I've spent much of the past week stitching hexagons together, and have now finished the Grandmother's Flower Garden throw top.  I bought some wadding on Friday, but I want to make sure I know what I'm doing before I attempt to add a border and backing.

Maggie the Messmaker

Saturday 16 May 2009

Cody was sleeping on my cross stitch, and when he got up I took it, to put away, but instead I decided I'd stitch a little.

Spent most of the day stitching, but there's not much to show for it.  I then went to Ang's to watch the Eurovision, and when I came back a little while ago, I looked at it again and now I can see a difference.  I've now stitched most of the curtains, and finished the top Shaker box, plus some bits round the reels of cotton.  

Slowly but surely ... but very slowly, surely ... I will get it finished! 

Patched Yo-Yo Pincushion

Made this pincushion today. I enlarged the templates in the book ("Quilting in No Time" by Emma Hardy), as directed in the instructions, but when I tried to rotary cut the fabrics last night, my hand slipped and I over-cut! So I just re-copied the templates in the book, which were at 80%, and re-cut the same fabrics. Then I lost one of the wedges, and had to choose another fabric ...

It's a wonder I managed to finish this pincushion at all!

I've now attached the lining on the patchwork bag, and all that's left to do now is to sew the bag onto the handles.  See if I can get that done tomorrow.

Have now run out of hexagons!  

Been busy sewing on some more of the background hexagons today, but I'll soon run out of them.  Cody's stolen my leather thimble, and the needle kept digging into my finger - ouch!

Spent the whole day sewing hexagons ...

I've started piecing the flowers for my Grandmother's Flower Garden throw, but won't be able to make more than two and two third flowers ... until I receive the extra fabric.  I can then start joining some of the background green hexagons, so that when I make the rest of the flowers I'll have less to do.

I didn't order enough fabric for the Grandmother's Flower Garden throw!  I spent most of the day cutting out those fabrics I had, and covering the paper hexagons.  I have a pain in the neck and shoulders and a headache, but I've also got lots of fabric covered paper hexagons!

I want to start sewing the hexagons together tomorrow.  

Ooh, I've now got my order from Strawberry Fayre.  I ordered some fabrics to make a Grandmother's Flower Garden throw.  The flower fabric, which is for the petals is a substitute, but it's just as nice as the one I ordered.  Can't wait to get started, but I need to wash and iron the fabrics first.

Went on with patched doorstop today, but have I need to sew on a zip and will probably get the sewing machine out to do that, and that will have to wait until the weekend.  I sewed on some pink/white buttons to the patched front of the doorstop.  I made the handle in a different way than suggested on the pattern.  Instead of folding the two pieces and sewing them together on the sewing machine, I sewed the two pieces of fabric together and turned the tube inside out.  I need to iron it flat, but it seems OK.

Have started yet another project - a patchwork doorstop!  Because I tend to stitch everything  by hand it takes a long time.  When I have my craft room re-organised I hope to have the sewing machine permanently set up on its own table, so I can use it whenever I need.  Now, because I have to take the machine off the shelf in the wardrobe AND find a surface to use it on, I always chicken out and do it by hand instead.  Also if I'm going to take projects to do in my lunch hour at work, I need to stick to hand sewing.

This is the nine patch on the front of the doorstop.  The rest is made from a navy blue corduroy I've had for years.  I think the fabric is from a skirt I started and never finished!

So, another weekend where I had planned to do so many things ... and in the end did next to nothing! 

I got out an old cross stitch kit yesterday - Maggie the Messmaker.  I spent the whole day stitching, but didn't actually do a lot!  I wasn't in the mood to stitch today.  I will probably take it to work and do a little bit here and there, in my lunch hour, and it will get finished - eventually!