and the centre circles and the backs will be yellow too. So I'm still using up scraps and left over binding strips in colours for three different months of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!
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Saturday 17 June 2017
Sunflowers!
On the wall over our dining table there is a space where I display a "seasonal" quilted wall hanging. So far I have one each for Christmas, Spring/Easter and Hallowe'en. Three of my scrappy yellow sunflower Dresdens from last week are now well on their way to becoming a Summer wall hanging.
The border fabrics feature bees and musical symbols as this is partially a tribute to Manchester, where I lived for twenty five years, and which was visited by such tragedy in May 2017.
Today I am linking up with:
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The border fabrics feature bees and musical symbols as this is partially a tribute to Manchester, where I lived for twenty five years, and which was visited by such tragedy in May 2017.
Today I am linking up with:
Friday 9 June 2017
Yellow is the colour.....
... for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge for June, and I have already been digging through my yellow scraps. So far I have made 3 Dresden plates to go with my other colours:
As I worked on those they made me think of sunflowers and I remembered that I wanted to make a summery sunflower wall hanging so I made three more in different sizes:
Now I need to find some suitable background fabrics and I'll be able to start putting it all together.
Of course after cutting all these petals/wedges I now have more yellow crumbs than before so a batch of crumb blocks will be forthcoming later in the month.
As I worked on those they made me think of sunflowers and I remembered that I wanted to make a summery sunflower wall hanging so I made three more in different sizes:
Now I need to find some suitable background fabrics and I'll be able to start putting it all together.
Of course after cutting all these petals/wedges I now have more yellow crumbs than before so a batch of crumb blocks will be forthcoming later in the month.
Wednesday 7 June 2017
Green for my rainbow
I skipped April in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, multicoloured fabric, not because I didn't have any, but because I wasn't sure how I would fit it in with my imaginary quilt. However, I have just caught up with my RSC creations for May and don't seem to have even made a dent in my green scraps, strings and crumbs despite making six Dresden plates and nine 4.5" square crumb blocks.
I have already started cutting into my yellows for June :)
I have already started cutting into my yellows for June :)
Catching up! Part Three - Travel
In May I travelled on business for the first time in nearly a year, an almost unheard of length of time for me to stay in once country! This trip had been in prospect for some time but but finally came to fruition last month. Firstly I visited Beirut in the Lebanon and found it to be a lively, vibrant and welcoming Mediterranean city. I did have a slight hiccup getting through customs/immigration, spending a worrying hour sat in a side office until my passport was stamped and I was finally waved through to baggage collection and meeting up with my contact from Dubai. The food was superb, the weather warm and sunny and the people friendly.
My second destination was Lyon in France, a city I had driven through and visited my client on the outskirts before, but this was my first opportunity to enjoy the looking around city itself. Here I visited the Roman amphitheatres and the basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere both a very hot steep walk up above the river Saone partially through the welcome shade of Le Jardin du Rosaire (Rosary Gardens). There were beautiful mosaic floors in the basilica that really appealed to my quilting side. I took the funicular railway back down to the city and then the metro and tram back to my hotel. The public transport was fast, clean and convenient.
In this city of silk and weaving I managed some textile related tourism too, a visit to a tiny silk shop where they sell only locally produced items and have silk looms and a gold braid making machine that you are invited to turn the handle of to make a few more inches of intricate beauty. I also spent a pleasant few hours at the The Musée des Tissus et des Arts décoratifs which had an excellent exhibition of silk weaving from Lyon for over 300 years as well as furniture and rooms covering a similar time period. Well worth the 8 euro entry, but closed on Sundays and Mondays and no photography allowed.
After this I returned to Beirut for a few more days to complete my work there before heading back home to the USA.
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My second destination was Lyon in France, a city I had driven through and visited my client on the outskirts before, but this was my first opportunity to enjoy the looking around city itself. Here I visited the Roman amphitheatres and the basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere both a very hot steep walk up above the river Saone partially through the welcome shade of Le Jardin du Rosaire (Rosary Gardens). There were beautiful mosaic floors in the basilica that really appealed to my quilting side. I took the funicular railway back down to the city and then the metro and tram back to my hotel. The public transport was fast, clean and convenient.
