My work in progress is cleaning out my closet of unfinished projects. I sewed the binding on the Doll quilt, but still need to add my initials and year 2013 to the binding. The basket weave binding and the paisley border were purchased in different places at different times yet they seem to really go together. Since the doll blocks were contributed by several members of a quilt guild I belonged to many years ago I still am puzzling over what to do for a label. I have the ladies' signatures on the wrong side of separate swatches of fabric. Maybe I should crazy patch or paper piece them together and sew the collage of signatures on the back? Maybe instead I will make a pillow using the same backing fabric as the doll quilt. I am liking that approach. It means starting a new project but it also means that I will be able to declare the Doll quilt finished!
The weather has been rainy here so I do not have a photo of the assembled top that shows the colors off to best advantage but I will post one soon. I inserted an old picture of some of the blocks just to spark the memories of those readers who have been following my blog posts. I have decided to send this quilt out to be long arm quilted. It is 50" x 60" and I want to still build up my FMQ skills on smaller quilts.
It was a decisive week. I also cut the backing for my quilt from the Earth, Wind, and Fire pattern and made its binding. I chose to use the extra wide backing fabric that I had initially rejected as having too much brown. When I looked at it again, it reminded me more of frost patterns on a window pane. Ice seems to fit the earth/wind/fire theme – sort of. I compared the fabric to the pale strips in the quilt and reconsidered it as a backing since it seemed to pick up those colors very well. I am considering naming my version of the quilt Sunny Spring Frost. Those swirly rose centers look like suns with rays extending outward. The pale strips are kind of frosty, like just before the morning's sunny rays hit your window pane, and the jewel tone strips are so spring like in color. It too is in line to be long arm quilted. It measures 72" x 72" and too big for me to want to FMQ it.
I think in an earlier post I said that this backing fabric reminded me of an oil slick on a puddle in the road. Yuk! I must have been in a bummer of a mood that day. I like it now and my opinion has done a real about face. I think it quite dainty and delicate. In a related anecdote... a friend of mine thought that White Shoulders was such an elegant name for a woman's fragrance. She pictured someone with lovely skin in a luxurious satin strapless evening gown. I said White Shoulders made me think of dandruff. I guess these are both examples of how marketing can put a positive or negative spin on something.
I stuffed seven Christmas ornaments and whip stitch closed their openings. They had been hanging around goodness knows how long. I had about a quarter of a bag of polyester stuffing but that was not quite enough. I supplemented by shredding pieces of polyester batting I had leftover from my earliest quilts. I was so glad to finally use up the stuffing and batting and to finishing the ornaments. I like the interplay of elves and mice. Aren't they cute?
The nursery has a jungle theme so I liked this print.
And what little boy does not like dinosaurs- especially ones that play with cars. Roar!
That's it for this week. Here are my stats.
Completed projects:
- Six burp cloths
- Seven Christmas stuffed ornaments
Ongoing projects:
- Doll quilt - awaiting label and intitialing
- Color Play of the Day - awaiting long arm quilting
- Sunny Spring Frost - awaiting long arm quilting
- Halloween pumpkin wall hanging - awaiting FMQ
- Grinch quilt - on design wall for assembly and creative sashing solution
- Scarecrow - on this list as a filler task
- Baby bunny book - barely started at last WIP
New projects:
- Burp cloths
Stats since last WIP post 2/06/13:
Completed projects - 13 (I count generously)
New projects - 6
Currently in progress - 7
Now I am off to check out what the rest of you have been up to at:
Now I am off to check out what the rest of you have been up to at:
I'm sure that Katie will love the burb cloths (as will her son)! I'm hosting a baby shower for her on March 16 and so I can pass them on to her at her shower, if you'd like.
ReplyDeleteWow you have been busy! Good on you for working on those WiPs and getting them finished!
ReplyDeleteI die of cuteness at those dinosaur "roar" burp cloths! And I remember those ornaments! If you have any left that aren't cut out yet, do save them for Autumn to stuff when she gets old enough :-) And those Batik hearts will make a great backign for that quilt (which I also love).
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