I loaded this quilt on the longarm machine a few days ago and last night I decided to get it quilted. I started this quilt around 1998 while I was still working at a quilt shop. I'm not sure when I finished the top but it was before 2007 because I showed it on my blog the first year I was blogging (2007). I chose the backing and cut the batting for it last year. Here is the post where I showed it and the color on the quilt top is more accurate in that photo. I finished the quilting about 10:30 p.m. so I didn't get it trimmed yet. It is about 76" x 96" after quilting.
I need to clear off my design walls so I started sewing some tops together. I left the edges of the 8' wide design wall in the picture so you can see this quilt is big. I'm contemplating adding to 2 sides to make it into a more rectangular shape.
I have been making the blocks for this quilt when I go to the twice monthly sewing day. I decided to stop this one at 52" x 60". It is mostly Brandon Mably fabric with a few Kaffe and Philip Jacobs fabrics added. For this one you pair 2 fabrics and cut one 2.5" strip of each. Cut four 8" pieces from each strip, take one piece of each and slice it down the middle lengthwise. That will make 2 blocks that look so different that you won't notice you have 2 blocks of the same fabrics in the quilt.
I have continued making 6" blocks with the leftovers from the plaid/stripe log cabin quilt. I have cut the scraps into 2.5" squares, 4.5" squares and 2.5" x 6.5" rectangles. Every block is pieced the same. I might use these in the pieced backing of the log cabin quilt because they aren't very attractive together.
The second double Amaryllis flower has bloomed. I think there might be a third one now. It is a pretty small bud so I'll be patient and see if it develops into a flower.
I finally finished sewing the log cabin top. I think I might piece the back out of some of the bigger pieces of plaids and stripes. This fabric is very lightweight so I think a lightweight backing would be nice too.
It was above freezing all day yesterday but we still have snow. Today is supposed to be around 40 so a lot more should melt.
Here is proof I started sewing the quilt together but I just couldn't stick with it. Maybe I'll get it done today, maybe not.
When my friends were over on Friday I pulled out some stacks of fabric looking for one particular one. So....I spent time petting this stack instead of sewing the rows of the log cabin.
I finished the last 8 blocks and this is the final layout. Since I have an uneven number of blocks in both directions none of the symmetrical layouts would work unless I had it off center. I will sew it together today. It should finish at approximately 77" x 99". I had intended to make it smaller but somehow I just had to fill that whole double design wall with one row barely hanging onto the right edge. It will have a dark binding to finish it off, whatever plaid or stripe I have enough of to do the job.
I thought is was appropriate to finish these two mug rugs last night as they seemed to fit the theme. The little squares were cut over 20 years ago and sewn together in 2012. I quilted them this week and finished the binding last night.
I turned the blocks a half turn to change the top row. Now I have to decide if I like the first dark zig on the left with its point cut off. I can flip blocks around again and make it whole. I have 2 friends coming over today to help me evaluate it.
Now there are two blooms on the orange cactus and a dozen more buds.
We had a little snow during the day yesterday and then last night at 11 p.m. the temperature was above freezing for the first time in 5 days.
I decided I will make 8 more blocks so while I was in the basement cutting more strips I changed the layout to a larger zig zag. I will probably change it again when I get all of the blocks up on the wall. I don't like the top row the way it is.
My second Amaryllis is blooming. This one has lots of petals. There will only be two flowers on this one instead of the usual four.