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In this city of silk and weaving I managed some textile related tourism too, a visit to a tiny silk shop where they sell only locally produced items and have silk looms and a gold braid making machine that you are invited to turn the handle of to make a few more inches of intricate beauty. I also spent a pleasant few hours at the The Musée des Tissus et des Arts décoratifs which had an excellent exhibition of silk weaving from Lyon for over 300 years as well as furniture and rooms covering a similar time period. Well worth the 8 euro entry, but closed on Sundays and Mondays and no photography allowed.
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After this I returned to Beirut for a few more days to complete my work there before heading back home to the USA.
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Catching up! Part Two - Knitting
When I travel I knit and I had two projects for my grandchildren that desperately needed finishing off. So while I was away for just over 2 weeks in May I finally faced the challenge of picking up and knitting the collar on my grandson's sweater and then the final assembly. I hope he hasn't grown out of it before he gets it.....
I thought I only had to do the neck and front bands on my granddaughter's cute little cardigan, but then discovered I had made the back a whole inch too short! My trip gave me enough time to knit a new back (after several false starts with the lace pattern) and to get this all done too.
So I now have another package heading across the Atlantic!
My socks have reached the almost finished stage, next I need to make them the same length and cast off. Warm woolly socks all ready for the summer!
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I thought I only had to do the neck and front bands on my granddaughter's cute little cardigan, but then discovered I had made the back a whole inch too short! My trip gave me enough time to knit a new back (after several false starts with the lace pattern) and to get this all done too.
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So I now have another package heading across the Atlantic!
My socks have reached the almost finished stage, next I need to make them the same length and cast off. Warm woolly socks all ready for the summer!
Catching up! Part One - Quilting
Looking back I suddenly realised that I have neglected my blog for two whole months. I have been productive during this time both in my garret (which is actually my basement) and out in the garden, though that does a lot of stuff on its own without my input.
I spent a lot of time working on a future gift quilt, which now needs just the borders to be quilted and then the binding attached before it goes away until 2018! It isn't often I have something made so far ahead of time, but I will be pleased to get this one of my UFO list. Finishing the quilting on this is my One Monthly Goal for June. Here is a little peek at it:
My En Provence quilt went off to Missouri Star Quilt Co in early April and made its way back to me last month while I was away on my travels. I am really pleased with the results and have completed the binding and the label and now need to package this beauty up for shipping to its new home in the UK
Also on the quilty front I started and finished a baby quilt for one of my husband's colleagues whose baby boy is due in mid June. I got the top made before my aforementioned travels and the quilting, binding & label this last week. Just in time!
Christa's Colors is layered up and pin basted ready for quilting. This is probably my next project after the "secret" one.
I also made a quick rail fence doll quilt to add to our guild donation to Toys for Tots. This used up some of my left over binding strips.
I spent a lot of time working on a future gift quilt, which now needs just the borders to be quilted and then the binding attached before it goes away until 2018! It isn't often I have something made so far ahead of time, but I will be pleased to get this one of my UFO list. Finishing the quilting on this is my One Monthly Goal for June. Here is a little peek at it:
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My En Provence quilt went off to Missouri Star Quilt Co in early April and made its way back to me last month while I was away on my travels. I am really pleased with the results and have completed the binding and the label and now need to package this beauty up for shipping to its new home in the UK
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Also on the quilty front I started and finished a baby quilt for one of my husband's colleagues whose baby boy is due in mid June. I got the top made before my aforementioned travels and the quilting, binding & label this last week. Just in time!
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Christa's Colors is layered up and pin basted ready for quilting. This is probably my next project after the "secret" one.
I also made a quick rail fence doll quilt to add to our guild donation to Toys for Tots. This used up some of my left over binding strips.
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