Wednesday 2 January 2013

Out with the old in with the new!

Happy New Year to one and all, I hope you have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013.

New Year is so important to we Scots that we have an extra day's Bank Holiday to enjoy (or recover from!) the festivities. So, although I don't live in Scotland (yet, I am ever hopeful!) I am maintaining the tradition and having a day off from the clearing-up involved with having all of the family home for the holidays.

Fortunately I wasn't responsible for the clearing up involved after this visitor departed :)


BamBam
Bam-Bam checking out the kitchen!

Another tradition, this time local instead of national, that I also enjoy at this time of year is the Annual New Year's Day wheelbarrow race held in the village. The race starts and ends at the local pub, which is also I think partially responsible for many of the entrants, who decide on New Year's Eve that pushing a friend round the village in a wheelbarrow sounds like a great idea!

Wheelbarrow race 2013
These competitors racing towards the finish line look remarkably fresh, so probably didn't indulge themselves too heartily the night before. A very fit friend and his wife, who were watching with us, took part several years ago, and couldn't believe how painful running around with a fully-loaded wheelbarrow could be. Definitely an activity that is better watched than participated in I think, and as you can see so do most of the village :)

With the beginning of the New Year comes new challenges to sign up for and the completion of others, well that is the theory anyway. As someone who is prone to signing up for new things when I still haven't completed existing commitments, one of my resolutions for 2013 is to finish an existing project before starting a new one.

So, with this in mind I have been stitching away at the five remaining blocks from In Color Order's HST BOM. This was the first BOM I ever signed up for, with grandiose notions of having a completed quilt to give as a Christmas present, but that lofty ambition was reduced several months ago. Still, I am delighted to now have all 12 of the blocks completed.


In Color Order HST BOM

I still have the sashing and borders to add, but I can't decide what to do with them, so if you have any suggestions please pass them on. I have enough of the gold background fabric for the borders, but don't really have anything suitable for sashing, was thinking of a mottled cream/ fawn for that but if you have a better suggestion I would be delighted to hear it.

Now that the HST BOM is out of the way in terms of a monthly commitment I reckon that means I can take on a new one! As it happens the paper-piecing queen, Quiet Play, has just (yesterday) started a monthly paper-piecing BOM, And Sew On, with a sewing theme. The first pattern, Measure Twice, is available for free in January from her Craftsy store so I will be heading off there soon. Having only learnt to paper piece in 2012 thanks to Katy's FPPFTTcourse, I am hoping that during this BOM I will finally crack the puzzle of cutting and piecing shapes at strange angles, which has eluded me so far.

I have just seen that The Littlest Thistle has also announced a new SAL today, called Everything and the Kitchen Sink, which I would really like to do. Looks like I will have to get another project out of the way before the 15th when the first block is posted!


14 comments:

  1. No suggestions I'm afraid, but well done for getting all the blocks finished! Happy New Year!

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  2. Congrats on finishing the blocks - I've signed up to do the Sisters Ten BOM this year which is my first but not sure how good I'll be at keeping to schedule!

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  3. Gotta love that extra bank holiday ;o) Congrats on getting the blocks done, but not sure where you should go next, sorry! Now go and get stitching so you can play on the 15th ;o)

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  4. I love the HST quilt top ... sorry, no clue what colours you should finish it with, but I'm sure whatever you choose will be great. Did my first ever HST's the other day for a pin wheel block and I'll blog about it soon (got the sizing out again - steep learning curve!!).

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  5. Definitely think the wheelbarrow race would be better as a spectator sport! Must be funny to watch!

    Well done on getting all your BoM blocks together!! So glad you'll be joining in the paper pieced BoM - ought to be a bit of fun! ;)

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  6. The wheelbarrow race sounds like lots of fun... to watch, that is. What a great place to live! I've already signed up for so many things in January. I went to bed with my head spinning last night. I get so caught up with the ideas, that I forget the practicalities of time. I really LOVE the quilt top, both the colours and the overall design!!!

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  7. what a cute visitor you had! Well done on finishing the blocks, they look great. I've signed up for that BOM too, I was going to do the first block today but couldn't get my printer to work!

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  8. The wheelbarrow races look like so much fun...from the sidelines! Your finished blocks look so great Fiona! Do you want your sashing and borders to blend or pop? Like you, I was going to limit my joining this year, and have already broken that promise! You are going to LOVE Kristy's QAL!

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  9. Your HST quilt is looking great! Like you, I have signed up for more monthly committments but at least I am including a monthly finish! but that is how I learn. Those wheelbarrow races are hysterical, and the bunny looks so sweet! Happy New Year!

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  10. Congrats on finishing all those blocks! I'm resolved not to join anything elae for now - but that SAL is very tempting!

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  11. That wheelbarrow race sounds like a blast to watch. In terms of your HST project, perhaps a carmel colored sashing with a thin insert of the dark navy? Sorry if the color names are incorrect- my screen image probably does not capture the color variety you have. I love to piece and can get in the zone doing so. I then grind to a screeching halt on the framing part. I have heard that buying your border sashing fabric first and then drawing your block fabrics from it's guidance is a way to go. That is water under the bridge for you now ( and I have never done it that way either) but there you go. It is a thought to ponder.

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  12. The quilt top looks great. I'm doing both paper piecing too as I regretted not doing Katy's last one, just hopei can keep up with them andthe Africn one too!

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  13. The quilt is gorgeous, in terms of sahing I think cream would work to show off the blocks and make them pop. and Happy New Year to you and yours.

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  14. Love the fabric you chose for the HST quilt. So pretty! I'd go with the cream to really set off your blocks.

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