Tiny Nine Patch Challenge

I started this project earlier this year after seeing it on Instagram. It is being run by Reproquiltlover and the idea is that by making 10 blocks each week, you will have enough to reproduce an antique quilt from Reproquiltlover’s collection by the end of the year.

Photo from https://reproquiltlover.com/tiny-nine-patch-quilt-blocks/

The main part of the original quilt has 480 1½″ nine patch quilt blocks set on point and I have decided to keep to the original block size but with a limited colour palette of dark reds and browns (mainly to use up some of these fabrics from my stash).

 

It took me a while to work out a system for making these blocks and at first I was just using up scraps, but when I started to need to cut from stash, I became more methodical. Initially, I’m making 5 blocks of each light/dark combination but I’ve not yet worked out if this will give me enough blocks.

I tend not to make the blocks each week but have a catching up session once a month or so and have had to expand my storage option from a biscuit tin to a box file.

I’m making steady progress but might wait a little longer before counting how many blocks I’ve made and, more importantly, how many are still needed.

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Lots of sewing news in the shortest month

Unlike some previous months when I have had hardly any sewing news to share, this month I’ve plenty of sewing news to share.

First up are two FPP mini quilts I made to decorate a friend’s sewing area. They have just got a new Bernina machine to go with their Singer treadle and so I decided to make modern and vintage machines in FPP.

Next, I repurposed a full size iron cover which I received in a swap at Fat Quarterly retreat in 2013. This has been unused for a while as I no longer take a full size iron to sewing days.

I was very pleased to be able to resize this to fit my travel iron and have enough off cuts to make a cover for my craft iron too.

The last of my news is that I had a sewing-related day out to Southport. The main purpose was to hunt for some brown fabrics for a tiny nine patch project I’ve started (more on that next month) and I didn’t come away empty handed after visits to Crafts and Quilts and Sewcrafty.

I was also just in time to see the Quilt | Grid | Pattern exhibition at The Atkinson. This included some very old quilts from the Gawthorpe Hall Quilt Collection and some modern reinterpretations of historic quilt making. I particularly liked the mixed media displays of painted canvas pieces that had been stitched together to look like quilts.

After a packed February, I wonder what March will bring.

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Airspace quilt

My first post of 2024 is to share my last project of 2023 – a quilt for a friend whose baby was due in January 2024. The pattern is the Airspace quilt from Cowden Quilt School and I made the baby size, but added a border so that the triangles appeared to float more.

The background was quilted using a free motion “angular meander” and the triangles were quilted with a cross hatch using the walking foot.

The baby arrived two weeks ago and the quilt is now on its way to them.

 

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2023 Sewing Summary

I knew I had not done much sewing this year, but I didn’t realise just how little I have to show – three quilts, a 10” block with lots of tiny sewing and an sewing repair kit for the office.

 On a more positive note, there has been some progress on the Liberty Hexie quilt.

2023

2022

A new year resolution must be to do more sewing in 2024.

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Shopping my stash

I was hoping not to buy backing fabric for the latest quilt I am making and had a piece of fabric in mind that would be suitable. However, when I was looking for it, I found something even better -the grey and orange triangles are ideal for this quilt.

Unfortunately, I was not as lucky when it came to threads for quilting and have had to order some for the green triangles.

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Revealing the tiny sewing

Finally, I can reveal the tiny secret sewing I was doing in the summer. It was a 10” block for a 60th birthday banner. My contribution was made using foundation paper pieced blocks and by happy coincidence there were 60 blocks around the centre embroidered square.

Several of us from an online sewing community contributed blocks which when stitched together made a banner approximately 5m long. The recipient is a keen quilter and various patchwork, embroidery and applique techniques were used in the blocks.

The banner was designed so parts of it could be displayed as scroll, rather than the full banner being on display.

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In preparation for sewing

The only sewing this month has been shortening a pair of mens trousers, which although it involved an overlocker, a sewing machine and hand sewing is not very interesting to photograph.

Instead here’s a photo of ~2 kg of quilting cottons from Abakhan which were added to my stash for less than £5 per metre.

I’ve a specific plan for most of these and so hopefully there will some sewing to report next month.

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