The applique borders are finished! Star Dance is now a completed flimsy!! Another project to cross off my list! The center stars were pieced in 2017 as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Before I started the border applique, I had toyed with the idea of making the border stars coordinate with the color of the pieced star closest to it, rainbow borders. That would have been interesting but I decided to mix the colors. I did add more circles to the border than the pattern called for but I don't think I overdid them. When I auditioned circles for the center of the bottom border there, I didn't think they looked right so I didn't add any. The stars finish at 4" and the flimsy measures 60" by 70". I made several changes from the original pattern. When I started this project, I had thought this would be a nice crib quilt but it is too large for that now.
I took several more pictures of the flimsy. I couldn't decide which one was the best so I'm including them all.
A full row of Nearly Insane did not get quilted. As I said in my last post, I've been spending more time outside Here is the hand quilting that happened last week starting at the right side and working my way to the left. These blocks finish at 6".
Right side triangle, stitched fast.
Easy peasy stitch in the ditch quilting
Instead of stitching in the ditch on this block, I quilted a fan design.
This block had the most stitching of the week. I like how it looks.
I like the simplicity of this block and it quilted easily too. I'll never receive a prize for my quilting stitches on this quilt. There are so many different fabrics, it's hard to be consistent with the stitching. Oh well, finished is better than perfect.
The rain system that had been over northern Indiana for the last several weeks has finally moved out and we've got sunshine! After several days without any precipitation, we can finally get into the fields. Spring planting has been seriously delayed and every farmer in our area is going as hard and fast as they can. This week we big baled our 18 acre hay field. Normally we are able to make four cuttings of hay a season but that may not happen this year because of the late first cutting. I was not able spend as much time on hand work this week because of being outside. I'm not complaining, I'm very thankful we can be in the fields and I enjoy being outside after the long, long, long winter.
Star Dance is almost finished. I need to add the circles to the center of the flower star blocks. I also want to add more circles to the border. I think the applique looks rather bare in some places. She measures measures 60" x 70". I've changed the pattern by piecing more blocks and I putting the stars on point.
I've tested the reduced size foundation paper pieced pattern for the Baskets & 9 Patches quilt just to see how piecing goes. Very straight forward but I did make a few changes to the pattern.
Look at the blue bottom piece of the blue basket, that section is made from three triangles. Why? You can't even see there are three triangles there. I've changed the pattern and now there is just going to be a rectangular strip of fabric with the corners cut off with the background fabric. Other than that change, the pattern is ready to go. I'm going to make 40 baskets so I've pulled 20 fabrics, making two baskets from each fabric. I'm slowly prepping the pieces so I can sit and piece all the baskets at a time without having to stop to cut more pieces. This is a very slow, tedious and boring job. I have to force myself to go do it! As I type this post, I've prepped enough for 12 blocks so far but I'm planning on cutting more today. There is always a part of quilting that bogs us down. * * * I've got them all prepped now!! * * * The baskets finish at 5" straight set or 7" on point. Forty baskets will probably be more than I need but while I'm sewing them, I might as well sew a few more. I've done the math, 40 should definitely be more than I need but math and I don't always agree. Hopefully I'll have lots of baskets to show you next week. I'm not dreaming about have the quilt progressed to the flimsy stage but if I do, that would be wonderful. Here is a link to a post about this quilt if you want more information. Linking to Let's Bee Social, Whatever Wednesday, Needle & Thread Thursday, Finished Or Not Friday,Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF!, Finish It Up Friday
It is now eight weeks of hand quilting and I'm over halfway finished quilting Nearly Insane. These blocks are 6" blocks. Believe it or not, this is a scrappy quilt. There are probably 50 different blue fabrics in this quilt and several different yellows.
I'm including a picture of the flimsy before I started quilting just to refresh your memory, mine too. I still have many weeks of quilting ahead but I'm looking forward to seeing what my Nearly Insane looks like when finished. Here are the blocks I've completed this week. This is row 4-1/2.
Left side triangle. The center of the triangle has a fussycut flower.
I've included a close up of the center at the bottom of the post.
I like this star with the fussycut center flower. I've included a close up of the center at the bottom of the post.
I didn't get this star quilted quite like I wanted but it will have to do. Removing small stitched hand quilting is difficult. The blue star center is quilted too but the stitches don't show even though I've used white thread. Despite the quilting not being quite what I wanted, this is my favorite block of this row.
This block took a long time to quilt. I didn't think I was ever going to get it finished! I did quilt the tiny HST's though, that's what took so long.
This block was a straight forward easy block to quilt. Added a design to the center square.
This block didn't take that long. I added the same design in the center square as the above block.
Right side triangle. Have you noticed or perhaps I've mentioned it before. The rows with triangles have the same half block on each side. When I was piecing the blocks, I had a choice of 2 ways to make the triangles. Either sew 1 block and cut it in half or piece 2 triangles blocks. I chose to piece 2 triangle blocks, I wanted the 1/4" seam. I was afraid if I didn't have the 1/4" seam, the edge of my border would be goofy.
