Le Jardin Block 6

I finally got Block 6 finished for Le Jardin. This block gave me fits. My machine kept skipping stitches and breaking the thread for the greys. I'm going to have to go back and re-do some of the applique because the stitches are so messy.
I also managed to be absolutely brilliant! I appliqued everything on to an upside down background!! I think it looks ok still though.

I'm glad I kept going and just changed things a bit. The embroidery took me a while but it's done.

Here are Blocks 5 and 6, which share the clothes line.

I also got the rest of my placemats finished.  I love these!

I got 5 out of the one charm pack and about a yard of fabric. This was one challenge I'm thrilled I tried.
LOL this was a Rouenneries weekend...and I still have Rural Jardin charm packs! muah haha....so much French General goodness.

A flimsy finish

I decided instead of starting a new project for this week's Cha Cha Challenge, which was home decor so I went with a wall hanging with a wreath on it, I'd finish one I'd started but not got very far so I finally finished Chateaux Duma, which is a pattern by Nancy at My Threads. Ok I only finished the top but it still counts because I ran out of thread!

You have to forgive the blue painters tape but because this only uses 1 charm pack the borders are stretched but I'm pretty sure I can quilt it down, which is what Nancy did and her's looks wonderful.

I again ran very close to running out of thread on this one.

I came this close again with the thread I was using to piece which means I really need to hit the store this weekend to get some thread.

Block 6 of Le Jardin arrived today, and so did my Schnibbles book! And it was only 10 days after shipping which lately is fantastic time.

Another Cha Cha Challenge was to make a quilt with charm squares, well that's easy lol since I've been doing Year of Schnibbles but I wanted to do something different because, well it's a challenge right? So I came up with a pattern and started making it but I've fallen behind so here's a peek of the pink and orange winged geese in my pinwheels.

What do you think? Eventually it will be 45x54 before borders in a 6x7 setting.

Le Jardin Block Two C'est fini!

 I finally got Block two all finished up. This one did not go together without a little bit of oops.

I accidentally cut through one of the flower fabrics when I was cutting out leaves. Luckily because this is from FQS there was lots of fabric so I still managed to cut out my two tulips from this.

Here's all the pieces waiting to be glue basted and then them just waiting to be placed and sewn down.

 

I ended up taking a picture after each group was sewn down. It looked cool flipping through it on the Windows Live Photo.

 

Looks pretty good doesn't it? It's about 1/8" too small on the one corner, which is fudgable. I know that's not a real word but today it is!

Oh, oh! Guess what I saw had arrived at FQS! Le Jardin, the fabric line! At least precuts...which seem to arrive a month or two before the yardage, and the due date. Which irritate me in some ways, especially with the Moda Sampler box. They claimed the lines wouldn't be out until Spring, as late as April, yet they are all now out, again at least the precuts, and many with yardage. I don't think I'll buy the box again. Not when if I wait a month or so I can get charm packs etc.'
So while I'm happy about getting my hands on Le Jardin earlier, hopefully, I don't like these false release dates, or they feel false to me anyways. And I love my Moda, I just dislike anything dishonest, or misleading, and that's what it feels like to me.

Anyhoo, I promise you won't have to see Rouenneries for a few weeks as other things must be worked on. Unless I get Duma worked on, but I doubt it.
 I need to baste, quilt and bind Tumbling Dino's, finish the Verna mini and get and start/finish February's Schnibble, Sunday Best. Which means I have to order it, and figure out what fabrics to use.

Productivity

 I can't believe it but I have posted every day for over a week! WOW. Considering I stopped for many, many months for no real reason this is very impressive.

I must have just gone through a dry spell. I feel like I have accomplished, and learned, more lately then I ever have previously. And this is in part due to a person who is no longer a friend. Crystal and I became best friends in a counseling class. We stayed good friends, the doing everything kind, for about a year. I taught her to quilt, which got me back quilting. Then she disappeared. The reappeared. Then disappeared. This both confused and hurt me. Until I started thinking about it and then it made perfect sense. Crystal had a very hard childhood. The write a book kinda bad. She has been on her own since she was 17 and has more or less flitted from one person to another, getting what she needs and then moving on. She doesn't do it consciously or intentionally but it is what happens, and she is too nice to end relationships so she just lets them lapse. Ok I can deal with this. It is her problem or whatever, not mine. But thing is she has a BUNCH of my quilting things, including a sewing machine, and my 6x24" Olfa ruler, travel cutting board/iron that was a present from DH. I am not happy about this. But she has moved, and I no longer has her cell number so there isn't much I can do about it.

  Something about me is I don't make friends easily. In fact I'm fairly bad at it. I have millions of acquaintances, people who you talk to wherever etc but outside their "area" I don't do well. I have so little self esteem sometimes that I can't shake the feeling that people are only being "nice" or polite and don't really want me around. This is a left over from childhood. I know this intellectually but can't shake the feeling. The whole episode with Crystal hasn't helped this obviously.  She abandoned me when things got bad health wise, and only showed up again when she needed something. And I really thought she was a forever kind of friend. Those kind you just click with instantly and seem to just get each other. I'd never really had that before so this was odd and great.
Anyway, I don't really know why I'm sharing that now. Maybe just knowing I owe my re-entry into the quilting world, and the blogosphere, to her strikes me as ironic. And the blogosphere is where I find more companionship then anywhere.
Which leads me to the generosity of bloggers. Nancy offered her gorgeous self-designed pattern "Chateau Duma" on her blog because we asked. Isn't that great? I couldn't wait to start and have already got to here. My base turned out 17" square, instead of 16 but it hasn't mattered so far.

I still have 10 or 11 leaves to finish prepping and all the berries/circles but I think it's looking good. I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to arrange all the leaves etc but pretty much I think I'm assured of a good result.

The fluer-de-lis, a traditional symbol of the French, and in Canada Quebec, got me thinking about how this line could be used to make an antique looking Canadian flag. Which would be historically inaccurate as the Canadian flag only became official in 1965, though the emblem has been used in various ways since the 1890s. Still I think it would look cool. I just don't know how I can justify more Rouenneries.

  

Especially since this came today.

Literally as I was finishing there was a knock on the door.  And the mail lady handed me my block one of the Le Jardin BOM from Fatquarter Shop! YAY!! You know I have to cut into this right away. Or at least read the instructions and pet the fabrics. I should put this away until I finish Duma, and perhaps if Madeline gets here too. But I doubt it will happen. ;)

More Pin Cushion

Go check out Quilt Hallow for a chance at winning a beautiful table topper/tree skirt.

The weather here is poohy today, actual hail between light showers and teasing glimpses of sun, so I've not felt like doing much at all, and I'm hurting more then the pain pills are helping so sleep is out of the question.

I decided to make another pin cushion since nothing else really called to me, and I honestly wouldn't trust myself with a rotary cutter right feeling this out of it. I stuffed about a cup of the crushed shells into this one so it is quite a bit firmer then the last one, which feels like a fuller bean bag.



I managed to get a better picture of my pins, with some detail showing up! No idea how it happened, when all the ones I tried never worked but I'll take it and play some more.


Sad news is I only have enough shells left for one more cushion. :(
Good news, I can get the stuff easy, close by, for cheap :)

Picture swiped from FQS
Anyone out there who has seen/has the Rouenneries faded red paisley, I need some help in matching/identifying the blue/grey/slate colour in the paisley, or the brown in the roche(dark grey) paisley. I think either one of those would really set off a quilt done in the line but I can't really see it/match it, and can't get out to the quilt shops for awhile, so was hoping to order some online, but I just can't match it well on the screen. I think it might suit Chocolate, Vienna Nights, or maybe Anticipation, all older lines(2005ish) from Moda. The picture makes it look like the roche but it isn't a match, I checked lol. The paisley is a really interesting print as it has an olive green in it too.

I, of course, am getting sleepy now that Little Bit will be home in 45 minutes so I'd better go make myself some stong tea.

Mail Delivery

So my package finally arrived from Craft Town. The one I ordered October 6th? For my October Schnibble? Yeah that one. To be fair they had called and said the Rouenneries yardage would be in "soon", like next week? oh yes. Ok, just ship it all when it's ready, but if it's late just send the rest and the yardage separately. The whole order was supposed to be put aside. Well it finally shipped last week, with yardage but without one of the charm packs, which apparently had sold out, AFTER it was supposed to have been put in my order and set aside. Hmmm...ok, at least it was refunded. Oh well. I'll just think before ordering next time anything that isn't in store right then. The price was good too, so no more complaining.
It's here now and that is all that matters. It's not like anything hinged on me having this fabric, I managed to figure out the Cindy Lou Who pattern without the pattern for the Schnibbles parade, and even if I hadn't it is not the end of the world. Life.


I can't wait to make the Tuffets, hopefully will get better pics of the pin toppers and maybe actually get everything set up nicely. DH made fun of me for buying my crushed walnut shells online instead of going to either the pet store or big box hardware store. Apparently you can get big bags of it cheap.
Who knew? Obviously not me lol.
Not that the shells cost much, 1.50 for a lbs. And in reading the pattern Carrie mentions you can get them cheap in a big bag at the pet store. Now I know.

I have no idea what to do with my Rouenneries charm packs now, and since I only got about 1/2 yard of the two fabrics, I don't know what I'll do with them. I saw a Cindy Lou Who in Rouenneries and didn't love it as much as I thought I would, it's lovely but not the wow I was thinking. So I think I'll put them away and maybe another of the Schnibbles patterns will fit.
Ok maybe not put away, you can't pet things when they're actually put away.
So FYI, there are 24 'darks' and 18 'lights' in one of the charm packs, counting the oyster as dark.

I ordered the fabrics and pattern for November's Schnibble, Picnic, from Quilt Taffy. I didn't get the kit because it was several dollars more then putting it together for myself, which irritates me but that is a different rant. I got a 60 pack of American Jane fabrics, not the Moda charm packs, so it won't be as scrappy but I think I'll like it better for this pattern. There are 4 of each of the prints. I also got some cream/white material for the background.


I don't know why, but I've been feeling inclined to try different online stores lately. No reason, just trying new things, looking for better prices, seeing if I can get things faster. Must be part of my general boredom lol. I can't wait to be able to go grocery shopping etc with out worrying about being able to get things up to the apartment. I've been feeling coped up, even though I go out with DH to all of Little Bit's things in the evenings.

Quick question to my crafty friends, anyone know how to transfer a pattern ontop a dish towel for stitching/embroidery? Transfer paper?