WiP - Flimsy Finishing

The month of doing whatever continues, with a bunch of finishes!


First, I finished off the Christmas tree skirt for my sister. Waiting on a backing decision, and I'll probably quilt this at home so I can take it east with me.


Then my aunt made a decision on her final border and I finished up the Tennessee Waltz. And it was totally the right decision. This one will be quilted on the longarm, so not for a while yet.


And lastly, I ordered Wee Wander as a deployment gift for the kids, received it on Wednesday, and whipped it into a top by Sunday. Okay, it's not a complicated top, and it still needs to be trimmed, but I really enjoyed fussy cutting the adorable kids.

I'm going to miter the fabulous border, which I've never done. Debbie {A Quilter's Table} suggested Amy's Creative Side's tutorial - I've read it and I think I'm going to try on something smaller first. I don't want to mess up my lovelies!

And then there's my Weekly Churn Dash. The Dude and I bought this fabric during an Oklahoma Quilt Shop Hop a few years ago. He has pretty good taste.

Jennie {Porch Swing Quilts} is starting a palette linky. As it is Rainier Cherry season out here, I have one red thing on my brain. {Photo courtesy of Rainier Fruit Company.}

And finally, I cut 2.5" strips for a jelly roll quilt while I'm on the East Coast. Jelly rolls are easy travelers! This one is Hello Luscious by Basic Grey, with the cream Grunge from the same line, and it will become Avignon Picnic.

Of course, all these finishes leave me wondering what to do next...

Linked:
BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot
Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy
Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure
Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric
Color Mondays @ Porch Swing Quilts

June - The Roller Coaster Month

June has been an interesting month - lots of ups and downs.

My husband was supposed to go on a short trip, but ended up shredding an engine and being stuck in Guam for nearly two weeks. {He had three other engines to land with. Clearly this was not an emergency. I like denial.}

Since this was a mere 20 days after getting home with the Little Man, I was going slightly insane by mid-month. Not to mention, no "babysitter" = no long arm rental time = delay in finishing a customer quilt.

But woo - the up! A customer quilt!


A running t-shirt quilt - and I think I did a fabulous job. ;) {My AYOLF goal.}

I also ventured cautiously into the world of branding and hired a designer to do my logo. I'm slowly working toward understanding my Facebook page and blog as a business. Don't worry - it'll take all summer.


I also finished a t-shirt quilt for Lori - just a sneak peek, full post will be Friday. With professional photographs! {Because I mailed it to her.}


Worked on a Tennessee Waltz for my aunt - the first border, an "extension" border is done. {My NewFO.}

Kept steadily cutting Ripples and Reflections. O.M.G. So much cutting! I thought I would cheat and just cut step 1, but so many of the steps overlap pieces. I need one Fabric 4, Piece B, for Step 1, then four more in Step 6, and the last three in Step 10 - or something like that. So I need to cut everything...and I really don't know how to organize it.


Put extension borders on Summer Drinks. I wasn't sure on this, but I think it's the perfect way to finish it off.


Finished the star blocks for Cardinal Charms and started piecing the rest of the quilt. I laid it out and thought about making more star blocks {six seems paltry} but I really like the 10x12 layout. So I'm sticking with it.

{And yes, the colors will be spread out. Just threw them on the design wall/floor to check layout numbers.}

Since we're halfway, here's six months of Churn Dashes. Not too many darker ones, but this month is red, so there will be some darker tones added. Overall I'm really happy with these!

Oh, and I made a skirt! A very simple maxi skirt, but I followed instructions. And my fabric wasn't stretchy in the same direction as the instructions. So my waistband had no stretch...plus I measured after eating pasta, so everything was just a little off. ;) I ended up sewing a casing, picking out the side seam, and putting in elastic. Little extra work but it fits fine now! And the foldover waist hides the extra stitching.


There was also school finishing and national park visiting and half marathon running and lion feeding and inappropriate dam joking. You know, summer stuff.

Linked:
BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot
Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy
Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure
Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric
A Year of Lovely Finishes
Fresh Sewing Day @ Lily's Quilts
NewFO @ Cat Patches

Weekly Progress - Pieced Borders

So, a quilty question. What do you call borders that extend the main quilt top design? I mean, they're not just borders, or pieced borders. They're different. And I worked on two of them this week.

Tennessee Waltz - finishing out the points from the snowball blocks. TW will probably get another border in the grey.

