Getting Cross

Black & White Circles: 2016    A Progress Report

Inspired to actually do some sewing, I hit the box of the Great Unfinished and dragged out my black and white circles.  Again.  It's always lacked a little something and nothing I do to improve it seems to fit.  My last effort was to sew some bright pink centres to give it a bit of a lift.  Then I decided that an applique of some large-ish pineapples would make a difference.  Nope!  That grand idea didn't even get past the pinning stage.

So I finally decided to hang it up and take a photo - a chance to get a bit further away from it and spend time in contemplation and study.  I've decided that there's just too much "white" space in that middle border between the circles and the outer wavy border. The thin yellow border is not enough - it only looks lost and lonely. 

You can understand my dilemma?

The outcome has been pinks removed, pineapples binned and the centre section of the quilt unpicked and in pieces again.   Just sometimes, don't you have to go backwards to go forwards?

Threadbare

The last time I looked, it happened to be 2019.  Somehow, 2018 slipped by with minimal progress on my quilting/textile front and NOW we're headlong into 2019.  Conscious of this time I’m never going to get back, I did, in January, cut out two new designs.  Simple shapes, fast on the machine, limited to stash fabrics only.  

These two piles of cut fabric bits, along with the regulars on my annual UFO list (I’m almost too embarrassed to say how many and for how many years they've been languishing), sit in quiet contemplation in my garden shed (a sewing room since 2007).  I can at least say that I managed to get Miss 4’s first quilt, made by Nanny, completed in time for her birthday in 2018.  

Of course, we've been babysitting too.  

From a non-textile perspective, we’ve not been idle.  Almost every appliance we own died between mid-2018 and now, the fridges, yes both, died last week.  I’ve also been concentrating on organising and storing my “mega gigs” of photos – no mean feat - and just because I've been bitten by the bug, leapt headlong into some family history research.  On the table now, to add to this mix, is planning for our “away from home” excursions.  I’ve decided to try to take some EPP (English Paper Piecing) away with me for any dull days, so I’m looking for patterns and templates.  It’s amazing how much time can slip by when researching quilting or textiles on the computer.  

Then caught up with the family in Queensland

Lately, I’ve been studying Missouri Star Quilt Company’s fab YouTube tutorials, spent time searching for Japanese bag patterns, and decided to seek some advice on how to pep up my rather staid quilt post photos.  Here are a few links to some great photography advice and resource material to help you pass that rainy day.  

She Can Quilt: 

We All Sew:

Holly Knot:

The Modern Quilt Guild:

 So tomorrow is earmarked for a day in my garden shed…whoo hooo!

Before finding time for stitching inspiration at the Art Gallery of  NSW, Sydney
Artwork by Judy Watson