Quilting Done, Binding On ~ A Finish!!

Wow!! It's been a good month. One quilt top and quilt back to the long arm quilter (see posting here) and this one completely finished!

60x60" throw started and finished in the last 10 days. Wooo-hoooo!

I have plans for the next one, but since I haven't done much but sew in the last 30 days, my house is a mess.

I'm going to take a quick break to clean the house and get things ready for my next project.

Mariner's Compass!
Paper Pieced!


Never say never......I said I'd never do one, but my niece has decided that is what she would like and so that is what she will have.

I'm actually looking forward to it.
note: I just noticed a huge mistake in this quilt.....first one to spot it and make a comment gets a squishy surprise in the mail. LOL

Sunday's Task

Nothing to show yet....

The rows finally got sewn together and today I will be sandwiching it. I got sidetracked with some other little projects and errands. Back on task today, though. Stay tuned!

Update ~ it's nearly midnight and after some other distractions, I was able to get it on the table, pin basted, and ready to go. If all goes well tomorrow, I can start machine quilting it.
Wa-hooooooo!

Coming Along Nicely

I started listening to "The Christmas Quilt" when I started making the pieced blocks for my current project. It is one of the Elm Creek Quilts novels that I had heard about and so I ordered it from the library. It kept me entertained while I was at my machine and today I was able to get the backing sewn together and get all of the rows sewn for the top.

I also was able to finish this book.






These are the completed rows pinned to my design wall and ready to be sewn together.

I hope to get that done tomorrow.

I have another book to listen to ~ Jodi Picoult's
"Change of Heart". It is a long one and will be considerably more complex than the book I just finished.

If I am able to make good progress tomorrow I may be able to get the quilt sandwiched too. I'd like to get it quilted this week and get the binding stitched on by the weekend.


I have amassed a considerable amount of orphan blocks, patches and strips from many projects and would like to find them a home. If you know of anyone who might like scraps....drop me a line or comment here and I will pack one of those post office one price mailers and ship them off. I really don't have room to store them here and hate to just toss them.

So, what's going on in your world?

The usual.

Cutting up some fabric to make 4.5" squares.
And cutting some to make 2.5" strips.
Sewing strips together and cutting again.
Chain piecing to make 4 patch blocks.

Busy, Busy, Busy....

Quick Report

Ashley's quilt is off to the long-arm quilter in Tennessee. It is too big for me to wrestle with, and they do such a good job. When it comes back I will sit with it while I hand stitch the binding, then give it a wash to make sure the colors are "set" and won't run. I love it when they first come out of the dryer ~ all that crinkly goodness.

Then I box it up again and mail it off to my grandaughter.

I am waiting for color choices to come back to me from my other grandaughter and my niece.....soooooo.....I'm going to take a minute and make a throw size sunshine and shadows quilt using some fabrics that were given to me. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.
What are you up to?

Parts Done.....YAY!!

Back is done.

Frames blocks done.

Log Cabin blocks done.




Tomorrow we start sewing blocks together to make rows.

Progress

This part seems to be slow going.

I was able to get the back done over the weekend and had thought I'd finish all the rest of the blocks too.

The back is nice and I like it a lot.....not nearly as complex as the front will be, but I still think it will be attractive enough that Ashley will be able to have two looks in one quilt and can alternate which side is "up" when she makes her bed.

I'm glad that her husband, Ben, is not fussy about
having a pink quilt on their bed.

The log cabin blocks are taking longer to make than the alternative "frames" blocks took. I think it's because it is easier to keep the frames blocks square and the log cabin blocks will get wonky in a heartbeat.

I know there will need to be some trimming to square them up before I start sewing them together. This is going to be a fairly large quilt....approximately 84" square, and already it seems heavy so I know it will keep them warm.

I am listening to a new book, "When Madeline
Was Young" by Jane Hamilton. The reader is good and I am speeding right along. This little handy device hangs around my neck and tucks into my bra to keep it safe from my scissors, rotary cutter, and out of the way of the quilt while I am at my sewing machine. The earphones keep me from distraction and it is an altogether clever way to zip through a book and get a quilt made all at the same time.

I hope to have the top completed by the weekend and off the the quilters....I can't wrestle this huge thing under the needle of my trusty Janome.

Have a great week!

Under the needle today....

I am half way there to finishing the blocks. I have just started working on the Log Cabin Blocks.....
I have completed all 24 of the Frames blocks and they are put aside while I work on the Log Cabin blocks.








There is something so satisfying when a stack of completed quilt blocks is trimmed, pressed, and waiting for the remainder of the blocks before being sewn into rows . Just lovely.


This quilt is coming together nicely and though it is not made of my favorite colors; I know that pink is Ashley's favorite, so she will be happy when it makes it's way to her.

Her sister has requested one of blues and greens. Why doesn't anyone love Orange as I do? lol I have a stash of orange you wouldn't believe and am dying to work with it. Guess I'll have to make one for me!

Get Ready, Get Set, Sew!

I originally saw this pattern on the blog "Red Pepper Quilts".

I appreciated that she (Rita, in Melbourne) had done all of the work of figuring out how much, how many, etc. and that the quilt lent itself to a variety of color combinations. I recognized it as something I would make when I was pushed for time and needed to knock one out of the park. In other words, I liked it a lot.

I ordered the pattern and printed it out and set it aside. When my darling grandaughter asked specifically for a pink quilt, I didn't have to struggle with setting out to design something from scratch.



I already had a collection of pinks in my stash and a bolt of Parchment in a nice off-white that I bought and kept on hand after reading about how versatile it is in AmandaJean's blog. So I set about cutting, cutting, cutting.

A ton of cutting! But thanks to my local library I have 2 books on disc that have been calling to me and they made the task so much easier.

I am currently listening to: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Sroblewski. This version at my local library comes with it's own little player that hangs from a lanyard around my neck. I just plug in my own headphones and I am transported into the story. This book is so good that I woke up twice during the night just to listen to a little more!






So, all the strips are cut.
I am well into the book.
The hours stretch out before me, and there is nothing left but to sew.