The Splash of Color QAL Top Is Done

I'm a little late with this post but as soon as my granddaughter and her parents left on Friday, I went downstairs to my sewing studio to finish my Splash of Color quilt top.  Seven days was way too long to be away from my sewing machine but like I have said before, Micah takes precedent over quilting.  While I was sewing this top, I, again, made another change and will add it to the story of the making of this quilt which I'll  post once I quilt the top and it is finally completed. I'm experiencing some indecision with the quilting and the backing now which means it's time to take a little break from this project and work on something else.

You can read about the Busy Hands Quilts' Splash of Color QAL here and finished quilt tops are to be posted starting Tuesday, November 28th.  Myra will be hosting a parade of quilt show for the finished quilts after Christmas, just in case some of the quilts will be Christmas gifts, starting on January 2nd.  Hopefully, I'll make up my mind soon about finishing my quilt because I don't want to miss the parade.

Linking Up with:  Myra of Busy Hands Quilts and Crazy Mom's Quilt Finish It Up Friday

Some Show and Tell Before I Take A Holiday Break

Now that my commitment to the Blanket Ministry has been met, the rush to complete my other projects before the end of the year is on.  This past weekend was a productive one and I must have been still working off of the adrenalin from completing the six baby quilts from last week.

It's great to have another quilt cross the finally finish line and in time for the holiday. I sewed the binding for the quilt made from this past summers 12 Days of Christmas QAL hosted by Sarah Craig of Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  you can read the post here.  Jan, my longarm quilter, again did a wonderful job. While I was making the top, we were experiencing crazy hot weather with lots of rain and now the weather is still sort of unpredictable, cold, rainy and cloudy.  I think the days of taking photos outside when it's sunny are going to be few and far between. 

This is one of the few quilts I've made which has a pieced backing and I used scraps from this project and from stash.  I think the reason why I don't like to piece my backs is the time it takes to make a backing to fit the top; it's like making another quilt top. My son, who held the quilt up for me while I took the photo, does not have the same knack as his father who has earned the title of Master Quilt Holder because father knows how to lower himself so his shoes doesn't show, made the comment that he liked the back of the quilt better than the front of the quilt.  The son also does not have his father's knack for knowing what to say about my quilts.  

The quilt is already hung up in the family room  thanks to father and son who knew I was taking their photo to provide some beefcake to liven up today's post.

The sewing and layout for the Splash of Color QAL blocks, hosted by Myra of Busy Hands Quilts,  you can read about it here was also done this past weekend.  I still have to decide on the sashing and once the top is made, I can write more details about the making of this quilt.  Just to give you a heads up, this quilt was supposed to be pinwheels.

Last month in early October, I attended a Kaffe Fassett workshop and the blocks have been hanging on my design board since then.  I finally sewed the blocks together and added the border and cornerstones.  I needed the design board so I could lay out the Splash of Color  blocks and also was afraid that someone or something was going to knock the blocks off. Here's a sneak peek of the top with the luscious purple Minky which I'll be throwing together and will write a future post about my wonderful Kaffe experience once the throw is completed.  I was tempted to finish it yesterday when the Minky arrived and do a late nighter but decided not to push it since I had to get the house ready for the holiday.

And speaking of taking a holiday break, here is my precious granddaughter who is providing the cupcake to this post to sweeten it up.  Micah will be occupying most of my time when she and her parents arrive this weekend for an eight-day visit.  I don't think I'll have too much time to sew, and if I do, it's probably be something for her.  With this sweet face she's going to get pretty much what she wants.  As you can see, Micah already has the pout down pretty good.

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving  next week. I am grateful that I will be spending the holiday with family and friends and am thankful for the many things life has brought me this year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Linking up with: My Quilt Infatuation, Thursday Needle and Thread, Crazy Mom's Finish It Up Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop Friday, and Busy Hands Quilts, Finish or Not Friday

Happy Quilt Joy: The Six Baby Quilts for the Blanket Ministry Are Finally Finished

I was doing a very happy dance, though not very peppy, last night at 1 a.m. in the morning which was the time I finished Baby Quilt #6.  I have now fulfilled this year's commitment of twelve baby quilts for the Blanket Ministry which is the second most wonderful time of the year for me.   Three of these baby quilts are almost six weeks late and the other three are over six weeks early but nevertheless they are all finally finished and can be crossed off the project list.  I started planning to make three of these quilts back in September thinking that I would be able to finish them by the end of the month to meet my quarterly commitment.  Once I knew I wasn't going to finish the quilts in time, I decided that I would combine it with this quarter's commitment by making six baby quilts at once which I should have known from past experience that it's not a good idea.  It was grueling for me to stay on task, even knowing that once these baby quilts are done, I wiIl be free to work on other projects and possibly starting new ones--I did buy 14.5 yards of fabric last week. 

Here are the six baby quilts with some stats (finished measurements):

36" square, 9" Rail Fence Blocks, horizontal layout

37.5" square, 7.5" Rail Fence Blocks with 7.5" plain squares

40" square, four 18" squares with 2" strips and 4" square

36"x45" Rail Fence, 9" Blocks, horizontal layout

36"x45" Rail Fence, 9" Blocks, horizontal layout 

36"x45" Rail Fence, 9" Blocks, alternating layout 

You can see the other quilts I've made this year for the Blanket Ministry on the following links, (here) and (here).

I joined the Blanket Ministry when it was started at our Church almost five years ago which was also the same time I retired.  I can remember when I first started, my machine quilting was not so great  and was something I really dreaded doing and sewing the binding  by machine was something I never did before. Now that I have made over fifty baby quilts, my machine quilting and comfort level has improved and machine binding is a snap now. Really, most of these quilts are made with my favorite rail fence blocks with six fat quarters, it takes me around four hours, from start to finish, to make a baby quilt, so I wish I wouldn't make them three or six at a time--it would be easier if I would just plan to make one baby quilt a month.  But knowing me, it's easier said than done. I'm hoping next year I will try being more on schedule and on task.  But for now, I'm really looking forward to having some guilt-free quilt time after I give my Juki some tender-loving maintenance.

Minus 100 Yard Challenge.

For one brief moment, my updated total was -102.75 yards and it was so brief since I had to add last week's purchase of 14.5 yards plus 3 yards of Disney Princess fabric I knew I had to have for my granddaughter with a thankful 3 yard reduction.

Previous YTD Total:  -75.25 yards                     Current YTD Total:  -88.25 yards

Here's to some more late night sewing because I have a challenge to meet!

Linking up with: My Quilt Infatuation, Thursday Needle and Thread, Crazy Mom's Finish It Up Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop Friday, and Busy Hands Quilts, Finish or Not Friday

The Primitiva Quilt/Another Quilt Crosses the Finally Finished Line

One of my first posts when I started my blog last year was my disappointment that the Primitiva Quilt which I made in 2015 was still a top after more than a year and wasn't ready for Fall.  It was on my 2017 project list to finally quilt and come October it still was a top and it was bugging me that another Fall would go by with Primitiva still waiting to become a quilt.

I was going to be focused this week by working on projects as planned:

I basted and started hand quilting the Smitten Top

I sewed over fifty blocks for the Splash of Color QAL which Myra from Busy Hands Quilts is hosting(you can read about it here).

And on Wednesday afternoon, before I started quilting the six baby quilts for the Blanket Ministry, I decided to cut the binding I needed and pulled out my die-cutter and the 2.5" strip die.

After that was done, I thought I would cut some more binding while the equipment was out and went to the drawer where I keep fabric set aside for binding and saw the Primitiva fabric. And that's when my best laid plans fell on the wayside because after I was done die-cutting those strips, I was suddenly in the mood to machine quilt the top.  So the backing was sewn, the pin basting quickly done and the decision to quilt organic squiggly (inspired by one of the prints) lines with orange thread came pretty easy  which normally doesn't happen especially when I'm in impromptu mode.

One of the reasons why it took me several years to finally finish this quilt was trying to decide if I should just back it with Minky and call it a Patchwork Coverlet. I'm glad I chose to quilt it instead because the back looks and feels so lush and besides that, what else could I have done with the four yards of backing fabric I already had.  As of right now, I can't seem to locate the rest of the Primitiva fabrics, it's not where I thought I would have put it.

Here are the stats:

Size:        56" x 72"

Blocks:    4" (finished) four patches with 4" x 8" rectangle blocks

Fabric:     Primitiva by Jane Dixon for Andover

Pattern Source:  I'm pretty sure I was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest.

Primitiva is now adorning my dining room table now and am glad that I'll get to enjoy it for at least three weeks before the Winter/Christmas quilts come out.  Hopefully, once I finish quilting the baby quilts, one down with five more to go, my good machine quilting vibes will come back because I still have six more tops on my project list. I should visit my binding drawer again.

An interesting note:  The Primitiva fabric was purchased around the same time I bought Matisse (you can read about it here) by Alexander Henry and Hot Flash (you can read about it here) by Louella Doss (around 2010-11) and you can see similarities with the bright colors and the fun prints.  Also, the three quilts I made from these three fabric lines were all finally finished during 2017 which is a pretty big quilting feat for me.  I love it when I can cross off a quilt, make that three quilts, off my project list.

I won't be posting an updated total for my Minus One Hundred Yard Challenge until I finish the baby quilts for the Blanket Ministry but I can say I've reached my goal; however it's only for a short while because I'm going out today with my Quilt Peep, Carol, to see the Kaffe Fassett Trunk Show at our local quilt shop where I also happen to have a gift certificate.  I'm pretty certain there is going to be some fabric purchases.

Linking up with: My Quilt Infatuation, Thursday Needle and Thread, Crazy Mom's Finish It Up Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop Friday, and Busy Hands Quilts, Finish or Not Friday