August - Susan Oh2Sew

This one is called Donna's Dreaming - designed by Donna Elkington who owned a patchwork shop in Brisbane.
I think I started it in 2003...finally got it quilted last month and binding on this month.
I do love the border on this one.

June Finish - Susan Oh2Sew

Back in 2011 I took a series of classes designed to make use of the decorative stitches on my sewing machine and to teach various applique methods.
I had a wonderful time playing with threads and fabrics.  I learnt Bobbin work, did some cording, used ric rac.  As is often the case I have changed the original design......

and here is the bobbin work.

Happy Sewing everyone...off to find a July project...which one . . .???

May Finish - Susan Oh 2 Sew

Just a small finish for me this this month..and not a long term UFO - but a finish is a finish!!

My bestie gifted me a fat quarter of beautiful gold fabric with houses last year - she knows I have a thing for houses...I started to put it together in February on retreat but didn't get very far....

It's not specifically Christmas but the gold means I will probably use it at Christmas time.

Happy sewing everyone - lets see some more finishes!!!   

April Finish - Susan Oh 2 Sew

I have finished my Quilty Fun Sew-a-Long Christmas Quilt.  This was a project from Lori Holt that she ran in 2014 on Instagram - some of the blocks were in her book "Quilty Fun" and some were only on IG.  I didn't do it at the time ...though I bought the book - so thought I'd better make the quilt at least.  I started it sometime in 2014...I think - I really am trying to be more diligent about recording that sort of thing.

Her pattern has a pieced border which I chose not to do and I used a strawberry block from her Farm Girl Vintage book instead of the log cabin block - more appropriate to an Australian Christmas I thought.

March Finish - Susan Oh 2 Sew

I made this quilt as part of the Stitch-A-Long blog - designed by Anni Downs. 

As I was at GDITC in Nundle recently with Anni teaching for the stitching day I had her sign the label.  It's a bit feint but I can read it.

One more off the list!!

My Oldest UFO

Back in 1988, I went to the first NSW Quilt Guild's Quilt Symposium held in Armidale NSW. It was the first of its kind and a group of us spent four days(??) doing various classes from a wide range of tutors.
One of the classes I did was machine quilting - using a walking foot - we had to pre-prepare a panel and in the class we quilted.  This was all before fabric markers that vanished, so it seems we marked in pencil.  I finished the panel at the time and it has been sitting / hiding ever since.(One interstate move and one house move)

In 2011 (I think) I joined up with Sew Its Finished and it was to be one of the projects that I completed that year.  When the time came I couldn't find that dratted piece anywhere...(must have had a "tidy up" binge!!)...So I found another project.

Finally, it's a cushion......Glad to have it off the list.

Thanks Wendy & Dawn

Thanks for re-generating this - hopefully it gives just a bit more push to get some things over the Finish Line.

I have both a long list of UFOs and NESPs (Not Even Started Projects!!!   found that one the other day and love it), and a short list which is what I am concentrating on for 2016.

It's on my blog - here - on the side bar but for the record - it's here - it may change of course...

In fact, there is a FaceBook group "The Spendid Sampler" where many designers will be creating 6" blocks during the year.  I have joined the group...not so sure I will be making all 100 blocks...depends on what other projects fall in front of me!

But I have already finished one project - I will blog about it soon...before the end of the month for sure.

Here's to a happy and productove 2016!

Susan (oh2Sew)

October Finish

Thanks to some inspiration from  (and subsequent email chatting with) Marilyn, I took a left over stitchery from my Journey of a Quilter and made a binder cover.

(This is not its final resting place but I didn't want to show all the plain boring folders!)

I have at least 15 folders in my Sewing Space - so you might see a few more odd blocks popping up here as folder covers.....

Thanks Marilyn.

September from Susan

I've finished my September project.

As usual I don't really remember when I started this though I am sure it was more than 7 years ago.  Its about 60" square, a nice size to have over you - if it cools down a bit (32 in Brisbane today).

August Finish from Susan

This is not a long standing UFO - for a change.

I had been wanting to do one of Leanne Beasley's quilt patterns for a while but I was able to get my hands on the pattern for this one - Journey of a Quilter.

In August 2011 I was able to do a big shop hop in Sydney when I went down for a visit and found a lovely collection of 30cm pieces of William Morris fabrics.  Then in another shop I saw some Threadworx threads in the perfect colours   and in yet another shop I picked up quite a few creams and beiges.

As soon as I got back I started tracing and stitching.

Now its done.  I had it quilted.  I love it. It will go on the only wall left in my Sewing room  (when I can get "someone" to put the necessary bits up on the wall).

 How true are these words??

July Finish

This was started in....before 2007.
The top was all done  - it was sitting in its little labelled box with the backing and binding already made.  

Its about 3 feet square so will make a nice little table topper.

June for Susan

A few years back - at one of my patchwork groups, we made and swapped Happy Blocks ( a 4" square with 2" borders [finished]).  I nominated a sea theme and collected these.  I had made the top quite a while ago and have now quilted and bound it.  

It's a cool wet dull day here so photo opportunities are limited.

(for the record keeper:  6th finish for the year - one a month is about all I can do!)

May Project

With a bit over 24 hours to spare - you can give me a tick for May.

I started this a while back - I am guessing at around 2008 - and I did the tracing and the vliesofixing.  Then I think I did the raw edge machine appliqueing at a retreat.  Then it sat...and got boxed up as a UFO.  Then it became a Project for 2013 - and then it got a turn this month.

The pattern is by McKenna Ryan from her In Full Bloom pattern.  I had thought I would do all the blocks - maybe I will - maybe one day...but I always intended to have the fuchsias as a wall hanging.

I decided to experiment with some machine embroidery for the quilting - the butterflies - and then decided to do a few lace butterflies as well.  And a few beads...

I used Susie's Magic Binding method for attaching the binding - its really very easy and I think it gives a nice finish.

I posted it on my blog too - if you want more photos and more about my adventure with FMQ...

An April Finish

I did these stitcheries in mid 2011 - not too long ago considering some of my UFOs,  I have spent a bit of the time since searching for a fabric to go with them.  I settled on the burgundy fabric from a Michelle Hill / William Morris collection.

This little runner will go on the hall stand in our entrance - and I am sure the cat will decide it's a lovely sleeping place - for a while at least.

March from Susan

March isn't quite finished yet - and Iucky I had the long weekend to give me enough time to finish this off.
The buttons took ages to sew on...I nearly glued them.  I have just about run out of daylight too, so the picture is a bit  dark - it is about to pour down here in Sunny Brisbane (well sometimes sunny).

February Finishes

I have two finishes for this month.

Firstly a quilt I started last year for my daughters best friend who was married last December - I was a bit late finishing it and have just handed it over - so at least it can be counted as a finish here.  I had made one very similar for my Daughter when she was married in 2011.

Secondly is this house quilt - a pattern by Marg Low called "Little Red House".  I started it last August when on retreat and ran into a problem.  So I packed it away again and got on with other stuff at the retreat.  I tried again a few months ago - still irking me - so away it went again.  This time - it had to be the February finish, so I persisted and now its all done.  ( I have to admit it nearly hit the bin at least twice - and yes it needed an iron.)

January 2013 Finish

Just scraping in to have a finish for January 2013.

I started this turtle quite a few months ago and finished him today.  He was fiddly to make... I think he will stay an only child . . .
Its a pattern from Anni Downs from her book "A Simple Life".

Susan (Oh2sew) 2013 List

Here is my 2013 list.
This is what I plan on trying to finish... but something might have to get changed somewhere along the line ...
McKenna Ryan Fuchsias - to be quilted & bound
Red Houses Wall Quilt - Marg Low pattern - 4 houses to be finished, put together, quilted, bound
Journey of a Quilter - 2 blocks to finish, put together, quilted, bound
Donna's Dreaming - to be quilted and bound
Flower Box Quilt -  to be quilted and bound
Homespun magazine - BOM project from 2010 - 2 blocks to be made, 4 blocks to be put together, quilted & bound
I Spy - Disappearing 9 patch - more blocks to be made, cut, re-assembled, quilted & bound
Hall Stand Runner - stitcheries done, to be put together
Sew Laugh Love - Leanne Beasley - finish stitchery, assemble
Happy Block Quilt - from many years ago - to be quilted and bound
Turtle - Anni Downs - assemble
Christmas Table Runner - pattern was a present from my husband in 2012, so has to be included so it's ready for Christmas 2013

Last 2012 Project

In my main patchwork group (LT for short) each year we either give some fabric or make a block for everyone's birthday.  In 2010 we each made "happy blocks" and I chose blue & silver Christmas themes.  I was able to make them into this:  (with a couple of additional blocks). 

At the same time I collected some extra strips and squares to make into coasters.  Finally, I have finished a set to match.

That's my last SIF project for 2012.

I have found it wonderfully encouraging that Dawn & Wendy give us a little "surprise" if we get a project done and I really hope they can continue on with a similar theme.  It really made me push myself to do one a month - though I have to admit that if I had somehow managed two in a month I would have kept one up my sleeve - in case.

So, a big thanks to Dawn & Wendy

and a Happy New Year to all SIF bloggers!
May it be happy & healthy and full of Finishes!!!

Susan

November Finish

I missed the deadline over at the SAL blog, but my "My Favourite Things" quilt from the book Some Kind of Wonderful by Anni Downs is finished - label and all.

The label is one of the block I made and then didn't include.  Along the way a lot of us changed blocks to suit ourselves.  This one should have been "Sunshine on my Face" - not really one of my favourite things so it became the label.

This project was not really ever at risk of becoming a UFO - we had deadlines to meet and a lot of encouragement from the SAL web master (or the Whip cracker as we called her) and all the other bloggers.

Now time to organise the December project  . . 

Come on everyone - we don't need many more to get to 500 for the year!!