Chunky Log Cabin - Finished!

Hmmm, what shall I post about finishing first? There's starting to be a pile-up! I'm still hand stitching the binding on some table runners, so Chunky gets top billing.

Oh, Chunky. What can I say? I got swept up in the fervor when Denyse Schmidt's first line for Joann's was released, and bought a whole stack of reds and blues for no good reason. I don't even remember if I thought they were pretty - Blogland said BUY!

{Oh, in case you're wondering where I fall in the "quilt shop quality" debate that this line sparked for a while - just google Denyse Schmidt Joann debate - I buy quite a lot of fabric from Joann's and Hobby Lobby. All my Konas. Almost all my backings. I've got stuff my mother grabbed when the Rag Shops closed in the mid-00s. I use VIP fabrics from the 80s and 90s...that I bought in a thrift shop or stole from my mom's stash. Obviously, I fall into the "who gives a flip?" category.}

{But don't worry - I know it's important to others, so if I do a swap, I buy from a street market in Korea quilt store.}

Um, anyway, Chunky. I believe I picked the log cabin because DS is famous for her wonky ones. I am not wonky, so they are nice, normal, boring ones.

I just pieced away with no plan until they were about 14" big. Then I played around with the layout for a while. A loooooooong while. {Circles? Furrows? Streak of Lightning? On-point or medallion-ish? I know at some point I must have considered and rejected - without photographing - a barn raising.}

Finally pieced them into the furrows, because that is the most symmetrical of the layouts. {Clearly, the ability to do wonky log cabins is in my near future.} Then I swore I wouldn't let the project sit - I was going to put the borders on right away! Hahaha, yeah, so a year+ later...

I'm not too sad it got set aside. After a lot of practice on the long arm, I got brave enough to try feathering the individual "furrows." I did a little bit of block stuff on Swoon, but this was the first time I really focused on a block design instead of an allover design.

And this brings up the inherent difficulties with renting the long arm. 99% of the time I love it - thread is "free" {seriously, do you know how much it would cost to have that big of an available rainbow?}, and I have all the fun of a long arm with zero maintenance, no worries about fitting it in my house, or dealing with CC climbing on it.

But when you've already spent 2.5 hours doing somewhat-detailed quilting, and the next person showed for their scheduled rental time, and you haven't even gotten to the borders yet...! Makes you want to get a long arm...or go back to the super-fast-all-over-loops.

Man, this is a wordy post, isn't it? More quilt pictures!

Flowered borders, flowered quilting...I had about 8x5" of this border print leftover after carefully cutting it apart and piecing it back together. #winning

The backing is Daisy Mae, a subsequent DSQuilts line. Obviously I had to get it, what with the name and all.

I let my husband pick the binding - I had enough leftover of the pink dots or the blue with little red flowers. I was leaning toward the blue, since I tend to prefer bindings that blend into the border. No idea why...lazy? Afraid of trying something else?

Anyway, he picked the pink, and since it's my least favorite of the fabrics, I agreed mostly to use it up. And huh...it looks kind of...not bad. Kind of like a nice frame. Maybe there is something to varying your bindings. ;)

So that ends another quilt that spent a veeeeeeeeeeery long time in progress. Most of the leftover red and darker blues are heading into my Trip Around the World quilt...you know, the one I started cutting last year and...that's as far as I've gotten. Ah, it never ends, does it?

{Oh, so I took all of Lori's advice, and went to a nearby park. {Get it? Picnic? Fairground? Park?} Paid attention to my lighting and shadows, got some posed shots with the help of the Dude, even climbed up the slide ladder to get a shot. And then some people started playing at the park and it became creepy again. I'll never make it as a photographer!}

Quilt Details

Fabric: Picnic and Fairground, DSQuilts

Backing: Daisy Mae, DSQuilts

Binding: P&F, DSQuilts

Size: 62x74"

Pattern: Log Cabin with 2.5" unfinished strips, Furrows layout

Gratuitous kitten shot! But Momma, I'm not touching it!

Oh, and if you made it this far, and it's still Friday, the giveaway on Skorca is active until midnight PST. And yes, I did add the strings left from the binding to the bag!

Linked:

Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict

TGIFF @ Quilt Matters

Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Link A Finish Friday @ Richard and Tanya Quilts
Sew Darn Crafty @ Sew Many Ways
Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story

I Quilt @ Pretty Bobbins

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

Feline Friday @ Sarah Did It!

Finish-Along @ The Littlest Thistle {FAL List}