Friday, June 06, 2008

Finished by Friday: A Quilt I Don't Really Even Like Very Much



So how did we do this week? I made progress on a bunch of things. I did collect my quilting patterns and other notes and put them in a 3-ring binder; I also did one for doll related patterns and notes. And I washed all our throw rugs. Not too exciting, I know, but it really needed to be done.


I also finished this quilt top that I had a lot of fun with when I was laying it out, but when it was done I didn't really like, so it was languishing in a box. Why finish a quilt you don't even like very much, you ask? Because two of our church teens (Miss B is one of them) are off to a short-term mission trip in Matamoros, Mexico, later this month, and they are taking a bunch of blankets and quilts with them to distribute to hospitals there. (Read about it here.) When I saw the gorgeous crocheted afghans that were going to Mexico, I thought the least I could do is finish off this quilt top and include it. And honestly, once it was done, I like it a lot better now.

Of course all of you are looking at it and thinking, "Wow, she is a TERRIBLE machine quilter. She doesn't even have a walking foot, obviously. And she doesn't know how to square a quilt, either." Right on the first two; I do know how to square a quilt, but didn't bother this time.

Maybe it will look better if you cross your eyes and don't focus, like this:


Heh.


In other news, I have been working hard at getting my sewing stuff (mostly fabric stash) organized on our front porch so it's accessible but still pretty and not an eyesore. I had the brilliant notion to stack fat quarters and other smidgens in old tin breadboxes. In this picture, you can see that Jack-Jack, Lil Miss A's cockatiel, was "helping" me. What a clever boy! He is sitting on the stack of yellow fat quarters, exactly where he would belong were he a fat quarter himself! I totally didn't set that up, he flew straight to it.

The job would be going more quickly if it weren't for the fact that I am cutting a 1-7/8" square out of the corner of each fabric I sort, for a charm 9-patch I'm working on. More on that later.

Okay, everybody: What did you finish this week? Large or small, I want to see it! Post it here in Comments or link to a post on your own blog. Even if it is something you don't like much, like my quilt, if it's Finished by Friday, you have accomplished something!



UPDATE: Here's my sister's contribution: A beautiful baby quilt top she finished piecing this week. She says, "The yellow edge is actually the binding that will be turned to the back after Ginger quilts it." Ginger is her mother-in-law who does all hand quilting.

Some more Finished by Friday posts for this week:
Sister's Choice Quilts
StitchinbytheLake
Quilting in Doxie-Land

6 comments:

Shallowsister said...

Hey, I like your quilt! And I don't know how to square up quilts; I heard something about pinning it to the carpet and spraying water on it and yanking... does that really work?? My Labradorable would find the whole process exciting: "I get to lay on it, right?? Where's the spray bottle? WHERE'S THE SPRAY BOTTLE?! Me next!!" By the way, how can I post a picture of my FBF?

Shallowsister said...

I also love how you are storing your fat quarters! How fun is that!! So cheery. What a great excuse to buy more bread boxes..."But honey, I have to store my beauties somewhere, and this way they're not cluttering up precious storage space; its a win-win situation"...

Maria Stahl said...

Hey Sister! (Love the blogger ID!)

Squaring a quilt... Well, it's easy enough if you use borders, which is how I do it. Never heard of the squirt bottle thing but it sounds much too much like work to me. If you're doing borders, you just measure length/width of the quilt at various points and get an average, then cut your borders so that everything evens out, and that's it.

I have enough bread boxes to last me awhile, but that thought had definitely crossed my mind... :)

Needled Mom said...

I like the quilt with my eyes focused! I have alwys loved pinwheels.

Glad that you got so much finished this week. Bet it feels great.

Carol said...

Not much exciting finished this week...just a little patriotic table topper. Maybe next week will be better.
brownquilts4me.blogspot.com

Nan said...

I like that quilt! Better still, I like that you donated it to a very good cause. I love that breadbox, and the cockatiel sitting inside is the perfect addition! Love your sister's quilt, too! Thank you for the mention.