WIP Wednesday: the one with honey

Sorry for the radio silence last week. I was in Melbourne on a training course and didn't get around to making the WIP post, although I had quite a bit of stuff going.

So 10 days ago, the Sydney Modern Quilt Guild had their first sew-in at our LQS - Greta's Handicrafts in Lindfield. It was well-attended by lovely people and we had a fantastic four hours of sewing.

If you're in the Sydney area, interested in modern quilting, and would like to meet some awesome quilters, the next sew-in should be on the 16th February at Greta's again, but if you're further west there's another one on the 26th at Material Obsession in Balmain. You must RSVP since space is limited! (A full list of sew-in days in Sydney are here. Out-of-towners, if you happen to be visiting Sydney on any of those dates, we would love to meet you and host you!)

While at the guild meeting I started a new quilt. Queen size. No specific recipient in mind.

Two Layer Cakes And A Pizza Place

Currently it's called 'Honey, Honey' after the fabric - a layer cake of Kate Spain's pretty pastels. (I can't be the only person who starts singing ABBA when they hear that fabric line name. I can't...) Background is a layer cake of Bella Snow.

I had a design that I thought this would work with, pulled out the layer cakes and started cutting.

And, of course, the instant I got everything out, the kitteh jumped up and sat down on my work. No, I didn't cut the kitteh. She ended up on top of a box of fabric and did the roll-y thing that cats do to try to get you to pat them. "Aren't I cute? Look at how cute I am! Don't you just want to pet me?"

Sewing at the guilt meet. It was a really productive day.

PILES OF FABRIC.

Blocks done! Laying out! And...Smokey strikes again. Oy vey!

Fully laid out, sans kitteh.

...and now I have a dilemma.

I like the design. I think it would look amazing with another fabric collection I have and which I need to use up this year and for which I have a recipient.

But...I don't think it quite works with this fabric collection. Or maybe it does and I'm just not enough into pastels to appreciate it? It can be difficult for me to differentiate between my personal tastes and my sense of design.

Your thoughts? Opinions? Do you like it? Do you think it works?

Pinky suggested I switch the block layout around. Which I might - although I'm thinking I'd keep the diagonals and maybe turn it into concentric diamonds instead, perhaps with the blocks containing the 'darker' or 'standout' colours evenly spaced around the quilt so they don't throw the eye off so much?

Will have to see.

Either way, I think this is one that I'll be booking time on the LQS longarm for!

Sexy Hexies for the SydMQG group quilt

I've finished the green block, after sewing my way through the training course in Melbourne. I got some odd looks and a few questions, but it generally wasn't too bad.

The reds are mostly done after a small upset involving a laid-out block of hexies which Mal promptly rolled over, kicked, and pawed. And then posed as though to say "Don't you like my work?"

Oh, Mal!

And the oranges are in progress today. Public transport is a wonderful, wonderful thing for handsewing - at least it is in my part of Sydney. Get on the train, take a seat, pull out the handsewing. Sew two columns of hexies in twenty minutes, timing each seam by the distance between stations. Get out at destination, walk to work.

And then I laid them out on my desk as my computer booted up to see how they looked.

It's all good!

Vietnamese silk throw

The Vietnamese silk throw encountered a slight problem - too slippery to sew! I need to find a stiffener that won't damage the silk, and I'm not sure that my very generic, very rough and no-name-brand starch is suitable for this work.

Plus, there's the small issue of the kitteh fur.

Smokey really loves sitting down on my projects.

Oh, the hazards of adolescent kitteh (my sister sings 'Teenage Dirtbag' by Wheatus every time they act up) to sewing projects!

up next week

I want to have the Honey Honey quilt top done by the weekend for the Sydney Southern Cross Quilters meeting on Saturday. This will probably mean sewing like crazy on Thursday and Friday night.

I need to get the SydModQuiltGuild hexies completed and to Penny Poppleton - our fearless leader and group quilt co-ordinator.

I need to start a new quilt top. Maybe make a start on cutting up 'Kings And Honey' - Elizabeth Hartman's Honey pattern and in Robert Kaufman's Valley of the Kings fabric - a gift for a friend.

And I've just had an idea for the 100 squares of Kona solids that I got in the Pile O' Fabric I <3 Kona charm swap...

What are you working on? How is it going? Have you linked up to the Linky Party over at Freshly Pieced?