UFO done !

Here is my first UFO finished and quilted on my new machine.

Close-up

And backed with polar fleece.

After a lot of trial and error I have found 3 quilting threads that the machine likes. So I am now in the process of building up a collection of different colours. Once I've adjusted the tension on my sample piece and got the stitch to my liking the machine quilts FAST. I have to remember to stop and breathe I get that carried away - lol. So far all I've done is a meandering stitch but I hope to branch out and try something different. But I like the quilting to be quite open to retain the snuggly feel and a lot of machine quilting patterns seem to be too dense for my liking. More practise is called for. I have also quilted another UFO and am onto binding stage. This is also quilted the same way - perhaps that will go on my tombstone - She meandered her way through life - lol !!

Last week I heard a rumour that quilting fabrics are going to become rarer due to the high price of the cotton crops ( thats what I told DH anyway :-x ) so I had a little shop. Quite a lot here as some of those are 3 yard pieces. And so my fabric diet is well and truly over - didn't last long !!

And another birthday has come and gone. Thanks for the cake Jess !

One last thing - I have a busy day planned - there were 765 hexies in that pile. One from each fabric in my stash. The closest was Floss with 750. I will get busy with my SSCS gift and make something as well for Floss to be sent out the same time - about a month away. Best get cracking on those.....

Take care xxx

This week

I've been on a mission . . . . to prepare all my hexagons for my new quilt. It is a charm quilt with one hexagon from every fabric in my stash. I have been sorting and rootling about and think I have it all sorted now. I have been cutting papers and fabrics and basting all week and have just finished them all. Here they are in all their glory.

This will be a good record of my stash and depending how big it turns out I may hang it on the wall. I have no idea of the size this will be - may become clearer once I start sewing them altogether - lol !

Now these are done I will have to decide how they are all going together - I have a few ideas but that may change.

My next project is my SSCS organised again by the lovely Chookyblue. I know what I'm making and have chosen fabrics. The pattern for this was in a box on my shelf. I got the boxes containing my patterns out and within a minute look what happened.

He is so nosey - lol !!

Actually I have just had an idea. As I passed my 200th post a couple of posts back I think I will have a little competition. If you would like to guess how many hexagons I have in my pile ( I haven't counted yet ) I will also make a little present to be posted out the same time as my SSCS gift to the person who gets nearest. So if you fancy an extra Christmas present feel free to have a go. I will let you know who came closest on my next post - a week or so.

I have a couple of quilts I have been working on that are nearly ready to be quilted. I had this for my birthday almost a year ago and have hardly used it.

Maybe I will be brave and actually use it and you may even see a finished quilt very soon. The trouble ss it is very choosey about which thread it likes so I have had a lot of frustration with it. However after a lot of experimenting I think I have found a thread to use. In fact you can see a bit of my practise piece along with the hexagons. So wish me luck - I'm going in - lol xxx