Sewing Marathons are 'Da Bomb'

We all know this.  Sewing with friends is better than therapy.  The Wild Threads get together every couple of months for a day of play.  Right before one of our marathon sewing days, emails usually start circulating asking, "what are you bringing, what are you gonna work on?".   Lately I like to take a project that needs to be finished.  Last time I finished quilting a quilt that I had been working on for years.  This weekend I got TWO projects finished.....sort of.  I quilted my yellow HST wallhanging with close straight lines.  After I finished, I remembered that I had thought about parallel lines in the yellow from the center out like a spiral.  Oh well, maybe I'll make another.  I do like the way this kind of quilting looks. 

 

I decided against a border or a visible binding.  I have never done this kind of binding before.  I pulled it all the way to the back before sewing it down.  This picture doesn't show the trouble I had with the corners.  I like this nice clean look and I am sure I'll try it again and hopefully get better at the corners.  I looked around the web for a tutorial but couldn't find one.  If anyone knows of one, lemme know.  Thanks.

Wah lah!



 

 I got the binding all ready for hand sewing before the Ravens/Patriots game on Sunday.  I got all comfy with my feet up and everything within reach........and look who came along.  Rosie! 

 

She kept my lap warm.  And the best part?

THE RAVENS WON!!!

Here comes Festivus Maximus people.  Not only are we going to the Super Bowl, but this year it's Harbowl.  How cool is it that the Harbaugh brothers are both going to the Super Bowl?



 

Okay, back to some quilting.  The other finish this weekend was the borders on this quilt.  Finally.  It's huge too, 100 by 114 inches.  I am going to let my friend, Shirley, quilt this one for me on her longarm. 

 

 I raided my stash for light colored scrappy fabrics to make the borders.  I chose to put them together on a diagonal for just a teensy bit of interest.

 

This is going to be a great quilt for everyday use on my bed.

 

 

I know I've shown some of these blocks up close before but I just can't help more little peeks.

 

'

 Made fabric' for the center.

 

 

And a tiny little pinwheel block snuck in there.

 

 

Fabrics with words, yippee.

 

 

When I put the border fabrics together, I ended up with a bunch of large HST's so I put them together for the back. 

 

 

More stash busting for the back.  Yeesh it's big.  So so glad I'm not going to quilt this one.

 

 

Here they are, top and back, all folded and ready for Shirley to get home from vacation. 

  Hmm, what is that to the right in the picture?

 

 

 Ugh, I gotta keep it real here.  My work table is messy again.   I did say trying to keep it clean was a fail before it even started.  Let's just delete that resolution shall we?

 

 

But this is why it's messy.  I spent last evening playing with my 2 1/2 inch strips.  See this little pile of strips?  All ready to whip up 19 blocks.   For a while now I have seen the Scrappy Trip Along  blocks on the web.  I wasn't too interested at first because of all the 2 inch squares.  I'm still in recovery after the Great Granny Quiltalong.  Then I saw this tutorial. 

 

 

Pretty sneaky little technique.  I had to try it so I whipped this block up on Saturday.  Nineteen more are coming and I'll have another scrappy stash quilt made.  It will be interesting to see how it looks because I am working mostly with strips that I have had for years.  They aren't very bright which is what I like now.   

And I'll leave you with this shot of my friend, Pat.    She has a crazy headband  on with flickering purple lights.  This was Saturday, the day before we won the championship.   In Baltimore we love our Ravens' purple.