from one list to another.

I'm hopefully just sneaking in under the wire with the First Quarter review for Leannes Finish Along....
Not that I have had much success.  One quilt finished out of three, one cushion finished out of three.  And I cant be arsed with the whole show and tell thing either cos the worst thing is that both those finishes were right in the first month, and both blogged about in the same post....  Bit poor really!

What can I say...  Well, I can tell you that I've had a touch of starteritis.  The quilts in progress and random blocks lying around the place have multiplied, the FAA fabric diet took a bit of a blow, and the ideas list is longer than ever.  Oops!  

In keeping with the lists theme though, I hope you will indulge me here.  A long long time ago, I did a list of things that I would like to try.  It went like this...

1.    Learn how to do free motion quilting
2.    Make a quilt out of something other than light/medium weight 100% cotton
3.    Make a large (Queen size) quilt.
4.    Make a quilt of my own design.
5.    Make a quilt using small scraps, ideally a spiderweb pattern.  
6.    Get over my fear of triangles!
7.    Have a go at dying and bleaching fabric to make my own  colourways for quilting.
8.    Make more effort to try new bag patterns.
9.    Use some nice wool fabric for a bag.
10.  Practice and improve my machine embroidery.
11.  Learn how to do piping.
12.  Practice and improve sewing zips into bags.

Now admittedly this is a very old list, but I'm still working on it!  

I've been gathering fabrics for a low volume idea (like, so totally last month I know...lol)  and I thought now would be a great time to have a go at completing number 7 there.  I'd tried the dying half when I made my first bee quilt, but had never gotten round to the bleaching.  Until now...

I followed the tutorial on Oh Franson! and this is how I got on.  

Top - field study print, bottom, simpatico print.

Top - Summersville print, bottom timeless treasures rainbow raindrops

Really I think they were in the bleach too long.  The Simpatic Golden Straws have all but disappeared!  I love the new look field study though.  Still think a little less time in the bleach would have been better tho.  
I do love how the summersville came out!  I know there was a turquoise-y blue line, so in one sense I've not really achieved much, but, but I love the new white background.  The rainbow raindrops print there... well... eugh.  Not so happy.  Not sure I'll want to include it with my low volume as the blue raindrops stand out now even more than ever.  Bit crap.  

Things that I have learned - reds and yellows go fast!  Bleaching must really be monitored minute by minute, and ideally not whilst watching the grand national.    Great fun though, and I might be looking out a few more to try!