Floating Stars - July

July 31, 2017

Well, the last minute panic over the fact that I'm moving, um, today, has set in. I really thought I'd have more sewing time to de-stress, but I've been so tired that iPad time just works better. So, I did get all the blocks finished for Floating Stars, but I didn't get them sashed.

I already plan on mailing my Quilts of Valor tops back to my Washington coordinator - the nearest drop-off in Oklahoma is 90 minutes away. And I'm definitely not up for starting a new chapter! So this will get finished after the move, along with a couple more star blocks and its twin quilt.

I already have the sashing picked out. It's all stars and stripes and should give a cool effect without the added work of piecing the sashing.

Now I just have to hope that none of it gets lost in the move...we signed a lease on a house, so hopefully it will just go from here to there without incident!

So how's everyone else's block of the move - er, I mean, week - going? Link up here or at What a Hoot!

Coast to Coast Now Retired - a Finished T-Shirt Quilt

July 28, 2017

And finally, the last of the really big t-shirt quilts! This is a celebration of Disney races, and there's a loooooooot here to celebrate.

Lots of race shirts, lots of shirts worn in races, lots of shirts celebrating the races.

And they're all crammed in there - this is the tightest design I've ever done, but I managed to get everything into a king size shape. It's somewhat separated between Tinkerbell, Princess races, and the regular race weekends, with the other shirts scattered about wherever there was room.

Disney has really mastered the art of multiple races in a weekend - all this plus a 5K, plus I'm pretty sure there was another 5K the next week during a Disney cruise.

It's quilted in loops and hidden Mickeys - so well hidden that it took me forever to find one to photograph! And I was the quilter, sheesh!

The backing is the utterly amazing stained glass Beauty and the Beast print from Joann's. I'm so glad I got my hands on it!

Way too big for my poor fence. We signed a lease today on a house with a wooden fence, so there will be a new backdrop soon. I don't think anyone is going to miss the chainlink fence! {Or my weeds...}

It didn't have an official name when I was taking pictures. I swear.

But oh! The binding! I'm really starting to enjoy a striped binding. This is Tula Pink's Chipper, picked up on a whim at a friend's fabric sale. It is dead perfect for the back, and pretty darn good on the front, especially with all the Princess and Tinkerbell sections.

And now I am done with t-shirt quilts till after the move - that was twelve in seven months! Whew. It's good to finish it off with the big one.

100x100"

BOMs Away - Eternal Bloom #6

July 24, 2017

No, not my sixth attempt at a block this month! {Only the third...} But finally, the sixth block of Eternal Bloom. And let me tell you, that @&%@(& middle leaf part...

I would just like a little more instruction than these little packets come with. I mean, an 18" block with 225 pieces {yup, I counted!} should not have one sheet of paper, front and back, covering all the cutting and piecing! Sigh. But after a bit of seam ripping, it's together. And someday I will love this quilt. Just not the evening after putting a block together.

So did anyone else manage to finish a block this week? Link up here or at What a Hoot!

Wavy Nine Patch Border - a Tutorial

July 21, 2017

Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop! Hosted by Sarah of Confessions of a Fabric Addict, we’re about halfway through a whole bunch of tutorials to get you started on Christmas quilts and presents!

My tutorial is for a wavy quilt border - no, not THAT kind of wavy. I’m a firm believer in properly measuring for borders. {See this post explaining how!} My wave is from the layout of the nine-patches in the border.

I tried it out in the last border of my brother-in-law’s Army medallion, and while I liked the ease of piecing {every block is the same, yay!}, I wanted to see if I could get a more defined wave.

I can, but....I can’t get the seams to nest. I mean, I could. But each side of the border is a different set of pressing instructions, with four different blocks. So you would end up with Block A, Pressing Variation 1, make five; Block A, Pressing Variation 2, make 5; etc. In order to not complicate things beyond control, press all seams open. I KNOW. Trust me, it’s not my first choice, either.

The other complicating factor is your inner quilt size, obviously. These are 6” finished nine patches, so the inner quilt has to be a common denominator of that. Mine is 60x60”, to use an even ten blocks around the border. {Not counting corners.} I used a 7x7 layout of 8” finished blocks and a 2” stop border to get to 60x60.” Also, if you go bigger or rectangular with your quilt, the corner blocks may change.

Fabric Requirements

If you don’t want to go scrappy, like me!

Red - 22.5” or 5/8 yards {exactly, so if you want wiggle room to square up, get a bit more}

Aqua - 20” or 5/8 yards

Green - 22.5” or 5/8 yards {again, exactly}

Cut nine 2.5” strips of red and green. Subcut to {134} 2.5” squares.

Cut eight 2.5” strips of teal. Subcut to {128} 2.5” squares.

The Blocks

I know, a lot of them look alike. The difference is subtle but it matters!

A - make ten.

B - make ten.

C - make ten.

D - make ten.

Corner 1 - make two.

Corner 2 -make two.

The Layout

Just go slow and make sure you’re aligning the blocks correctly. I built one side at a time and kept my blocks stacked and labeled. {And then labeled the sides, too!}

And then attach them to your quilt! And you have a lovely wavy border!

My inner quilt is a double four patch, using these instructions. It’s a wee bit chaotic, but hey - so is Christmas, right?

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Don’t forget to visit Confessions of a Fabric Addict for daily quilt along instructions, and my fellow bloggers today, Quilted Blooms and QuiltFabrication. If you leave a comment on all four blogs, you’ll be entered into a daily giveaway for Tula Pink’s new Christmas line! AND, if you leave a comment on every blog, every day, you’ll be entered into the grand prize giveaway!

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I apologize, I timed my website transfer poorly and I'm in the middle of it right now. I would invite you to stay a while and browse around, but it appears that none of my previous post pictures made it over...so if you like words and big blank spaces, feel free to browse around? I also co-host a weekly Block of the Month progress link-up on Mondays - BOMs Away!