What I’m Working On…

Happy 4th of July to my American readers.

What a crazy weekend.  I had family here from Thursday until yesterday.  WOW.  More about that coming up.  I did manage to get a few things done earlier in the week but before I get to that, I did a wrap-up and an updated list to my Dirty Dozen UFO list.  You can find the wrap-up list HERE and the new list HERE.

Mary from Country Threads Chicken Scratch blog picked number 10.  I am SO HAPPY!!  My number 10 in my Hawaiian Sunset quilt.  I’m thrilled to have that out and already working on it.  Maybe there’s a chance I’ll get it done this month.

I do have my fabric to finish this up.  The gals at Forest Mills worked with me to get me set up with fabric.  They took pictures, mailed them to me, and let me pick…then mailed the fabric to me.  WHOOT!  WHOOT!

Here is what I’m using.  The navy isn’t as dark as in the original but I’m okay with that. Now I just need some uninterrupted time and this can get cut and sewn together.

I decided to work on my American Quilter’s Quilt Along quilt.  I had six blocks to make so I got them all sewn together.  Then I realized I had cut out two of this block…

…and didn’t have any of this block.  The worst part is …that the instructions have been taken down.  If someone wants the pattern, it’s now $25 to get it.  Well, I didn’t want to pay that to get the instructions again.  I had made a donation previously…and for only one block, no.  So…I dug and dug on the internet and ended up finding block #20 embedded in the Youtube video for block #20.  I also found the finishing directions embedded in the finishing instructions Youtube video.  WHEW!

I got this block made, then went back to the assembling.

A blog reader asked me how I assemble a quilt top that has sashing but no cornerstones.  She said her blocks get wonky.  I totally get it.  I prefer cornerstones as well.

I do the “draw the line” method.  I sew one strip onto the row of blocks.  I flip it over and then draw a line on the back side of the sashing from the sewing line of the block to the edge of the sashing as shown.

You can see the two lines in the photo below.  That’s where the cornerstone would be if this layout used cornerstones.

Then I take the next row and line up the blocks to the line.

I pin it in place.

I make lines and pin using this method for the whole row.

They end up lining up pretty good that way.

I ended up getting the entire top together.  WHOOT!  WHOOT!!  I’m so pleased to have this into a top.  I really thought when I started this last year that I would keep up with this stitch along but I certainly didn’t.  Here I am a year later finishing mine up.  I’m hoping to get this on the longarm this week.

I ended up piecing together a backing.  I had some fabrics that needed to get used up.  It’s not a glamorous backing but it matches and I was able to use that one flag block.  In-person the reds look better together.  I have enough of the blue that I can bind it with that.

From there I went on to work on Gannon’s quilt.  You might remember he needs a quilt and pillow for preschool.  I used Lori Holt’s Spelling Bee book (Find it HERE) to make Gannon’s name.

I was able to get the blocks for his whole name spelled out.  Gannon is into red tractors so I’ll be using this panel in the quilt.  It won’t be anything really fancy.  I think I’ll just add some to the name banner with some additional blue and red and then some of the same blues at the bottom.  We’ll see.  It’s a “make decisions as I go” project.  I’m thrilled to have it this far though.  school starts in August and I need to make one for Georgie too.

Speaking of Georgia.  She picked out the fabric for her quilt on Friday.  She was so excited when she found this…

It was so cute.  She found it completely unprompted.  She just saw it and squealed.  (Notice she was wearing a unicorn dress)

I had previously found the sheet you see below at Goodwill so it will be the backing.  It goes perfectly with the fabric panel we bought at the quilt shop.

She was so happy!!  It will be unicorns (coon-i-corns when she says it) on the front and horses on the back.  What more could this girl want??

I’m going to cut the panel pieces apart.  I will mix them with fabric squares that are the same size.  I’m so excited this is coming together.  It’s exactly what she wants!

In between the sewing, I got done I worked on some blocks for my True Blue UFO.  These blocks come together so nicely.  I’m really enjoying working on them.

For those who haven’t been following along, a blog reader gifted me some leftovers of this quilt seen on the cover of THIS book.
I already have the book and always wanted to make this quilt.  I ended up cutting out a few blocks and was able to finish a few.  I think this will be my leader and ender for a bit before I start working on this full speed ahead.

Here are my blocks.

It’s easiest to cut two blocks with the same fabrics at a time so that’s what I’ll be doing.

I’m so happy with the amount of sewing I got done this week.  I did more than I expected which is nice.  The thing I didn’t get done was bind the double wedding ring quilt.  AH!!  Will that ever get done?  I want to take pictures when I cut the bias binding and want to take pictures as I go so I can show how to cut and bind with bias binding on a scalloped edge.  Anytime I need to take extra pictures, I need extra time.  I didn’t really have a large chunk of time this week.  I just squeezed in bit and pieces of time to get some things done.

The garden is mostly caught up so I’m doing the happy dance.  Hopefully, I can get some sewing and stitching time.  Fingers crossed!!