A Finish....For CQJP2015

Er...... I think this is number 4 in my blocks for CQJP2015. At this rate I should be done by 2018...LOL

Ah well:)


December and January just dragged this year. I don't know about you lot but I always feel more positive in February. Spring will be here soon. I wonder if that pesky groundhog saw his shadow? I must check.

I had a difficult time finding good light to take pictures today. It's raining here which is perfectly acceptable weather. Anything but snow. 

A Finish and a WIP......

For those of you who do not follow my doll making blog or my Facebook page I thought I'd show you my latest effort. This is the first doll I've made since last August 2014. When I looked back and saw that I was a bit shocked.

I made this doll for an online challenge with a Facebook doll club I belong to called Cloth Doll Artistry. The challenge was called "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend".

We were to make a cloth rabbit at least 20 inches tall and dressed for a charity event.

I used a pattern by Teresa Pietras called "Lilly: A Fantasy Rabbit". She turned out much better than I expected as I was a bit rusty in the doll making department.

A tiny bit of bling:)

I've also started another CQ block for CQJP2015. A tad behind schedule but I hope to get caught up and finish all 12 eventually.

This one is in shades of brown and peach/orange primarily.

Today I thought I'd participate in The Needle & Thread Network WIP Wednesday link up. I haven't done that in ages.

Come on over and visit.  Take care:)

Some More Crazy Stitching.....

This is my third block for CQJP2015. I'm a wee bit behind schedule.

I found the template for this block in Foolproof Crazy Quilting by Jennifer Clouston. She has a blog if you're interested......Sew So Crazy. 

Only four seams so not a lot of work and I left empty spaces.....eeeek!!! That was so hard for me because I always want to cover everything with stitching.

I covered some small plastic curtain rings with variegated thread in blue, purple and rust red. I don't know if you call it a cast on stitch, buttonhole stitch or blanket stitch...whatever...LOL It looked pretty so I added them to one of my seams and used purples and rust for the rest of my seams.

I used couching on two of my seams. I also used the detached button hole stitch to make the "flowers" on my vine.

Boy does my camera hate shades of red and orange. Then again it could be the user who has not as yet read the user guide...hee hee. 

Take care:)

Crazy Quilting Journal Project 2015 - January Block

I finally got it finished. It seemed like a never ending project. It's not what I expected to do at all. I was trying to work on the principal that less is best but I sort of forgot myself....LOL

It's a bit busy.

I like the hare and the tree but then it went downhill from there :)

I started to stress out that I wouldn't get it finished in time and of course as fate would have it.

I didn't. Ah well.

I have also learned a lesson too. The block I chose from Pintangle may not have been the best for a newbie like me.

Hello........

Hello everyone :)

I haven't been around for a bit as I've had influenza since the end of December. I still have a lingering cough but I'm finally on the mend.

I borrowed this video from another Blogger....Plays with Needles....as I thought it was lovely. All the amazing hand work. Sigh.

I have some deadlines I have to meet sewing wise for the end of January so I better get BUSY!!!!

One thing is the CQJP2015 challenge. Fortunately I took the time to put my 12 squares together before I got sick.

Thank heavens I did because I don't think I could face that at the moment. My enthusiasm and energy level is at a big zero :)

Looking at them now I must have been in a beige frame of mind. Never mind. I'll bling them up :)

I have a new little camera and we aren't friends yet. My old point and shoot died after I dropped it...twice :(  My new camera is not as intuitive as my old camera.

I'll just have to read the instructions I guess. What a concept.....read the instructions...har har. Oh I shouldn't laugh because my ribs hurt from coughing...ouch.

Ah well:)

Take care I'll be back soon to show you what I've been up to.

After all that......

Recently I've been reading the posts about the CQJP2015 project over at Block Talk With Gerry and she makes some very good points.

One thing she talks about is comfort zone as far as your pallette choice. While I'm crazy about colour and I did pull out a pile of  beautiful fabrics in the end I decided that my best choice would be neutrals.

I used to belong to the Monthly Far Quarter Club at Sew Sisters and every so often there would be a beige bit. I put them in one shoe box and there they have sat unloved.

See.....

I very rarely use beige in my sewing.

My rationale for my choice is that my aim in doing the CQJP project is to learn and become more proficient at seam treatments. That will be my ultimate focus and challenge.

So all my agonizng over palette choice is over and done with.....sigh of relief:)


Gerry said that she will talk about template selection in her next post....good.  I need all the help I can get.

I looked on Pintangle and there are 79 templates......79!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take care:) 

CQJP2015......

(go to the link on my left hand side bar for more info)

I'm having such an interesting time trying to decide what I will do for the Crazy Quilting Journal Project.

I have so many ideas that's it's very hard to just pick one:( 

Block shapes.....there are tons of possibilities......hexes, hearts, circles, diamonds, squares.

Do I want a theme to cover all 12 blocks or just do each one as a separate idea?

Should I use "silkies"? I spent all day yesterday looking at free images to print out.....arrggh...I just can't decide....LOL

Then there is the colour palette. Should I use pastels?....or my favourite forest colours?.... or should I go out of my comfort zone and pick colours I wouldn't normally use?

Decisions...decisions.....

I did remember one site that I found last year called Pallette Builder.  It's very cool. You can upload an image and it will give a palette of Hex values, Kona cottons or Aurifil threads.

Play Crafts: Palette Builder

Here is what I did with one free image I found.

You can choose to go up to 10 values (I only used 6 here). However when you go to save the pic it cuts off part of your list on the right side if you use the full 10....bummer. 

If your interested here is another site where you can build a palette as well......

Big Huge Labs: Color Palette Generator

....and, one of my favourite places to search for colour ideas.

Design Seeds

You can waste a lot of time there just enjoying the pictures never mind the colours.

Source

I love purples and blue greens.........this may be too dark for CQ though....but I love it:)

I better get my act together because I should at least be making block one very soon. January isn't all that far away.

Take care:)

Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2015 Challenge

The registration is now open for the Crazy Quilt Journal for 2015 Challenge.

 

Here is the link.......Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2015 Challenge


Take care:)