Summer Drinks - finishing out the quarter square triangles. I think I'm done here. At least, I'm out of fabric!

I also finished a t-shirt quilt.

And quilted a second one.

...but both are just sneak peeks until they have been received!

And did my Weekly Churn Dash. This is one of my mother's old scraps.

And popped the binding on Mom's Halloween striped table runners so I had something to hand stitch while we drove around the Seattle area.

You know, where I ran a half marathon. Not even close to my best time {but also not my worst.} Considering my longest training run recently was...Portland's half marathon. A month ago.

And the boys played in the snow pack in front of Mount Rainier. It's not as dirty as it looks!

Linked:

BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot

Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times

Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced

Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy

Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric

Weekly Progress - Relentless Forward Motion

Another week, another husband no-show. Good for top finishing...not so much for the quilting. Which is a teensy bit frustrating since I have customer quilts...another downside to renting long arm time.

But, he should be back soon, so hopefully I'll be making tops into quilts this week! Until then, I'm just trying to see how many tops I can finish before he gets back. ;)

My aunt's Tennessee Waltz is done to borders. I love this pattern so much. Even though I had to fix one block twice.

Weekly Churn Dash - not sure what this was...Riley Blake maybe? Anyway, it's cute and it was in my Rainbow Chevrons.

Backings prepped for the t-shirt quilts. I did a great job matching the chevrons...and didn't even attempt to match the floral.

Since I was ahead of schedule, I pulled out Summer Drinks to see what it needed to finish up. I'm extending the HSTs into the border. Not sure if there will be a second border or if I will call it quits after this.

This happened, too.

Linked:

BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot

Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times

Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced

Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy

Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric

Weekly Progress - T-Shirt Tops

Lots of good things this week! 

We hit one month since custody, and except for communication issues and frequent 5:30 am wakeups, things are going great. The Little Man and I are working out a balanced schedule, and the Dude is enjoying the playtime as long as I also make sure he gets plenty of private Minecraft time.

Yesterday was also my wedding anniversary, and in true Air Force fashion, we spent it apart. I think out of twelve, we've spent maybe three together? My husband owes me a quilting day as soon as he gets back this week...

...because I finished off two t-shirt tops!

The grid ones go together really fast. Don't be too impressed. {Also, husband is away. I haven't cleaned the kitchen in a week.}

My weekly churn dash. So happy that it's yellow month! This is an older Fig Tree print, I think. It's been in a couple quilts now.

And since I'm ahead of schedule on the t-shirts, I started on my next commission, a Tennessee Waltz. I adore when someone wants my very favorite quilt! {But that means I'll have made two and still won't have one!}

Notice the lovely stack of red/blue four-patches? Made 80 of them before I checked my design. Um, yeah, it's supposed to be the much smaller stack of blue/grey four-patches. But hey! I started the border! Or another project! Yay?

Linked:

BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot

Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times

Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced

Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy

Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 29

Finally - finally - I learned paper piecing!

I'm doing the St. Paul quilt block in batiks. It's supposed to look like stained glass windows, and I am so in love. I've read dozens of online tutorials, but it didn't make sense until I took a class and just did it. Thank goodness for excellent teachers!

Hunter's Star, round two: 32/90 light blue half-blocks

 Five Swoon blocks done; working on #6, a 16" one. I saved the HSTs from the flying geese in the bigger blocks - soon I need to figure out if I can use those in the smaller blocks.

I finished piecing Sunkissed Jewel Box.

Mom's Tennessee Waltz is quilted and bound and packed for Virginia.

Quilt-Alongs:
Fat Quarter Stars - first block posted yesterday - haven't made mine yet
Argyle Quilt Along - starts 10/3 - I'm using a stash of fall fabrics to make a slightly smaller version
LQS Saturday Sampler

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels

Awaiting Quilting:

Halloween Hexagons

Steelers Quilt

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

New Projects: 1

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 15

 

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 39

Ooh, report's going down today!

 I got Mom's Tennessee Waltz back from Paula and got the binding on it.

And then I finished sewing together the Sunkissed Jewel Box rows. It's 48" square and I don't think I'm going to put borders on it.

And in saving-my-stash-report-by-not-buying... I still haven't decided on a back for the Halloween Hexagons. I tried a minkee back, but the stitches totally disappeared, and I really want them to stand out. So there's black flannel, or Kona, or...has anyone ever used poly-satin? I think it would be too slippery, but it comes in 60" so I wouldn't have to piece it.

