Friday Night Sew In

Last night I joined in on FNSI and added a few more stars to my collection.

Not sure about the one on the right. I am realising that not all of my stars will make the final cut. I have made over 20 stars now and probably should start thinking about putting a few together. Can't decide whether to use random placement...

Or rows of colour...

Or rows of colour on the diagonal...

Or am I just making it WAY too hard?

What do you think?

Friday Night With Friends

Last night was Friday Night With Friends and I decided to work on turning some stitcheries I completed about three or four years ago into the little wall hangings they were meant to eventually become.

I had stitched four of these, they were supposed to be gifts for work colleagues. 

But you know how it goes in the lead up to Christmas. I just got too busy, bought gifts and stowed the embroideries away to be completed another day. Well that day arrived yesterday, they are almost compete, just quilting a little row of stitches to hold the layers together. Will be finished tonight.

I can also reveal some of my secret sewing. I finished this table runner for my friend Caron's birthday.

She loves French General fabric.

So my OPAM tally for October is at a very healthy five finishes. A record for me for 2014. 

Enjoy what is left of the long weekend.

One more OPAM finish for September

Some years ago I made a quilt that comprised of eight pointed stars. Before cutting the excess fabric from the corners, I stitched an extra seam a half inch from the original and this produced about 130 HST. 

Why? Well I just really liked the fabric and couldn't beer to waste it. The little blocks measured about 2 inches square.

Then they lived in a little snap lock bag for years with other left over fabric until this week when I decided to finish off a few half started UFO's that have been stowed in the bottom of a basket. Now it looks like this. I have just managed one more finish for OPAM for September. Total for September....4!

Now I have a small Christmassy table runner. One thing I learnt from this project and my Toes in The Sand quilt is that pressing seams open when sewing triangles really helps matching points. I have always pressed seams to the side, but now I'm definitely a seams open quilter when the pattern contains these tricky points.

So now the basket has one less UFO and I see there are a few stitcheries. That's right, a few years ago they were going to be gifts until I got far too busy leading up to Christmas to complete them and then bought something from a shop instead....two completed cross stitches that need to be turned into something, a wall hanging perhaps? Another cross stitch not complete..... an old Girls Day In The Country needle turn appliqué project! How long ago did I start that one? Delving further I see a few more half started or not even started kits.

How many do you have?