Still hand stitching......

I worked at the hand stitching of the binding on Crooked Cobblestones 3 but didn't quite finish it.  I wanted to sew the label into the seam allowance before the binding was totally done.  I have an HP label program where I designed my labels.  Since these quilts will be displayed at an art gallery I didn't get too wordy on the labels.  I said I designed the wall art but didn't say I made them.  In hindsight I wonder if I needed to say I made them too.

I could see a pink glow on the house across the street (east) from me so I grabbed my camera and looked out the west window.  I didn't see very many pretty sunsets when there were 7 trees in the way but now I have a view.

I have had several comments and emails asking about my crooked cobblestones.  I label each of my posts (at the bottom) and there is a Label List on my right sidebar.  Cobblestone Series is on the list so if you click on it you will be directed to all of the posts that show how I make the blocks, trim them, and design with them, and yes, they are my original design, but I'm sharing it with you.

A binding day...

I wanted to get the binding done on the 2 QOV quilts so I could wash them yesterday.  I cut the 9 kits using my own blue stash, about half have my red stash in them, and I provided borders, backings, batting and quilting.  The tops were pieced by other ladies in our Batavia, IL group.

I did the bindings all by machine.  I forgot sew the label into the binding on the second one so I had to hand sew it on all 4 sides.

This is the backing fabric on the first crooked cobblestone piece.  I trimmed away the excess and decided that 2 of the pieces were large enough to use for facings.

I had planned to do a facing but thought I should check to see if it would work as a binding and I think it looks OK.  It needed to be a piece that is quite multicolor so it didn't create an obvious edge.  Luckily I have enough of that fabric left to make the hanging sleeve and the rest of the binding.

I decided on the same print as the border but in a different colorway, with a dark gray background, as binding on this one.  I got 2 sides hand sewn last night.

In the groove.......

As long as I was already in the routine of quilting cobblestones, I stuck with it and got this one quilted yesterday.  I will put a binding on this one but I'm thinking maybe just facings on the ones I showed yesterday.  I think I will get the edge finishes and hanging sleeves on them right away and they can qualify as January finishes.

Finishing......

I finished the quilting on the large piece yesterday.  You may have seen this on my sidebar as my current favorite.  I had a small repair I needed to do on one block and I laid it aside for months.  The repair took 15 minutes; the roadblock in my brain couldn't see that.  This piece is about 36" x 47" and the small ones which I made 2 days ago are around 20" x 24".  This large one is Crooked Cobblestones 1.  Number 2 is finished and was shown here. I started quilting on number 3 which is the largest last night.  It is shown here when I was spray basting it.  The fourth large one is a cross which had some construction problems.  I fixed that last night too so it is ready to baste and quilt.  You can see from this post that I let it hang on a hanger for almost 3 years before I fixed it.  I guess the promise of a show of my quilts is finally getting me in gear.

3 small pieces..........

My goal yesterday was to make 3 small cobblestone quilt tops.  The widest is 22.5" and the narrowest 19".  They are all about 24" tall.  I should have moved them down the design wall so the top would have had better lighting. Next time...   Now I can use 3 more small pieces of batting.

I feel so refreshed after working with these blocks, almost like I have been to a retreat for 2 days. 

A few more blocks.......

I saw all of those sorted scraps laying there and couldn't help myself.  I made 27 more crooked cobblestones.  I haven't pressed or trimmed them yet.  Now I have hidden the bin with the pieces in it so I can't make any more.  They are so relaxing, soothing, stress relieving, well, you get the picture, but I have other things I need to be doing.

Crooked Cobblestones day......

The Internet was back on this morning but I had errands to run before I could post.  I posted the last one from my smart phone.  It takes pretty good photos.  I made 39 new crooked cobblestone blocks yesterday and got them trimmed last night.

A couple of my readers insist that I must be very organized to get so much done.  I am organized to a point but have a lot of clutter and "where on earth is that ....." in my life.  I will explain my organization for the cobblestone blocks.  I keep all of the small pieces appropriate for them in one container, stacked flat so they don't get wrinkled.  I throw things in that container for months and then one day I sit down to make more blocks.  I organize the pieces by size to lay by my machine as I'm assembling the blocks.

When I'm done making blocks I usually organize all of the scraps that are left, again by size, and then bag them in the bin so only the new pieces thrown in will have to be sorted later.

All of the pieces that are appropriate for centers of new blocks are bagged separately.  Each of these piles is about 2.5" tall so that's a lot more cobblestones!

I keep yardage on shelves usually divided loosely by color, quarter yards or less go onto a separate shelf unit so if I need a small piece quickly I can search through that so I'm a little bit organized.  I don't stuff fabric all wrinkled into a bag or container and then have to spend hours ironing it.  I try to stack the small pieces flat and ready to use at a minute's notice.  This is how I get quickly into a new project. 

You can see photos of my stash if you go to my Label list on the sidebar and click on Stash.  You will have to go back into older posts to see all of it.