72 nine inch blocks completed! I got a notification from my photo app that i started printing the shapes on fabric FOUR YEARS AGO. It’s fine. We’re here now and I’ve already begun sewing the first row together.
Storm at Sea milestone
Tag: handmade
Storm at Sea progress
I’ve stalled a bit on this quilt, so decided I needed to see what the final top would look like. I laid out most of the completed blocks on the spare bed to get an idea.
Laying it out helped a lot. I like the way it’s looking. For a while there, I wasn’t sure it would look sharp, that the fabrics would just mush together, but I think it sparkles!
I have about twenty more blocks to go and then I lay it out fully to ensure not too many fabrics are next to themselves. Then it’s sewing into rows and the rows into a top!
I just remembered that I think I planned to add a border as well… it might have to be pieced. I don’t think there is enough fabric left.
Camera strap cover
I covered my camera strap years ago and being the kind of thing that you don’t normally wash, it has gotten really, really manky. To the point where hubby refused to put it around his neck when I needed him to hold it for me. He was right, it was disgusting.
I found some really lovely indigo fabric at a fabric market in Taipei and bought more than enough to cover my strap and maybe make a tote.
I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out!
Clamshell quilt
I’m planning two quilts for my boy. A clamshell and a compass star quilt. I’ve made a start on the clamshell because it will be a smaller “baby” quilt even though he is more kid than toddler these days.
I started off with this print that I bought last year and added some homespun colours.
Then, with his obvious attraction to Spider-man, I added a couple of those fabrics plus a red to unify the look. I didn’t take a photo of the fabric choices, but I did take one of my final layout after printing and cutting out all the shapes.
Time in a bottle
How is it already October?! My last update was quite a while ago. I need to figure out how to post automatically from Instagram so that it doesn’t happen again!
I’m working on several different projects, but here’s an update on the Advent Calendar. I have 16 ornaments decorated with sequins and beads. Eight to go and the only thing left to do will be to sew on magnets to the ornaments and jump rings to the tree.
I ended up buying an assorted colours bag of 4mm sequins and sorted out about a third into their colours. It was really cheap this way, but labor-intensive.
The pattern suggests pins to attach the ornaments, but I like the idea of magnets. I bought some tiny neodymium magnets earlier this year to make magnets out of buttons that my kid liked.
More updates to come soon!
Advent Calendar progress
I decided to order some 4mm flat sequins, so when they finally arrive from China (hopefully within a month), I’ll start embellishing!
Crochet again!
As I sit here on the train, I realised it has really been a long time since my last post. So I thought I would a least post a couple of my recent finishes.
Some time after the first season of Outlander aired and the internet was abuzz over the show, Lion Brand released some patterns inspired by the costumes. I bought two and then forgot about them until LB decided to update their website. The change meant that purchases would be lost, so they forwarded the patterns to my email. I’m procrastinating starting the next quilt, so it was a great opportunity to make something for myself, haha.
The first one I made was this cowl/infinity scarf. Ah, I see they’re calling it an infinity cowl. It was a lot of fun working with a chunky yarn!
The second pattern was for wristlets. I put in a space for my thumb but I’m considering sewing it up as it just makes my thumbs feel extra cold. 
They’re a little scrunched up in my photo, but they really do look like the pattern photo, I swear!
Indigo Star Variations
Yeah. Because it’s not enough to make the blanket according to the original instructions. And actually, because I opted to use Inklingo to create the shapes, it’s already different and adding a few more of my own choices make the blanket truly my own. Right? Right!So I recreated the original pattern in EQ7 so I could try a few tweaks. This uses the 6″ Le Moyne star collection and measures out to 62″ x 80″.
Ideas I had in mind included a medallion, like the carpenters Star, Waltzing Matilda star, or the Inklingo star. But the medallion looked too small at 12″, So I tried a 12″ block in each corner in addition to one in the center. 
Then it occurred to me to try reversing the colours so that the blocks were more obvious.
I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do!
Alabama Chanin Swing Skirt
So last year, there was a sale on some DIY kits at Alabama Chanin and I just couldn’t resist ordering the swing skirt. I chose peacock fabric and slate thread. I’ve sewn the first panel (out of four), and have just started to cut out the centers. Three more to go and a mystery quilt on top of that!!
I really need more hours in the day for all my projects!