So all I can show you is a very small amount of progress on my Quartet BOM: I have managed to stitch two of the blocks together and press them - no mean feat as the seam allowances are many and fiddly. Remember the individual blocks measure only 2 3/8" unfinished - the big block made up of 49 tiny blocks is 13 1/2" square.
I pinwheeled my seam allowances on the hourglass blocks to help with the bulk of the seam allowances, especially in the centre of the block, and I pressed the long joining seams open.
I thought I was going to hate removing the foundation papers from the Square-in-Square blocks but in the end I became obsessed and couldn't stop!
Maria of Pinwheels kindly supplied tweezers with one of the monthly postings - I didn't use these to start with but soon found my fingertips getting sore: the tweezers were brilliant, I can definitely recommend them if you have papers to remove as they get a grip on even the tiniest torn pieces caught in the stitching.
I forgot to leave the papers in the blocks around the edge, to stabilise them till we get around to the sashing, but it can't be helped - I'll know for the next time. It's how we learn, isn't it; doing things wrong, not reading the instructions, etc etc.?
I have also managed a bit of hand stitching on my EPP lozenges and triangles. It probably doesn't look to you all that different from last time but I am getting there; most of the lozenges are stitched together now and I have even removed some of the papers. As the piece has become larger it is getting too stiff to work with comfortably..
I have just a few more whole and half lozenges to make to square off the bottom of the piece, so I have started thinking about borders and backing. In the spirit of the piece I want to use what I've got in the stash, so I am thinking of the brown for the backing and the blue/grey for a border. I only have a metre of the brown so the whole thing cannot not end up more than 40" square.
Final taupe treat - I cut out the fabric for these four bags well before Christmas and have done nothing to progress till this week. As usual with my procrastinated projects, I am always ashamed when I do pick them up again, just how quick and easy they are to finish off... Anyway, three are completed, the fourth needs a better grey/brown thread so I can hand stitch the zip invisibly.
I do love metal zips with the ball and chain ends, and I like this pattern (bought from Pinwheels at a show a few years ago), even if the zip does need to be handstitched in place last.
There are lots of great looking purses/pouches out there in blogland so I am hoping maybe to tackle some more small projects this year. They don't use up much fabric but they do get finished rather quicker, in theory at least...
It is a taupe time of year here in England: everything in the landscape is in shades of grey-brown, and sprinkled with snow earlier this week. Not much here in the south thankfully, as too much happening to want to have to cope with tricky travelling conditions. It is jolly cold though,I have just been outside to try and get photos without flash, and my hands are protesting.
Do you know the dictionary definition of taupe? It's a funny word and I've never thought to look it up until now: it means 'Grey colour with brownish or other tinge' (Concise OED) and comes from the French word for a mole (the mammal, not the skin blemish!) Makes perfect sense but I would never have guessed - would you?
Hope you are able to keep warm this week (unless you are in the southern hemisphere and would rather keep cool!) and that your WIP's progress to your satisfaction.
I am linking to Lee's WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.
Love the pin wheel back - mine never look like that. Will have to try tweezers next time too.
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