Wednesday 15 May 2013

works in progress

It’s nearly the middle of the month and I’m way behind with some of my projects but right on target with others.

No progress has been made in turning a flimsy into a finished quilt for Gift of Hope quilt #2 or in completing the flimsy of my Scrappy Log Cabin quilt.

There has also been no further progress on my Earth and Sky quilt – I plan to rectify that today! As my friend Debbie at Stitchin’ Therapy said in a recent post: “boredom leads to UFOs” and I am so over this project! (Some self discipline is what is needed here! Who me?)

I had some time over the weekend for some knitting and some further time yesterday afternoon so Emily’s Blanket is moving along – slower than I had hoped but still progressing. The colours in the photo below are not accurate but they’re the best I could do – the yellow is much more lemon and doesn’t look so obvious!
2013-05-15 Emily's blanket
Until Emily’s Blanket is finished, I can’t work on the sleeves for my Westall cardigan so it may be a travelling project (ten more sleeps until Airplane).
2013-05 westall cardigan body complete
My hexagon project bag is coming along well and, I hope, right on target. I finished the hand-piecing in class on Monday. I would have finished it over the weekend but I didn’t take the pattern away with me and I had six hexagons I didn’t know what to do with. Turns out they were surplus to need! Ah well, there’s always another project, right?

Anyway, here is the project as it was when I finished class on Monday after the piecing was completed and some of the papers removed. The other photo shows the fabric I have chosen for the lining; the lining has been cut and the two pieces (not shown here) are ready to be gathered and joined. The base of the bag has lots of green in it so the lining makes more sense if you could see it!
piecing finishedlining fabric
I hope to get it completed in class next week. I’d like it done before we go away on 24th May!

I do have plans for another hand-piecing project but that will be the subject of another post.

The biggest project of all, the renovation of DD’s former home, is almost complete. The painter is there but there are still a few odd jobs (mostly that WM had to attend to) to be completed before we call it done – such as ordering a skip (and filling it of course), painting the garage (I’d forgotten about that and have lost enthusiasm now – we decided not to pay the painter to do this “simple” task), washing of floors and hanging of curtains.

Here are some photos of some of the work that has been done:
stove areanew vent in dining roomlaundry tublaundry floorlaundry after shelf removalfamily room after cleaning
  1. A new stove top and oven were professionally installed. WM replaced the doors and handles on either side of the oven. I scrubbed the tiles at the back and cleaned the glass of the range hood. MIL washed the filters before I re-installed them.
  2. WM installed a new vent where there hade been a hole covered by a sheet of MDF held up with duct tape.
  3. When DD and SIL moved in, the laundry tub was covered in paint. It had always been their intention to buy a new tub but they never got around to it. MIL turned up one day and decided it could be cleaned – between her efforts and those of WM the tub looks pretty good!
  4. Some of the vinyl tiles on the laundry floor were damaged – WM lifted them and replaced them (hurrah for being able to match the tiles; thanks Bunnings! – a large hardware chain in Australia)
  5. There once were shelves and unused brackets on the laundry wall. All the shelves have been removed (for painting) and the holes filled and sanded. Not too much can be done here, the walls are made of a fibro that contains asbestos and would need professional removal.
  6. 79yo MIL washed all the windows and venetian blinds in the family room. This photo shows slightly more than half of them! WM has installed a new light fitting on that bare wire!
There will be more before and after photos in a later post!

Right now, I’m off to have lunch then trim my quilt sandwich, press fabric, cut and join binding strips, attach binding and stitch it down – it doesn't sound like much if I type really fast! Winking smile

10 comments:

  1. The blanket is growing very nicely and your project bag is cute, love the fabrics. I don't know if you do all your binding or the machine or if like me you hand stitch the back. I love this job as it is so relaxing - I just need a good film on TV.

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  2. You have been very busy! I love your cardigan pattern, that lacy stitch is so pretty.

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  3. You have been cranking along on several fronts! I like the hexagon bag! The renovation is going great-soon the well earned vacation will soothe away all the aches.

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  4. The bag is super cute. And all that knitting. Oh my! I knit but not very often. I should pull out some of my half finished projects though as they are easier to take along than hand sewing is.

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  5. Love the bag! You've been really busy!

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  6. You have SO going on -- you're right about discipline being key. I SO wanted to knit or piece today but made myself quilt. Got one quilted and another one started before sewing a few seams on the hourglasses and deciding I'd earned a couple hours of reading time!

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  7. Oops, that was supposed to be so much going on ...

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  8. Love the entrelac blanket and the lace cardigan (just looked at the pattern on Ravelry - wow!).

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