The green and cream half square quilt top is done. I decided at the last minute it needed to be a bit bigger and have another spin. I really like it but part of me wishes I'd taken the time to have the lines flow into the second spin instead zig-zag. I had a hard time working the second spin in, by the time I figured it out it was late and I was grumpy.

I have lots of quilting to do. I ran out of safety pins or the pile would be bigger. I took the Juki off the frame so I can use it to quilt the butterfly quilt.

And I have a finish! Even the binding is done. I quilted Picnic with double loops in a sage green thread. This is not a big quilt but it took three spool of thread for the top and bobbins.  Are they putting less thread on spools? I emptied one spool filling four bobbins then ran out of bobbin and top thread with about 10 inches of quilt left. I swear my larger quilts didn't take that much thread.

 

My adventure for the week:

 

 

My tire blew out on the highway at about 8 p.m. Not too bad as I was already slowing down to take the next exit. Thank goodness for a large shoulder on the road, the Highway Patrol, CSAA and a good spare tire. I was back on the road in 30 minutes.

 

We've had a lot of fires in my area. Below is a very pretty, very smoky sunset.

 

 

Prolific

I think I've mentioned it before Nancy is a very prolific quilter...

A mystery quilt from our local quilt store.

I don't remember the name of the pattern but I love the colors.

And her Day Break quilt...she went a little overboard when she was cutting out the blocks, it takes two people to hold her quilt up.

I'm trying to be prolific also...I finished my Day Break quilt...only takes one person to hold it up.

I made a ton of green and cream half square blocks years ago with a different pattern in mind...it probably would still be in the closet if I stuck to the original pattern...still have a few rows to add, don't know the pattern, I used a picture I took ages ago for the design.

Picnic is loaded on the frame (it's almost done).

The butterfly quilt is pinned. I know what design I want to quilt in each 9 inch block, which I can't do on my frame. This is the first quilt I finish after I started blogging almost 6 years ago.

These are ready to be pinned...other than I need to find backs for them.

I'd say I have a little bit of quilting to do.

 

Distracted

Jayme and I took a detour from quilting this past weekend.  We are both late blooming hippies...

 

We tie-dyed for the first time ever...what a mess, but lots of fun.

 

We used the same dress, but different techniques...this is the original dress.

 

 

Jayme folded her dress in half, drew a line across it, then fan folded it. Cool.

 



 

I did a traditional spiral. After applying the dye to the wedges I sponge brushed the whole thing with purple.  Groovy man.

 

We had a bit of dye left over so I grabbed a couple of old white t-shirts and tried a couple of other techniques.

 

 

My hands are still purple.

Peace.
 

 

Not a Pieced Back

  
So. How can I tell a story about a pieced back for the Modern Amish quilt when I've never shown a picture of the finished quilt? This is the last post I did on the quilt.  Here is the finished Modern Amish quilt:

Finished the quilt top in 2013.

Last year I decided I had lots of scraps left over and would make a pieced back for the quilt.  Well that didn't happen. I didn't like how it was going so put it away...for a year.

Worked on it again last weekend. By the time I finished piecing it I decided to make it a quilt top. I didn't want to hassle with trying to figure out the center of the quilt top and the center of the back and trying to line them both up so the center of the back was in the center of the top. Makes me stressed just writing that. So I made another top. Little bit smaller than planned but it uses up the last of the gray most of the solid scraps from the original quilt.

Now I have to find a back for both quilt tops.
 

Update

  
Okay, define finished? Picnic is a flimsy...

The bazillion half squares were all squared up, sewed into broken dishes block, then sewed into stars, then all sewed together. I LOVE HOW THIS TURNED OUT.

I made a quilt and two table runners from the jelly roll...this is all that is left...I'm trying to let it go.

I do NOT have to use up every little bit right now...but I really really want to. What could I make with that little bit?

The rows to Day Break are sewn together. I added background pieces the ends to square it up so I don't have to make bias binding or deal with the innie corners.

Got the binding hand sewn on the civil war BOW...that one I can confidently say is finished.

And the poor rose quilt got put back in the pile. Do you remember the very large log cabin quilt I bought at a garage sale a couple of years ago? Well, I did cut it up into four smaller quilts. I got the first one quilted and another is currently loaded on the frame.

The top has everything in it and is not very cuddly. I used some of the flannel squares I made up a few years go for the back.  Very bright, but soft and cuddly. Hopefully it makes up for the top.

I have friends coming over to sew next weekend and the following weekend...so I should finish all four soon.

Maybe not finishes, but I think I've definitely made progress.
  

No Finishes

 
Kinda hard to finish something when you are working on five things at once...

This quilt has been laying on the frame for over two weeks (finished this quilt top in 2009, look what I wrote about it then). I can't decide how I want to quilt it.

I had LOTS of bonus triangles from the Picnic blocks. They are squared up at 1.5 inches. The Broken Dishes blocks are 2.5 inches. Using them as a kinda sorta leader-ender.  Oops, missed squaring up a set.

Speaking of the Picnic blocks. I got them sewed into rows last night.

I have also finished all of the Day Break blocks and sewed the sashing on. Here it is on the design bed. I haven't decided if this is the final layout...or not.

 

Finished quilting the civil war quilt, and have about a third of the binding hand sewn down.

 

While I haven't finished anything my friends have. Nancy finished this cute quilt top. Little Black Dress fabrics by Moda...yum!

 

 

And Angela finished her first baby blanket. Simple tied blanket but I think this is her first sewing project since high school Home Ec (and we won't mention how long ago that was). I wish I'd thought to have her drop one corner so you could see the back... it has the cutest blue, green and white chevron stripe.

 

She definitely has the quilting (fabric buying) bug, so I am predicting lots and lots of quilts from her soon.
 

Did You Celebrate?

 
I did! There was fun, sewing, a TON of food, lots of laughs, and yes, we even went fabric shopping.

Jayme worked on binding. Nancy brought her Day Break quilt to lay out on the design bed (design floor was occupied). Would you believe that is the "lap" size? The design bed is a queen.

Everybody brought food.

Stacey made "biscuits" - the quilty kind. Delicious.

Nancy had also dug out an old UFO to finish...she split the blocks into two piles and made two sweet little quilts for her grand nieces.

Stephanie worked on her log cabin blocks. My picture doesn't do the colors justice.

 

Isn't this a cute idea! Stephanie's sister "numbered" her quilt rows with baby pins. Each pin holds the row number of safety pins.

 

Dawn was making purses - three at once.

And I was trying to quilt this...had to clean the machine first...and socialized... loaded bobbins...and ate...quilted one pass...and went shopping...quilted another pass...and socialized...

Needless to say I didn't get much done, but I definitely celebrated National Quilting Day the right way...with lots of great quilting friends!