Monday, Monday, Happy Days...

Edit note: I have linked this post in the Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday's again. There is a linky button on my sidebar now.

Happy days indeed. I am having a great day here in my solitude. I have three - count them - three finishes and one find. It amazes me that some people don't like to be by themselves. I love it, and some of the conversations are very interesting!!

I am sure you know what the first finish will be. Yup, my cushion, which I adore and am so very pleased with, and it makes my horrid sofa look so much nicer. Must make more - eventually you wouldn't see any of the horrid and only the homemade. Lovely thought.


Front



Back

I shall fore go the ugly sofa photo. I am sure even the little bit you can see is enough to get the idea. We have an ugly sofa because when we came to the UK after Helen was born we didn't bring any of our Canadian furniture. So when we moved into a house we needed furniture immediately - if not sooner. We got it by walking into large furniture stores and asking them what things we could have delivered the next day. This sofa was one of those items. Though I have little love for it, I have to say it blew the vivid purple leather and large floral suites out the water. It was the least of three evils.

So I have finished a cushion. And I liked making it. Think I shall have to add make more cushions to my list of things to do.

Next today came the making of a quilt. A special quilt. I cut, pieced, basted and quilted it all this morning. What do you think? It measures all of 5" square.

And another photo because Baby Bunny is so cute -

Moving swiftly along, I did my bee blocks for Miss June - Fiona. I can't show them to you yet because Fiona has to give the word when she has received everyone's before we can blog photos. I still have to do the signature block as well. Here is a sneaky peak at a tiny corner of one of the blocks -

While I was rummaging about my boxes - I can't remember what for - I came across this little find -

These HSTs are the off cuts from the quilt I am making for Helen and have been lingering at the bottom of a box for a very long time. Maybe I secretly knew that one day I would find a liking for HSTs and think of a use for them. There are 116 of these babies. I had a little play with a possible layout (though I would mix up the colours more and not use all the pink the way I did here). All I would have to do is add some white squares in those blank spaces -

Theses squares will all need trimming to 2 1/4" - won't that be fun?! But I have learned that squaring off your HSTs to perfection is the key to getting things right so sometimes I have to bite the bullet and just do things the 'proper' way.

Here is a little look at the quilt I started for Helen and which I now widely ignore due to the onerous task of hand quilting that I took on. I posted pictures of this quilt when I first started blogging and some day I hope to post photos of it completed. It is my take on the Hugs and Kisses blocks - though some people in the UK call them naughts and crosses. It really is a lovely quilt - or will be when I get it done.



Now you know why I wish I knew about perle cotton thread when I started quilting this. Wouldn't it have had more impact, and been quicker to do? Live and learn. That may end up  my motto as much as 'life is good'.

In the midst of writing today's post I had to go up to the school to get my girlies. I came home with none. I did get to bring home their lunch bags, and their book bags, and their lovely, chlorine scented swimming things - but no girls. Apparently they are staying to make props for the end of year school play - Cleopatra. Apparently it is okay for me to come home and put the smelly swim things in the wash, cook dinner, get Helen's tap dance shoes and clothes and return for them at 5pm. Apparently they are happy to eat at 7pm as long as I bring them a snack when I return. Apparently this is the plan.

Well, their wish is my command after all. (Good, thing you can't see me rolling my eyes!)

Susan

Double Fat Jack Gets Fatter

It has been a productive day here in my little household. Not only do I have a relatively clean house (for me), but I have been cutting and marking, pinning and sewing, more cutting, ironing, and then endless trimming. But I do have something to show for all that work.

First I took my Double Fat Jack and turned him into a Double Fatter Jack. He is now big and he is rounded.

I used one of yesterday's purchases to create an envelope back and turned Fat Jack into Fatter Jack the Pillow -

In actual fact, Jack is such a greedy pillow that he is stuffed with not one but two bed pillows. I think I will either have to go out and buy the biggest, fattest pillow I can find or else make one. I am tending to prefer the first option. If they make oversize pillows for the bedroom. Otherwise I am going to have to make one because this is one big pillow cover! It needs a big pillow inside, or two. Bigger than we currently own.

Once the Fatter Jack task was accomplished I really got into the cutting, and sewing and trimming lark. I was on a HST (half square triangles) marathon. But I did it. I produced with barely a procrastinated moment. Which is remarkably good for me!

Fifty of them, made with another of yesterday's purchases - those green fat quarters. I am even more in love with these fabrics than I was in the shop. I set out with a pattern in mind. I wanted to go for the extremely simple design of this -

I always liked the way the triangles looked once quilted.

But then they were lying there on the table and I started playing. Needless to say the possibilities are endless. I could sew this pattern -

I prefer this to...

... this one as I like the green square in the middle rather than the white.

Not really sure about this one.

Too boring!

Nope, not this one either.

Maybe?

This one appeals because - well because it does.

Umm... hmmm... I don't think this is the one for me. But it could be.

I do kind of like this one too.

Now I am totally confused and know the longer I sit there and play with the various combinations the more muddled my brain will get. Should I go for the original idea of just the small triangles lined up in rows, or one of the other ones? What do you think?

Susan