This fabric had cute little blue and pink flowers and were fussycut for several blocks throughout the quilt. Sorry, it's a little blurry.
The other fussycut, not as colorful as the other fabric but I liked this one too. These blocks may not have been in the correct order. I have a new photo program and for some reason Blogger and it seem to be having a relational problem. I like to write my posts ahead of time right after I've finished whatever I'm posting about. I finished quilting row 4-1/2 on Wednesday. Thursday I started quilting the the left border and a block. Friday I quilted several more blocks. Saturday I finished row 5, I had a twofer again! I was able to do all this quilting because we had another rainy week, no farming happened. Here are the blocks from row 5. I'm not showing any of the borders this time. You can't see the quilting in the outside border and the yellow border always looks the same.
When I pieced this bloc I made a mistake and the block was smaller than it should have been. I thought of Jane Stickle and added sashing to the block to make it full sized.
Stitched this block in the ditch except for the HST's.
Favorite block of the row. Who doesn't love a basket?
Stitched in the ditch again. Just one of the original blocks in the quilt.
Another original block of Salinda's design. The little HST's are less than 1/2", they're not quilted.
The 3rd corner of the Star Dance border is completed. The star blocks were pieced in 2017 for the RSC. I had decided that I wouldn't start a new RSC project this year until Star Dance was completed into a flimsy. I'm getting close! I would have like to take outside pictures but it was extremely windy and I didn't want to chase the quilt across the yard.
A view of the whole quilt.
A closer view of the applique completed this week.
Several times, over the last months, I have mentioned my list of the 10 unfinished quilts (UFQ's) I'm trying to progress into the flimsy stage this year. This is my list. I'm not necessarily finishing the quilts in this order but I have listed the finished flimsies first. Two of the completed flimsies were started from yardage this year. The rest were started before 2018. I just want to get them completed.
1. Nearly Insane- top is finished! and is in the hand quilting frame now. I blog about my quilting progress every Sunday on Kathy's Slow Stitching Sundays.
2. Pastor's Attic Quilt - The applique borders have been completed and the flimsy is finished! I need to get it marked so whenever the Nearly Insane quilting is finished, Pastor's Attic is ready for the hand quilting frame.
3. Bricks & Stepping Stones - comforter top for the school auction my Pennsylvania grandchildren attend. Finished! - a Bonnie Hunter pattern
The children at school will knot this comforter. This was a quick and simple pattern. I have plenty of rectangles left. I see more Bricks & Stepping Stones in my future.
4. King sized Boston Commons quilt for the school auction the Pennsylvania grandchildren attend. Finished! Someone in Pennsylvania will hand quilt this quilt. I really like how this turned out but now I want to make one for our bed but in blues and yellows, maybe in 2019?
5. Sweet Surrender - the center is completed. Just need to piece the outside border. I am not going to applique the border, I'll piece it. I'm tired of appliqueing this thing.
6. Star Dance - I'm appliqueing the borders now. My quilt is larger than the pattern. I'm so glad winter is gone!
7. Baskets & 9-Patches - the center is completed and the baskets are being foundation paper pieced. 8. Fat Quarter Challenge - this is a challenge with the Maple Leaf Quilt guild. I will show you the finished project the end of June.
9. Wilfred & Cloves - Still waiting, the blocks are pieced, just need to get everything sewn together. I last wrote about Wildred & Cloves in April, 2017.
10. No Name 4-1/2" finished 9 patch blocks - No Picture. Most of the 9 patches are pieced. This is a project I started on my own without a pattern. The idea is in my head. It will be lovely if it turns out like I hope. There are still several more unfinished scrappy quilts. If I should actually be able to complete the above 10 quilts, I'll move onto these projects. 11. Sisters Choice- I made a mistake in sewing the star points and had to recalculate. This is a Bonnie Hunter pattern or it was a Bonnie Hunter pattern, now it's mutated into something else! 12. Kitty Corner - I've made several quilts from this pattern years ago. I have leftovers from those quilts and just want to get the bits and pieces moved out of the tub. No picture. The pattern comes from the January/February 2000 issue of Fons & Porters Love of Quilting magazine, page 34. 13. Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Tripspattern or maybe her Bargellopattern. No picture, this is the lowest priority of all the unfinished projects. Strips are sewn but need to be cut. Linking to Let's Bee Social, Whatever Wednesday,Sew, Stitch, Snap SHOW, Needle & Thread Thursday,Finished Or Not Friday,Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF!, Finish It Up Friday, Show Off Saturday
How much did I get quilted on Nearly Insane this week? I completed another row, row 4 which is the very center row. I'm over half-way finished with the hand quilting!!
This is my favorite block in this row. After I had pieced this block, I realized I should have had made the pinwheel in the center with darker fabric because it doesn't show. When you see this block for real, the texture is wonderful.
May 1 - 6th was the Sauder Village Quilt Show held in Archbold, Ohio. I decided to exhibit this year and entered two quilts.
Blue & White Churn Dash received a red ribbon! There are so many lovely quilts in the show, I feel privileged to have received a ribbon.
