Quilting the wedding quilt

I spent most of last weekend sewing. DD was off to camp with girl guides (scouts) so I had no excuses. Friday night was a disaster - I had cut all of my setting triangles earlier to make sure I had big enough pieces of fabric and I cut the remaining squares for the blocks from what was left.

When I went to lay out the blocks I realized that the setting triangles were all cut too small. The was the result of a miscalculation (I forgot that the sashing would effectively make the blocks bigger) and some incorrect cutting. I was determined to come up with a solution to my problem before I went to bed - how could I use these triangles?

After more calculations, a double check of my numbers, and the cutting of one test triangle I came up with a fix: add a strip of the sashing to each triangle and then trim it to size. I had run out of sashing and I was nervous about cutting any more off of the backing fabric (I am known for not making the backing big enough). I realized that if I cut the 1-1/2 inches off along the salvage it would be okay. It was about 1:30am when I finally turned in.

The end result is a 1-inch border around the quilt. I admit, I like how it's turned out. (Sorry, no good pictures now that it's mounted on the Swiftquilter frame.)

I'm about half-way though the quilting. I'm using an all-over design which is a spiral-feather-flower thing. It's going well and I am sure that I will finish it with plenty of time to do the binding.

WIP round-up

I was thinking the other day how I have long-term WIPs (I still refuse to call them UFOs) and then other projects that spring up like weeds, grow quickly, and are fully grown and out the door in a flash. What is it about some projects that cause them to languish in the back of the closet for weeks, months, and dare I say years? Are they somehow flawed and are filed in the 'too hard' basket or is it simply that they have lost momentum and need some fertilizer to get growing again?

I hate not finishing things and it pains me to think about lost hours of investment on works that are yet to be completed. I know that I have some good excuses recently - selling 2 houses, getting ready to move, a death in the family, a menagerie of pesky pets...

A few years ago after finding many UFOs in my closet (some more than a decade old) I set my mind to getting them all finished in a year. I was successful and so pleased with myself. But back then I was not involved with block swaps, groups, challenges, blogging, and so on. And I wonder if some of these distractions are stopping me from moving forward on these older projects. Or perhaps these fun virtual exchanges are an easy excuse for not tackling the big jobs.

Two of these lingering projects are still appealing and occasionally call me back. These are the green HST quilt and the blue snowflake quilt. Either one would reach full-flimsy stage if I dedicated a weekend to each cause.

The third is the butterfly hearts quilt which is a disaster and needs to be reworked. This was a case of me taking one step forward, not liking it, and then carrying on for another 100 steps before I came to terms with the fact that I really didn't like it. I should have trusted my instincts. Now I am faced with unpicking lots of machine satin stitch applique - not pretty.

My more recent projects are moving forward. The wedding quilt is 2 blocks shy of a quorum (I need 41 all together) and after coming up short (4 inches) and mis-purchasing a few fabrics for the sashing I have decided to use the fabric that I picked up for the back - luckily I purchased an extra yard. I have 3 weekends to get this one finished.

My tea towel challenge which was on track to finish this month has stalled. It's taken me weeks to attempt hand quilting (I needed a thimble and a hoop). My attempt last weekend was so demoralizing, I'm already thinking of alternative quilting ideas for the center panel. I just cannot hand quilt. It's uneven, it's crooked, and it takes me about 20 tries to take one stitch. Based on my calculations it will take me 59 years to complete at this pace. I don't have that kind of time.

Meanwhile, the round robin that I'm involved with is progressing. I just received the last round - a little flimsy in need of sandwiching, quilting, and binding. It just arrived this week and I haven't given it much attention yet. It will definitely have to wait.

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.

To sash or not to sash - that is the question

I'm progressing well with my wedding quilt blocks and have 19 so far. All of my fabric arrived and I think that I have all that I require. However, I am debating the size and layout of the quilt.

Originally, I was hoping to make a bed-sized quilt - that means 72"x72" (or close to it). Calculating using my 8" blocks - that means 81 of them (eeek). Not only is that an optimistic goal (I have 4 weeks to get it finished), the blocks are quite busy looking, so this is probably not the way to go.

