It's a Top! : A Snowball's Chance

A Snowball's Chance

It's just a top for now. There's still work to be done. 

56 x 77

It was supposed to be 59.5 wide instead of 56 because I was thinking I would cut those sashing strips at 3 inches but accidentally cut them at 2.5 instead.  Too bad...so sad...

Anyway...

Way back in July 2014 Sophie (of Block Lotto) introduced us to what she called a Spoke block. It finished at 7 inches.  (Coincidentally it is also this month's block of the month at Block Lotto but in a different size and color way). 

Anyway...

I really didn't like making the block...don't exactly know why...but I thought it looked like a snowflake and happened to have some snowflake fabrics leftover from making my daughter a snowball (and snowman) and nine patch quilt using what else? Snowflake and snowmen fabrics.  So I kept the Spoke that looked like Snowflake in mind for those snowflake fabrics someday. 

And...

One of my old Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects from a few years ago was a Dresden quilt on different gray backgrounds that I recently finished.   I had some bits and pieces and odds and ends of some gray solids left over from that quilt.   Feeling flaky in November 2015 I started making some Snowflake blocks using those snowflake fabrics and the gray background.    (note: 2015!!!! ) You know...gray skies...snowflakes...they go together, don't they?  Now remember when I said I really didn't like making the block? (if not see previous paragraph) ...well, I didn't make any more Snowflakes until a year later in December 2016 (time flies).  Off and on I made a few more here and there until one day I had a little box of them on a shelf along with a few snowflake strips and some gray odds and ends....a UFO.    And like Horton on the lazy Maisie bird's nest...it sat and it sat and it sat.

Anyway...

The last couple of years I've been trying to finish up UFOs and fabric scraps and strings and such and the Snowflakes moved to my second quarter Finish-A-Long list (#18).  (I know what you are thinking now...there's not a snowball's chance in hell she will finish everything on that list).   Ok. What to do? What to do? 

In the meantime...

I was looking at different free motion quilting ideas at Lori Kennedy's blog Inbox Jaunt and happened to see The Snowflake - a free motion quilting tutorial.  Hey, isn't that cool? Wouldn't that be cool on a Snowflake quilt?  Columns of snowflakes. Hmmmm...

And for all you who think that snowballs don't ever have a chance in hell...have hope!  Miracles sometimes do happen! 

Ad Hoc Improv Quilting with 

Kaja of Sew Slowly

Ann of Fret Not Yourself

Sometimes It's the Weather

Sometimes the weather helps me decide which of my gazillion UFOs to work on. 

SNOWFLAKES that finish at 7 inches.  Not trimmed. 

From July 2014 Block Lotto pattern 

I need to decide on finished layout so I know how many more  I need. 

Snowflakes and Snow

Because it snowed a lot over a week ago it triggered (inspired is not the right word to insert here) me to work on a UFO and make more snowflakes. 

Actually these are called SPOKES and I learned to make them a few years ago when it was the block of the month at Block Lotto.   But they will be SNOWFLAKES made out of snowflake fabrics against a gray sky in the quilt I have in mind.  I might have enough snowflakes now to finish up a top. Or not. I need to take count. 

And here's a whole lot of snowflakes. 

This is a picture of a ruler in the snow on our deck on Dec. 4 which melted a few days later, thank goodness.  My husband loves to take pics of winter weather and garden produce. So I'll give him credit for this pic. Where he got the pink ruler is beyond me. 

Feeling Flaky

I was off today and will be off the rest of the week.  I made my bread and will be making my pies in a minute. The kids, kids in laws, and grandkids will all be here tomorrow to give thanks. I'll be serving up lots of goodness from this year's garden. 

Our record snow of 9.9 inches this weekend and some snowmen have all but disappeared due to today's warmer temperatures. 

The snow reminded me that I was going to make snowflakes out of snowflake fabrics for a quilt I've had running around in my head for awhile. 

Actually, this is the Spoke block pattern from Block Lotto but I'm using it as a snowflake. 

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

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