What IS that noise???

Today, I need to do something distracting.

Correne has an appointment at the hospital tomorrow and I'm trying hard not to keep fretting about it! :( So, hand sewing isn't enough of a distraction and machine sewing is out cause I'm too tired. Instead I've decided on a bit of detection work. 

There's a strange noise in my sewing room.  I could hear it back in Thornbury but here in Derbyshire it's even louder! A kind of scratching, squeaking noise that I can't identify.  It reminds me of Oliver and Jade's gerbils, 'The Boys', a bit.  When they are all standing on each others heads and scrambling over each other to get, wherever they are trying to go, and squeaking at each other. You get the picture I hope? Oh actually, I just thought, you might be having palpitations. Don't worry it isn't mice after the fabric. Phew! 

Well, I narrowed it down to two possible places:

Nope, not in this one.

Oh yes!! Much louder now!!

Are you getting excited now? I do hope I'm not wasting my time with all this you know.

Aha! A broken box lid!

Damaged by the removals men in the move North. I'm not saying a word. Actually, I am! Damaged along with the leaded glass door on a cabinet we had only purchased a couple of weeks before, and a light fitting on the stairs, and a garage full of boxes that looked like they'd all slid off the back of a truck and no way to get past them. 

Ok, rant over. Where was I? Oh yes. So I'd found the culprit.  Broken box made the sound louder. Can you guess what was making all the noise?  Noise which had now diminished to a embarrassed mumble and shuffling of feet kind of noise. Have you guessed? 

I'll put you out of your misery.  It's my UFO/WIP box trying to attract my attention, of course.  You'd better be smiling, I tell you, even if it is only weakly! It took me ages to think this one up!!!

Here they all are trying to look like they haven't been making a fuss.

So, I thought you might like a little look at a few of them.  Well I'm going to show them, so if you don't want to see, you'll have to close your eyes or read a book or switch the telly on or something.  I promise I won't hold it against you, I told you I'm trying to distract myself.

First up is hand pieced.  Using Katy's fabulous Spring Carnival pattern and Chloe's Closet 30's Playtime fabrics for Moda.  I've no idea why I stopped doing this one as it's hand pieced so no sewing machine required!

Second is Camille's Swoon pattern in a variety of Sevenberry fabrics.  Hand pieced I might add. Well clearly, I only got as far as finishing the first block and cutting out the second.  As I recall, I had a nightmare getting more of the Lecien cream and pink spot so put it away so I didn't have to think about it!!

Now it's pretty obvious why I started this one.  It's a Sew Red for Women quilt along that was organised by Leah of Burgundy Buttons to raise awareness of heart disease in Women. Hehe, I wonder why I put a capital letter for Women there? Must have been a subconscious thought. Maybe?  Again, first block completed, second one cut out and that's that.  This one was on the machine so I'm not surprised it's not finished!

Are you as ashamed of me as I am?  Hey!!! Wake up!!! I said, oh never mind, just try and stay awake for the rest ok?

Ahh, I love these. :)  Aneela's first fabric line with Moda, the absolutely sweetest Sherbert Pips. Obviously, all the hexie flowers were done by hand but the embroidery was on my, then, brand new sewing machine.  Unfortunately, way too tiring for me so put to one side for later on!

Wow, how cool is that? Two photos right on top of each other!! No idea how I did that but I like it!!
I absolutely love these fabrics, Lecien's Petit Fleur by, I think, Atsuko Matsuyama.  I really like her designs.  I made it all by hand, it's padded and hand quilted and then I couldn't decide what to do with it.  So it sits in the box and occasionally, I take it out and think how pretty it is and still can't decide how to finish it and back in the box it goes. I don't know if you know but I'm hopeless at making decisions!

 

Hmmm, hand pieced Farmers Wife blocks. 

Now this one, Miladies, I'm going to argue the case that it's a long lasting WIP (work in progress) as opposed to a UFO (unfinished object) because when I put in in the box I intended to carry on with it........eventually. As opposed to putting it in the box because I couldn't face doing anymore just now or I don't know what to do with it at present so I'll hide it away.  You see?

Errm, a bit of a challenge this one.  I made two quilts for the daybed in the spare room and had so many crapps (snort, hehe - how childish am I? Pull yourself together woman. you are a grown up!!)  scraps left over that I challenged myself to make a Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt with them.  Well as you can see I did... well almost.  Top done, wadding bought, backing cut, binding cut........ Into the box it went because I couldn't face doing all the green hexies for the uneven edge! No excuses I'm afraid, believe me I tried very hard to think of one. :)

I'm almost done I promise.  If nothing else I hope it's making you feel much better about your own unfinished/in progress projects. :))

Last but one.  At least of the ones I'm going to admit to.  There might be a few tiny tiny little ones I've omitted. This was started over two years ago.  Following Aneela's Pickle Dish Quilt along.  Intended as Jade and Oliver's Wedding Quilt.  Hmm total failure!! Two years married and still only two blocks made.  Hey, I've just had a wicked idea.  How about a block a year? That way they can have it when they celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary.  You know 16 blocks, a year for the sandwiching and one for the quilting plus the two years for the two blocks already completed. Genius.  I feel better already.  I have a plan! How exciting!

Now this one.  In my defence, I believe, this should be in Correne's unfinished/wip box.  And the reason is.  She made the beautiful Daisy Chain Quilt - her very first quilt ever!!  She is such an over achiever isn't she? I have no idea where she gets it from. Certainly not me. Anyway, she gave me the lovely quilt as a swap and thought I might like the scraps to make a pillow with.  Now she was right I would and I will.... soon.....maybe. So, it's really Correne's unfinished scraps you see.  But as she's feeling pretty rough right now I'm going to add them to my unfinished pile because I'm a very good mother and I love love love her to bits.  Well the first bit of that sentence is stretching it a bit but the second bit is a very feeble way of saying what I really feel about Correne.   You're so soppy but I love you too! I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing her well for tomorrow.  Thank you :)

So that's it folks, I now know where the noise is coming from and can happily ignore it. I am totally ashamed of so many lovely ideas sitting in a plastic box just waiting for me to do something about them!! But then, I'm also actually very pleased that I had them because without them I would be sitting fretting instead of talking to you lovely lot.  EVEN if you have all fallen asleep, switched on the telly or left me talking to myself!!!

I'm off to stroke this bundle of scrumptiousness in the form of Liberty Rochelle (I think) Corduroy that is for the backing of a secret project I can't talk about until Correne tells me I can talk about it.  And to dream a little of making the above pattern into a quilt that will, hopefully, not end up residing in the UFO box!!

Thank you for dropping by and indulging me in my waffling.  Take good care of yourselves.
Happy Sewing. Yvonne. Xxx