So, I am thinking about sashing them and adding a border. It's certainly the traditional way to go and my friend suggested that she wanted a more traditional style quilt. Sashing would also break up the darker crosses that make a great secondary design but seem to be a bit more dominant than I hoped. My two ideas are: use a mid-toned neutral to sash them all.

Or, add dark squares and light strips to sash.

Another option is to lay the blocks out on point. Not only does this require fewer blocks, it also creates a completely different look. I could leave them un-sashed or consider the two options above (or a third?). I like the idea of an on point setting, but am concerned about having enough fabric for the setting triangles which will need to be cut from 6+ inch squares.

I'm always amazed at the changes to a design with a 45 degree rotation.

What do you think is the best approach? Next, border or no border...

Waiting for fabric to arrive

I mentioned the wedding quilt that I am making in my last post. I've been so busy and decided to buy some fabric for this project online rather that make the pilgrimage to some of the local quilt shops. I do like to support my local shops and I have been burned buying fabric online that turns out to be the wrong color, but in this case I really could not get out to shop.

Of course, I foolishly thought that there was some correlation between ordering quickly (which I did ) and arriving quickly. Now I regret not making time to go shopping because I would have fabric in hand and would be cutting and sewing rather than checking my package tracking twice a day. And, what does it mean that my package was 'processed through the sort facility' in Chicago 6 days ago? Is it still sitting there? Why hasn't it managed to get closer to Auckland since then? (Okay, I've had my rant now, I've learned my lesson.)

I did manage to pick up a few fat quarters at the Auckland Quiltmakers annual show on the weekend and I have made a few blocks using bits and pieces from my stash. For some reason, I always need to buy lots more than I need - I guess I want to be able to pick and choose from a selection.

...later the same day... one of my two orders was waiting for me at home this afternoon. Apparently the 'processing' in Chicago also included getting on a plane, crossing the Pacific, and arriving at my house. At least this means that the other order currently processed in Los Angeles should show up soon.

My goal was to make 2 blocks per day, but since I am only sewing some days, I might need to up my goal. So far I have made 9 and have cut out enough for another couple. I've run out of fabrics for the backgrounds so the next delivery is needed for more.

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced again this Wednesday.

WIPs and more

As usual I have a few things on the go. Although I have condensed my workspace and been away, I still seem to get things done.

I've continued to make blocks each month for the Block Lotto. This year's modern modular blocks have been great (although I have not won any yet) - I continue to be inspired by them. In fact, my latest quilt is made from blocks that we did in December 2012. I liked these so much and I've been waiting for an opportunity to use this pattern.

Some friends are getting married in June and I intended to make them a quilt to celebrate the event. Unfortunately, I am off to a late start and was having difficulty determining what to do for them. I had asked about colors and styles, but that's not always easy for a non-quilter to answer. Finally, I had a chance to speak to the bride-to-be and show her some fabrics from my stash to get inspiration. So, my design brief is: neutrals, green-blues (or is it blue-greens?), and traditional blocks.

I've ordered some new fabrics, but have made two blocks from my stash to get started. The narrow strips will be made with jade/peacock/teal and also some darker grays to mix it up. The block finishes at 8 inches, I'm not sure how big the quilt will be - I suspect it will be as big as it gets when I run out of time!

My tea towel quilt is progressing along (more here). I decided to do mostly stitch-in-the-ditch around the piecing and added some semicircles to the white border to echo the pieced semicircles on the first border. I am planning to hand quilt the center panel (my tea towel), but have not managed to get started on that.

The Monday Modern group that I belong to is doing a block lotto as well. Originally, we did bee blocks making them for each member using her own fabric and specifications. These blocks are specified by someone each month, made using fabric from our stashes, and then we draw names for a winner. So far, we have done three including these for May (eek, May almost).

I have also had another stab at my green HST quilt. I've made 32/36 of the blocks plus 8/24 of the 2-square-wide edge rectangles. This is taking me a long time (a really long, long time) but I am motivated to get it put together. More about this one from some old posts - the first one dated July 2011 (really?)

