2015 Finish Along - Q2

I realize that my blog has recently been more about "maybe" than about "a quilt", but hopefully this is going to change this quarter, as my plan is to work on:

1. sort-of-traditional - a quilt with two different kinds of simple blocks set on point:

The top is actually almost finished now, just top and bottom borders to add, but it still needs backing and then of course quilting.

2. it's mine - an orange peel quilt that will stay here with us and for which I'm using my most treasured fabrics:

The units are 3.5" to make the 4-unit blocks 6" (finished size), so I have lots and lots more to stitch, but they are fun to make.

3. 100years... cushion - I think by now we can safely say that I'm not patient enough to EPP a whole quilt, but I should be able to make a cushion cover:

That's more like it, don't you think?

lace knitting

Ever since I became aware of lace knitting I've wanted to try my hand at it.
Although I can stare for hours at triangular shawls like haruni, I thought it would be a bit more practical to make something that would still be lace but that could double as a more casual scarf, and the seascape stole pattern looked just the thing.

So here it is in its a bit wobbly lace glory:

But it can also be worn like this:

And yes, it also happens to be a finish from the list

skirts are probably not my thing

... or more precisely, sewing skirts is probably not my thing. Still, this one has been on my Finish Along list for quite a long time and it's a relief to be finally able to tick it off.

  It does look rather funny but it's comfortable, so not a total disaster.

the third one

... as in the third finished project this year, although it is actually made of a few firsts:
- my first serious needleturn appliqué
- my first hand quilted cushion
- the first project from the list

I used the appliqué method from Sarah Fielke's craftsy lessons and I enjoyed it very much.
I tend to avoid special products if I can get away with what I have on hand, but for a bigger project I'd probably cave in and buy a more appropriate kind of glue than my, lets face it, a bit old uhu stick, so that I could stitch on the train without worrying about loosing some of the pieces.
Sarah has a lovely pattern to go with the lesson, but I wanted to try something of my own. Sticking the petals in the right places was a bit tricky I must admit, so I ended up adding one more little petal to bring the poppy back to shape, but I think it's not too bad for the first try.

I'm also quite proud of this little circle stitched totally freehand.

I wanted something red for the back, but not solid red, and I remembered I still had quite a bit of this fabric:

Hope my aunt likes it.

raspberry honey

... probably doesn't exist apparently exists, but what I have in mind is the honey cowl in a colour I hope we can agree is somewhat like raspberries, although it's very difficult to show it in photos.

I thought I'd show it to you on a person (just me I'm afraid, not my sister-in-law who received it a few minutes later).

There is just one small thing not exactly right with this photo, but fortunately the wrong side of the cowl is quite presentable, too.

This is actually the second thing I managed to finish in January (and it's from the list too), but the first one is still waiting for a better photo. I might show you the third one in the meantime.

2015 Finish Along - Q1

Even if I'm not very good at finishing what I planned, I still think Finish Along is fun, so let me show you my list for this quarter. 

1. Poppy cushion: I promised my aunt a cushion and since she left the choice of fabric and style to me, I'm going for needleturn appliqué this time.

This is a bit of an experiment, as I ever only stitched rather wobbly circles onto one block a long time ago and I have no idea if the shapes I used for the poppies aren't too fiddly for this technique but I'm excited to try. I might add a leaf too, and I need to decide if I want to add something more to the background and of course after stitching it and quilting turn it into a cushion.

2. 100 years quilt: I started this more than a year ago, made three blocks with the centre half teal half pink and the "circle" half black half light, but it wasn't really working for me. So I pulled the half apart and I'm thinking about dividing the whole quilt into light with pink and grey and dark with blue and possibly yellow/green.

As the name of the quilt suggests, I won't probably finish it this quarter, but I'm keeping it here to remember to at least make some progress on it.

3. Seascape stole: Rolled over from the previous quarter, this is almost done, so hopefully I'll be showing it off quite soon.

4. Honey cowl for SIL: One more knitting project and I'd like to finish this before winter ends (although with +8C right now it's already too warm for it, but it might get colder in February again)

It's pretty hard to capture the colours, but I'm using two kinds of red in my favourite soft and squishy alpaca.

5. The denim skirt: I can't quite believe I haven't finished this one yet, but hopefully this time. 

So 5 projects it is, let's see how it goes. And now, before it's too late, I'd better link it to: