1st SAL.....Peg, Dale and I committed to stitching Anni Downs - A Gardener's Journal in March. I blogged about this on my blog thinking maybe one or 2 others may join us and lots of girls indicated an interest so I decided to start this blog where we can all encourage each other to meet the goals set along the way....March 2010 -March 2011...........
2nd SAL ......well so many of the girls wanted to continue on with another project and some new girls joined us and now approx 91 girls are stitching Natalie Bird's Tis the Season. March to Sept 2011...............
3rd SAL....many girls want to stick with the SAL so now we have moved onto Anni Downs Some Kind of Wonderful - My Favourite Things Quilt.......Oct 2011-Oct 2012.........
Where are we now.....
4th SAL 2013...is numerous smaller projects from the previous 2 books Tis the Season and Some Kind of Wonderful plus some projects from Red Home by Natalie Bird approx 60 ladies stitching together.........
2014 we had the year off..............
5th SAL 2015..........inspired to continue we are doing another quilt project.....Anni Downs newest quilt Natures Journey.....
6th SAL 2017.............A Holly Cottage Christmas by Michelle Ridgway.......once again the pattern is in an affordable book so it is easy for everyone to join in...........and you can raid your stash for the fabrics........or lash out and buy a the whole lot........this SAL will be run by Fiona aka Bubz Rugz and Raewyn........
Chookyblue........

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Hip, hip, hip….

My top has come back from the quilter !
I've basted it… so…
It's finished !!


Some details of the quilting...


I like how it looks like...


I'm so happy to have done all this journey with all of you !
Thank you so much Chooky and Susan to have been such kind guardians of our needle work, even if sometimes  you have to use a whip ;) !
and thank you to all the members of the SAL to have been so inspiring !
Maybe we will meet on another project one day ...

Thursday, February 18, 2016

My top is off to be basted.

So after deciding on that extra border making it a queen-sized quilt, I realised that basting is the only thing I really hate about quilting.... I just detest it, and such a large quilt was so daunting.

After seeing a machine basted Lucy Boston at my sewing group last week... I didn't even know this was a thing. I've just dropped my baby off at the quilters.....to be basted.

So I am another step closer....

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Almost there...still!


To be quite honest, I've been "almost there" for a few months now.....ooops! 

I've pondered and pondered over how I was going to quilt this top, but finally decided to just go with the flow, and let it happen. I've pinned it (with a little bit of help from my puppies) and quilt a little each afternoon after work.


So far it's going quite well, and I hope to be binding by the weekend.

Congratulations to all of you who have beautiful quilts to show...even though I don't comment much, I love looking at all your gorgeous work.

TTFN
Susan (aka suzitee)

Monday, February 15, 2016

Nearly There!

Just a quick update... my quilt is now back from the quilters..... (sorry about the sun in the top corner)......
A couple of close ups of the quilting.... done by a lady called Jenny in our embroidery group......


And... after a trip to my local patchwork shop some binding was purchased.... I would have gone for a brown of some kind if it wasn't for the helpful assistant who suggested we look around for some other options.... love the one she came up with (an Anni Downs fabric - from her "Under the Mistletoe" range) ..... 
seen here along the bottom of the photo. 

So.... just have to cut up the binding, sew it on and do my label!....I'm getting there not long to go now!

Happy Stitching
Asta

Sunday, February 14, 2016

April?

Early or way late??????
better go with way late but I can give myself another letter............woohoo.......
Anyone else working on the SAL at the moment...........
great to see some more tops and quilts recently..............
Chookyblue

Saturday, February 13, 2016

HeLp........

The deadline is Girls Day in the County 19th March....
helppppppppppppppppppppp
An insane Chookyblue......

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Top returned home :)

I’d finished the top some months ago but I hadn’t known what to do with it. I had not wanted to ruin the top with my dilettantish (I didn’t know this word exists in English! That’s pretty cool.) free motion quilting. When I went to the „Patchworktage“ fair in Dinkelsbühl, Germany last year (that's the annual(?) meeting of the German patchwork guild), I visited Nana’s stand. I was very impressed by her skills and sent her my top. Look what she did with it! Isn’t it gorgeous? I really love it. All I have to do is to tie off the yarn and do the binding.







Monday, February 1, 2016

And I have a top

So happy I've had a few issues, with Somw squares less meaning. 1/4 inch peeper being added, then the next squares I had frustration and cut one in half - but what surprised me is the brick border fitted perfect.

 After laying it stop my bed I decided I needed a bit of overhang and added another border of my grey spot. So guess tomorrow means shopping for backing fabric
And the quilting can begin.

But I've been happily distracted lots by Lucy thanks to Chooky