Distractions

In the middle of the chaos of moving, I pulled out my sewing machine and attempted to finish the remaining two quilts for my brothers. With half-packed boxes and detritus strewn about my bedroom, I set to work. I ignored everything for a whole day to sew. Fortunately the kiddos were engaged in their own crafty pursuits. I was able to piece both remaining quilts. They came together fairly quickly once I started and had a plan.

Once pieced, I wanted to do a little free motion quilting on my oldest youngest brother's quilt. I put it aside to grab my manual and attachments only to realize they had been packed. Hmm...With a few more hours left in the day, I decided to quilt the other one. I searched youtube a bit for an idea of how to quilt dresden plate quilt blocks. With the knowledge gleaned from that resource, I set to work outlining each flower petal individually. It took a long time to do all nine flowers despite the small size of the quilt (approx 60" square). I loved the finished result. I sewed the binding on one side and set it aside to hand sewn it completely onto the quilt.

My nails were destroyed using chemical cleaners in the bathrooms. We use vinegar and baking soda exclusively but wanted something a bit tougher for move-out

The quilt sat for the rest of our stay in our home. I finally decided to finish it while we stayed at my parents' home. With a sick little boy curled beside me, I sewed on the binding. It went quickly. I folded the finished quilt and texted my brother and Dave to tell them that we could now leave. The quilt was done.

I am not sure what I would be able to accomplish if it weren't for stress and a huge list of to-do items. When faced with an overwhelming life, I need a bit of distraction. Fortunately this was such a welcome one. I almost don't want to give it away.

A Glimpse of Summer

Once I had a plan in place, it has been easy to begin work on the quilt. I have found myself working a lot on my grandmother's quilt blocks this week. I found a yellow Kona cotton that I thought worked really well with the blocks.

Since it is comprised of scraps that my grandmother had on hand, the blocks do not coordinate. The colors and fabrics are all over the board, so the yellow really brings it together.

I decided to make three inch sashing and six inch borders. It is turning out well.

Using my vintage Singer 301 - sews like a dream

I only had a brief problem when I began sewing the strips together. Although I measured a fair sampling to ensure the blocks were all 18" square, my rows did not line up. I had to rip quite a bit. I grabbed more pins and was able to line them up better. It isn't perfect, but I think it works. The quilt reminds of the bright colors of spring and summer.

 I am trying to decide how to back the quilt. I think I will use a few special clothing items from the kiddos in keeping with the scrap idea. I will piece them together to form a strip across the back. The big question is what fabric to use for the main back sections. I am drawn a bit to a gingham, but am thinking perhaps a solid color would be better. Any ideas?

One Third

I have a plan.  I have a crazy plan.  I have a plan to make three quilts by giftmas.  I want to make one for each of the kiddos.  I only have one pieced and sandwiched.  I have ideas for each of them, but putting them together is taking quite a bit of time.

The quilt pieced and sandwiched was waiting for quilting inspiration.  It is for B, and I think I know what I want to do.  It will be a simple geometric pattern.  I have the binding selected.  It is from the same fabric collection as the quilt top, Punctuation from American Jane.  It just needs to be cut and sewn into strips.  I am hoping to handsew the binding, but I may have to adjust that plan as the deadline approaches.

The next quilt was stuck on piecing.  The fabric is the City Weekend collection and is soft and feminine.  I had selected a pattern, but I didn't love it.  Then a friend showed me this quilt.  I love it, and have decided to make this pattern.  It required a bit of fabric, which has been ordered.  The backing fabric has been selected.  Not sure about the binding yet.  I need to hurry.

The last quilt will be made of jeans.  I have enlisted the help of everyone I know in collecting jeans.  It will include jeans from everyone in our family as well as from our community.  It will be a simple 4.5inch square top.  I will quilt it with straight lines.  I don't think this is the best time to learn free motion quilting.

Am I crazy?