Crazy busy here these last few weeks, but I did manage to re-cut all the oops squares for the snowball blocks. The top is pieced and ready to quilt.
I’m thinking of diagonal lines through the nine-patch blocks but haven’t decided what to do for the snowball blocks. Any ideas?
Cheers!
I have sewn the last of the binding down on the quilt-along quilt. Crooked seams aside I’m pleased with how it turned out. There were a couple of things I learned while making this:
I figured out the last one by accident. I had been using a Microtex 80/12 needle—a couple of them actually. After struggling with skipped stitches and breaking thread while doing the free-motion quilting on the border, I happened to be paging through Laurie Shifren’s book Batik Gems and there it was on page 17. I’ve been through that book a zillion times but hadn’t retained that bit of information. I now have a note by my sewing machine to remind me. What a difference it made!
This quilt is also one of my PHD projects on Myra’s blog.
Now for the oops.
This is from my own pattern. I knew I was supposed to cut the green squares at 6 1/2-inches. Somehow what my brain knew and what my hands did suffered a disconnect. Thank goodness my local fabric shop had more of the green.
Cheers!
finis
I’ve managed to fit in some time on quilting the borders. Progress is slow but getting there. I decided to go with a somewhat freeform leaf/vine motif. The contrast between the thread color and the dark batik isn’t as stark on the actual quilt. (Yes, someday I will replace my camera, or learn to take better pictures with what I have!)
I also received these goodies in the mail recently. Burgundy Buttons was having a sale and I couldn’t resist.
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On another note, I read a post on Jaybird Quilts about organization and had to smile. Can I stay organized? Nope. Do I start to get spazzed when things get a little too haphazard and messy? Yup. Is every flat surface clear? Are you kidding?? Although, maybe if I put up more shelves I’d have a better shot at it. And I can relate to things that don’t have a place where they belong. That either says something about the virtues of having fewer things, or a better system for storing said things (it’s pretty much just the fabric I need more room for). Back to the more shelves idea . . .
Cheers!
