What have I got to show for September 2024?

Not a lot, really.

Our Days for Girls group had a quilt donated, and I added the binding from my stash, so that, and a couple of DfG baby quilt backings, is the only fabric that has left my sewing room.  And I haven't bought any fabric this month, so my fabric tally hasn't changed much.  

I have had some sewing time for myself though, and am working my way through a bunch of 8 1/2" I Spy blocks for a couple of quilts for kids.  6 1/2" fabric squares bordered with 1 1/2" strips.  Not sure how many I've made so far, at least 50 I think.  Depending on the quilt layout, I would need at least thirty blocks for a quilt, and probably 40 or so to make it a decent size.

Love the owl and pussycat block. One of my favourite poems. 

Next week, I'm off to Uzbekistan on a textile tour so I may well come back with more fabric!  I love ikat fabrics.  So this year's fabric tally could look pretty bad.  (Do I care?  Not really.  πŸ˜ƒ)


September 2024 fabric tally

Finishes in the month:   binding on donation quilt = 40cm; donated baby quilt backings = 0.85m

Purchases in the month:     zip

Fabric used:  - 1.25 m         Fabric acquired:  + 0  m

Running tally:  + 38 m

Scrap Happy Day September 2024

Each month, we are reminded by Kate or Gun to post about our use of scraps in the last few weeks.  There's no obligation to post but it is a great way of reminding ourselves of what we've achieved, and of showcasing the various uses our scraps can be put to.  I prepared this post on the 14th and then completely forgot to post it yesterday.  I'm sure it is still the 15th in some parts of the world! πŸ˜ƒπŸ˜ƒ

Last month, I showed a photo of half-completed hand towels made from scraps.  I finished nine of them this month and will share them with my daughter.  The towelling part eventually disintegrates so needs to be replaced regularly.  Generally the top part will last a very long time.  Some I've had for at least twenty years.  The towelling is made from an old towel that was past its prime.  I used bias binding made from an old sheet to bind the towel edges and the hanging part is made from another old sheet (which I did buy from an op shop, so not really scrappy.  However, it is something being reused, so I think it counts.)  Usually, I made a buttonhole and sew on a button to close the hanging loop.  This time, I'm trialling Velcro closure.  Much quicker than making a buttonhole.  



A charity sewing group I'm part of makes menstrual health kits for women and girls in developing countries.  Although we do use most of the fabric that we have in making the kits, there is always smaller scraps leftover.  A few of us have turned these scraps, with the addition of odd pieces from our own stashes, into baby quilts.  The batting is new.  Generally the backing is brought to the front and folded to bind the quilt.  The baby quilts shown here will be going to indigenous women in Mindanao in the Philippines, so the women have something new for their babies along with their own menstrual health kits.  The photo is taken at the old railway station in our town.  No passenger trains use the line any more, so the waiting room is now a meeting room and our sewing room.  


I'll be away next month so no Scrap Happy Day post from me in October.  


The bloggers below are all ScrapHappy Day participants, maybe not every month, but their blogs are worth looking at.  Hopefully I will be using my scraps up and can post at least one block done in a month.   If you want to join in too, contact Kate below and have some fun with scraps.  Kate sends a reminder email each month, a few days before the 15th, so you can post about your work with scraps.      


KateGun, EvaSue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan
Moira, SandraChrisAlys,
ClaireJeanDawnGwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue LVera, 
 Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
NΓ³ilinVivKarrin,  Alissa,
Lynn, TierneyHannah and Maggie


August update

Only the one finish of mine in August.  However, I've done lots of sewing for Days for Girls, so am happy with my progress on my own work.   I finished off five small baby quilts others made, quilting and binding them.  We intend to give these baby quilts to new mothers who give birth at the small hospital in the region in the Philippines that we're assisting.  It is a good way of using up the scrap fabrics that accumulate when we're making the menstrual health kits.  

Five small quilts ready for gifting.  
(Apologies for my poor attempt at an arty photo.)

I've also sewn a large number of the drawstring bags that are used to hold all the kit components.  Our group has committed to providing a certain number of kits so we're all working hard on getting them done.  So I've done all the sewing (other than overlocking) on about sixty bags in the last few weeks.  

And I completed the top for Samaira's quilt. It is ready for the quilting pile now.  



Not sure that I will get the quilting done in September.  Too much else is happening.   I'll be away for three weeks from the end of the month, so October might be relatively quiet as well, for quilt finishes.

August 2024 fabric tally

Finishes in the month:   Kaye's wallhanging -  approx. 1.5m fabric

Purchases in the month:     our local patchwork shop has a clearance sale on (the business is for sale but apparently no buyers on the horizon), so I picked up 7m at half price, mainly to use for backings or bindings.

Fabric used:  - 1.5 m         Fabric acquired:  + 7  m

Running tally:  + 39.25 m



November's work

I started this month with a long weekend at home (Melbourne Cup), spending time sandwiching and pinning four children's quilts.  The Hap...