I'll be linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced when it turns Wednesday in her neck of the woods.

Round robin progress

For the third year in a row I am participating in a round robin organized by an online Block Lotto friend. We are on the third round - adding a second border to someone's center block. I would love to show what I have done, but it's all supposed to be secret. I can show you a color-modified peek though.

I am at my mother's house in Virginia right now - my father is very sick and is in the hospital under hospice care. I made the decision to come home on short notice from New Zealand to be with my family. Mom and I are talking about making a small quilt to be placed in the casket with my dad. He will (eventually) be buried with full military honors in Arlington Cemetery, so I am thinking about something patriotic with a stars and stripes motif.

I wonder if it's a strange thing to be designing a quilt at a time like this, but it is something that my mother and I share and we all know that quilting is therapeutic. It will keep me busy as well. I have some ideas, but I need to keep it simple so it doesn't become a burden on us to get it finished.

I was making my bed this morning (uber-uncomfortable futon couch) and wanted to take a photo of the three quilts I have been using. I was so cold the first night and none of them are bed sized, so I thought three was appropriate.

The bottom one was made in a class we did together in Queenstown a few years ago using a 4-patch caleidoscope technique. The fan quilt is made with Laura Ashley prints that were purchased in England in the 70s - I think my mother started piecing this by hand about 35 years ago and finished it recently. The last quilt is a simple block pattern made with Asian prints. A nice mix to keep me cozy.

Tea towel progress report

I finally decided to add a white border to the outside of my tea towel quilt. It is plain but my plan is to mirror the half circles from the inner border using quilting. I did a lot of calculations to figure out how wide to make it based on the potential size of the half circle motif. And, after all that I realized that I only had enough fabric to cut a 3 inch border.

While away this weekend, I found some wool thread by Madeira. I've never used this before and I thought it might be interesting to use for the hand quilting on the center tea towel panel - the colors were perfect.

I also thought I'd try to use a polyester batting - I hear that my usual thin cotton batting can be hard to hand sew through. I bought some that was prepackaged because for some reason all of the batting in the store was wrapped up in plastic and I could not feel any of them. I thought I picked a thinner one, but once I pulled it out it seemed very dense. So far, not so good. My next mistake was using a basting spray - also something I never do. After spraying half the can onto the quilt, it did not stick at all. What a waste! So, back to old school pinning.

Now that it's finally basted, I'm not sure how to attack. I think I should machine quilt the inner border first to keep everything in place. I also don't seem to have a hoop or a thimble to do the hand quilting (I think I packed them away). I confess that this is not the first time I've planned to hand quilt, but I have never succeeded. I guess I'm just looking for excuses...

Linking up with Lee @ Freshly Pieced.

Emergency table runner

These past few days have been crazy hectic. Our house is on the market and the first open home is this weekend. A few weeks ago there was an incident involving a bottle of '30 Seconds Indoor Mould Remover', a kitten, and my French oak dining table. I thought I could polish out the offending blemish, but the finish was gone and there was bare wood showing.

What's a girl to do? I had a quick run to some nearby shops looking for a suitable table runner to cover up the problem. I could find nothing so ended up foolishly deciding to make one - how long could it take?

Inspired by the Coke-bottle coloured glass tiles in my kitchen, I made a runner in similar tones mixed with grey. The brick pattern also matches the tiles. I decided to buy some insul-bright for batting to make it heatproof.

I admit that this whole project was doomed from the start: I was rushed, I did straight-line quilting which I am surprisingly bad at, I overlooked things I should have redone... So, my stitching is crooked and the binding is wavy. I'm hoping if I toss it in the wash it will sort itself out, but I think that unlike my usual cotton batting that has some give, the insul-bright is giveless.

The runner was on the table in time for the photos for the ads and signs. I have yet to decide if I will keep it there for the open home. Sometimes projects just don't meet up to my standards and in hindsight I should have done something different - like hemmed a nice piece of linen as a runner - maybe there's still time...