Used this Week: 8.93

Used Year to Date: 109.78

Added this Week: 0

Added Year to Date: 145.12

Net Used for 2011: (35.34) yards

Check out how everyone else is doing on Patchwork Times!

Tennesee Waltz - Finished!

I've had this quilt on my to-do list for over three years, when my mother and I saw it on "Simply Quilts." I bought the fabric and the Tri-Recs rulers last summer...and yet it still took another year to get it made.

I'm so glad I finally did it! I love the way the blocks flow. it's such a simple quilt with a lot of visual impact.

Red: Bonnie Blue Basics by Paula Barnes (Marcus)

Blue: Itsy Bits by Renee Nanneman (Andover)

Dark Neutral: Prairie Paisley by Minick & Simpson (Moda)

Light Neutral: Essentials (Wilmington Prints)

Binding: Tribute by American Valor

Paula quilted it with an all-over pattern, which shows up very well on the neutral flannel back.

I did the binding with some red piping. I prefer machine stitching binding this way - I think it looks nicer than top stitching. And it's definitely faster than hand sewing!

It measures 70" square and is off to Virginia for my mother's 60th birthday - and I'm accompanying it!

See more finishes at Can I Get a Whoop-Whoop!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 28

I do think I may be in love with this one.

I debated Swoon - it's a lovely pattern, but it's BIG, and I only have 12 fat quarters. A 2x3 layout would suck. A little bit of math, and I have Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot. The big one is the 24" from the pattern. The little ones are 8"; I'm also going to have 12" blocks.

Hunter's Star, round two: 24/90 light blue half-blocks (did I say 12 blocks a day? I don't remember that.)

Prepping my piped binding for Mom's Tennessee Waltz. It's already back from Paula! If I get the binding on tomorrow, I will be done a week ahead of schedule. Insane.

I sewed two rows of Sunkissed Jewel Box together. It's only six rows; it really shouldn't take this long.

 And I finished Halloween Hexagons. It's basted and ready to be quilted after I get the binding on the Tennessee Waltz. Really. I'm going to finish the TW before quilting this.

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels (actually, I cut squares for this, but didn't sew any)

Awaiting Quilting:

Steelers Quilt

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 12

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 27

I started an unhealthy number of quilts this week. I was bored, I liked the block, it was a new technique, my sister's fabric for her Hunter's Star came, I have an attention problem...whatever.

Based off the Jaybird hexagons. Mine are 6" unfinished, which cuts neatly from fat quarters, and I'm doing the second layout. And I'm going to quilt it like it's a spider web. And the back is going to glow in the dark. It's going to be awesome.

{actual blocks will be half dark blue/half light blue, but I love that she chose the white stars.}

Hunter's Star, round two. This one will be king size. Which, I don't even want to think about how big that is. I'm trying to do a manageable twelve half-blocks a day.

What else is big? Swoon blocks. Except you randomly decide to make 8" blocks. Then you have to piece three times as many. I might not have thought this out completely.

In previous projects:

Sunkissed Jewel Box is still slowly getting pieced together.

Mom's Tennessee Waltz is done and at the quilter's. Need to prep binding.

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels

Awaiting Quilting:

Steelers Quilt

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

New Projects: 3

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 12

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 37

I finished Mom's Tennessee Waltz.

 Which blew through some fabric.

Which I then un-blew-through when I bought 4.5 yards for the back. I just don't have a lot of backing fabrics on hand - or enough of the right-ish colors or theme to piece.

However, I handed the quilt off to my quilter yesterday, so the backing will be back off the report in a couple weeks (instead of waiting months for me to get around to quilting it.)

Used this Week: 5.5

Used Year to Date: 98.35

Added this Week: 4.5

Added Year to Date: 144.12

Net Used for 2011: (45.77) yards

Check out how everyone else is doing on Patchwork Times!

Tennessee Waltz Top - Finished!

I wouldn't call it a Quilt in a Day (does Eleanor Burns sew on crack?), but it did take about a week and a half, start to finish. Not bad for (what I think is) an impressive looking design.

I prefer the framing of a stop border + wide border, but the blue was all I had left, so that's what it got.

It measures 69x69" and it's off to get professionally quilted before heading east for my mother's birthday.

There are more finishes at Confessions of a Fabric Addict!