Mystery Garden Block of the Month #5

I took a while to decide what I wanted to do with Block 5.  The block has shields on it, which I have trouble understanding how it fits into the garden theme.  In the end I decided to use various tartans to create Scottish type shields.  This is in deference to my Scottish Borders heritage, so makes it more personal to me.

Here is how all the blocks are looking so far.

There are 10 blocks in total, so I'm now at the half way mark.

I love how this quilt is looking.  Looking at other makes on the Facebook Mystery Garden page everyone's' makes look lovely and they are in all sorts of colour combinations.

Kelly Anorak

After 30 hours of sewing, here she is.  Kelly anorak by Closet Case patterns

I made it in a charcoal grey gabardine,  fully lined with tartan viscose in the body and hood and sleeves are lined in a blue satin. . I used the satin to line the sleeves as the viscose may not have given enough "slip in" ease.  Bronze snaps are added along with bronze eyelets for the drawstring waistband and bronze "donglers", I don't know the proper name, for the ends of the drawstrings.

I found the instructions very hard to follow.  There is a sewalong on the website, but that was difficult to follow also, the photos weren't very well done and the steps in the sewalong didn't always follow the steps listed in the pattern.  Added to that, the pattern referred to the right hand side of the jacket as worn, but the sewalong said it was the left hand side, as seen when looking from the front on part of their instructions.  So when the sewalong said left or right, I had difficulty understanding if they really meant right or left.  I thought I'd put the right hand zip in wrong as the lining didn't seem to line up correctly on the right hand side, but then realised I just hadn't folded the placket in.  However even then I had to do some unpicking to get the right hand side placket, zip and lining to line up correctly. 

After 30 hours sewing, I'm going to add lots of photos here.

Back with hood up.  I like the back yoke.

Side view.  I like the slanted pockets

Ta da.....

 showing off the lining

I had to include my label.  Also has a tag for hanging the jacket.

View of the inside, hood is to the left.

 Pocket

Drawstring with eyelet.

After 30 hours and difficult to follow instructions, I won't be in a hurry to remake this.  But I am pleased with the final result.

scanncut birthday card

It's been a while since my last post. My next large project is to work on an anorak and I've been gripped by the fear of starting something ambitious.  It took me a couple of weeks to just start cutting out the fabric, then another week to make a start on it.  Hopefully the next post will show you the finished jacket.

In the meantime I have a birthday card to show.  I designed this myself.

and I made the envelope

Back of the card: