Picture heavy post!
Tra la la! I finished stitching the binding down during my guild meeting yesterday, and trimming all the threads this morning (nothing like taking pictures of a thing to notice all the flaws in it!).
HtbaS - Episode 140
WIP Wednesday: Quilting Sand Is For the Birds
Well, I’m sort of stuck with Beachwalk quilting. I’ve “finished” quilting 4 out of 9 blocks, but reserve the right to go back and quilt in some areas if it looks uneven when the center is done. I’d love to take a break and piece something, but I have the superstition that if I move my machine back into piecing mode from quilting- with- monofilament- mode (change the bobbin case, adjust stitch length, change the needle, etc.), catastrophe will happen. So I suppose I’ll power through, and maybe set up my Featherweight if I really need to piece something?
Here’s what I need to be piecing to stay on top of the Star Surround quilt along. I think I’ll get a chance to mark my HSTs today, but at least I have all my pairs set up.
In pairing my fabrics I was a little leery of some of my fabric choices but ultimately decided to go with my gut and keep my fabrics in there. Also, if I changed my mind that meant I had to do more cutting and NUH-UH. Not doing it. So I go with the feeling that “well, it’s only a Christmas quilt, so if it’s truly hideous we only have to look at it for a month!” I suppose I could also give it a real kick-ass back if we want to turn it over instead. 🙂
And side note, if you follow my Stash Reports, you know I’ve been steadily using up my stash. Lest you think I’ll run out of fabric, let me show you this.
It used to be that all three shelves were full and I couldn’t fit those green boxes on there. I’m excited to have it at this level because it means that those green project boxes are off the corner of my cutting table, and onto the shelves so I have more room to spread out on the cutting table. This picture does not include my novelty drawer, holiday fabric, or batiks. Each of those live in a plastic drawer unit next to this shelf. On the whole, I’m glad I’ve reduced my hunter greens down to half a stack, but feel like I need a little more aqua and “regular” browns (which I’ll need for my parents’ quilt next year anyway), and some more yellows and regular reds. However, I don’t know if I don’t use those colors because I don’t have them, or if I don’t have those colors because I don’t use them. It’s a real chicken and egg question!
Sunday Stash - Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
No finishes! Everyone clutch your pearls in horror. Meanwhile, the last two blocks are finished for the Beachwalk Quilt (picture quality is crap as my camera is apparently disintegrating before my eyes):
Next week should see the finish of the signature quilt for my daughter’s teacher as I take a step back from these intense applique blocks.
- Used this Week: 0 yards
- Sad trombone!
- Used year to Date: 144.5 yards
- Added this Week: 0 yards
- Woohoo!
- Net Used for 2013: 76.75 yards
- YTD Used for Charity: 69.5 yards (47% of total used)
See more stash reports at Patchwork Times!
HtbaS - Episode 127
WIP Wednesday: Blowout
Sunday Stash - The One With Crabs
Well, when working on a large, slow project, the yardage doesn’t exactly get used up all that quickly when you account only for finished projects. I’m enjoying the McKenna Ryan Beachwalk blocks immensely, and finished block 4 last night (see crabs to the right). Block 5 should go quick since it’s just umbrellas on a beach -famous last words!
I also finished step 1 and part of step 3 of my Easy Street Redux quilt, so I only have a satifyingly large pile of 4 patches to knock over, but no numbers in the spreadsheet for it.
- Used this Week: 3.25 yards
- 0.5 yd for vinyl window pouch
- 1 yd for bed caddy
- 1.5 yd for mixer cover
- 0.25 yd for various projects my daughter did
- Used year to Date: 144.5 yards
- Added this Week: 0 yards
- Woohoo!
- Net Used for 2013: 76.75 yards
- YTD Used for Charity: 69.5 yards (47% of total used)
See more stash reports at Patchwork Times!
Beachwalk Blocks 1-3
I’ve made a bit more progress on the Beachwalk quilt, and I’m loving it more and more. Here is block 1 with block 2 now appliqued on the other side (the block still needs trimming):
Oh, you’d like a picture without a giant cat on it? Well, so would I. Guess we’ll all have to learn to live with disappointment.
It is necessary to clean one’s toes while one’s mother is attempting to trace shapes. Or have a kitten party.
Except I guess they aren’t kittens anymore, since Nina turns one in a couple weeks. *sniff* I think like Zoom, though, she’s going to retain her kitten-ness for the rest of her life since she’s only about 7 1/2 - 8 pounds.
After shooing the cats off, I finished block 3 as well:
It measures 10 x 33″, and has lots of satifyingly chubby sandpipers. The next block has about a bazillion crabs crawling all over a sandcastle.
WIP Wednesday: Beachwalking
I finally buckled down and started the actual applique for the Beachwalk quilt. Of course I first had to sort out the fabric from the kit and label and organize all of them, and then pull out the fabrics for the first block, and then pick the best coloration within the fabric for the individual applique pieces. But then! It all comes together and voila!
Now before you think I’m really bad at centering, Block 2 gets appliqued on the left hand side there. I’ll work on that one next.
When I’m sick of applique, I’ll take a break to put together the top for the signature quilt for my daughter’s teacher.