Inklingo- No go (for now)

Last night I was sitting up reading about Inklingo. I had downloaded the free shapes ready to prepare for piecing Carolina Lily blocks as part of Project Quilting's second challenge for the year. Then I saw that one block finished at 3.18 inches.

To make a quilt big enough to make into a Christmas Tree skirt I need it to be about 20 inches square. I would need to make 64 pieced blocks at that size, and still calculate the sashings and borders (how do you cut something that size with a regular ruler?) because the Inklingo pack for the next borders and sashing would be US$50. Er... no, I am not prepared to pay that just for this challenge.

So I went to bed last night, thinking of other things I could do, rather than hand or machine sewimg 64 Y seams.

I am pretty good at applique. I was thinking I could do some of that rather quickly (but it's only now at 10.16pm that I realise I could have machine appliqued the pieces I did today. ARGH!)

I found this pattern in my stash under the bed.

It's a Lori Smith pattern. This block is about 6.5 inches unfinished. Great. I have a plan.

I can make four of these applique blocks, and make some log cabin blocks to make a little quilt about 24 inches square before cutting it up to turn it into a Christmas tree skirt.

The day started in a wonderful way, with my Sweet Man taking the children out to town for an hour or so (I started to prepare the applique blocks, and sat down in the air con in a blissful state watching some old TV show called "Bones". Ah. Bliss for a Mother. Child free sewing time. Ahhhh. Can you feel it? *spoiled*

Then I realised I had run out of the applique bias adhesive. Dang it! I think the quilt shops are still closed! I phoned a shop on the way to town, and it was open! And Olive Branch Quilts had a few rolls in stock.

almost 2 blocks appliqued, and there is a hole in my finger!

After lunch we were all driving in to the museum. The children were all asleep in the car (woohoo!), so my sweetheart stopped off at the quilt shop for me to pick up the tape on the way while he stayed with them in the air conditioned car. Oh! Mummy time again! *spoiled*

Check this out. The old packet I had says $17.10 . The new packet I bought today says $6!! It only has half the tape in it, but it's still much cheaper than it used to be. It seems to have come down in price.  That kind of thing doesn't happen very often.

While I was in the shop I bought the fabric I need to finish the 12 Days of Christmas birds wallhanging. I had the feeling this was going to be the right shop for buying these fabric colours and brought the quilt top with me.

(I just LOVE that every quilt shop has its own feel, and you know that one will have brights, another will have Christmas, and another will have moda's French General. hee hee).

I found the perfect pear print for the binding - it's an Anni Downs print.





















And a coral and an olive green for borders between the stitchery birds and the holly berries border.




These fabrics will be put away under the bed until  this busy challenge week is finished.

Such a blessed afternoon followed with a fantastic special dinosaur exhibit. It's on for another 6 months, and we realised we could book the birthday parties for our eldest two there this year. Woohoo! Sounds fantastic! Just turn up and everything is done!

It's my birthday month, and I am celebrating every day. You may have noticed there has been a lot of fabric shopping. That's enough shopping for now. The next thing I would like is lots and lots of Tula Pink fabrics. *happy drool* Maybe if I am very good this year, Santa??

The next challenge will be to make something using only stuff I already have. I think I am fully stocked.

In the 12 Days before Christmas sales I ordered some sale fabrics online with a view to using them for a quilt for my bed.



They have arrived, and they are more yellow than I first thought. I am visualising a French Braid with overlaying appliques in some beachy style for 15yo Harlee. Thoughts come while I applique for the challenge.

Tomorrow I am planning to draw up the log cabin parts for the Carolina Lily challenge, and hopefully stitch some together. In the evening work on one more applique block.

Then by the end of the next day (Thursday) I am hoping all blocks will be finished, giving me one day to sandwich and quilt it, and another day to cut it up and add binding, in time to post it online Sunday. Phew! Tight timeline.

Hope to see you round.