Quilty Day #2

I'm JUST ABOUT finished the top for this challenge! Just the last outer border to do tomorrow then a bit of a rest and back to the quilting stage and binding, hopefully complete for May 15th deadline. Reveal will be after the challenge is closed.

I must say that initially I thought this may be a charity quilt BUT after much frustration, rippits, tears and a much needed learning curve, this baby is growing on me! See it's basically my first start to end design using basic blocks with my own twists, I'm thinking it'll now be MINE! 

So I've a final tally of the HSTs sewn for this quilt! From the scrap bag received I basically prepped 456 - 1.5" HSTs (many blocks were pieced for the initial 2" blocks needed, thus the mega frustration sewing through 6 layers of fabric. Then out of my 1.5m gold fabric along with the black sashings fabric I made up another 64 - 2.5" HSTs. So right now this is 46 3/8" x 52 3/8" size.  I'm praying that I've enough black left for the final 4" borders. Might have to go buy more black for binding though! 

The last 2 pictures show the trimmings from the scrap bag fabric and the left over pieces from the 1.5m used wherever. PHEW, I just made it with the scraps, guess I could have dismantled the extra block but forgot about it till AFTER the inner borders were sewn on! 🙃🙃🙃

2.5" and 1.5" HSTs used.

Trimmings 1" depth and extras.

Very few scraps and not much of thd 1.5m fabric left over.

Quilty Day!

Yes I can just here these characters having this conversation, along with all their nuances! I miss their shows, repeats aren't so great over n over!

Today was a good sewing morning. Then thankful that I can visit my sister as we joined MPQ and the North Dakota Quilting Guild for our joint International Guilds Day via ZOOM! It's awesome to hear voices of friends, see some shown and tell plus had chances to win some quilty prizes, not for me this time, I'm sharing! I learnt a few things from the three speakers! The ND Guild had a presentation of their upcoming quilt show Nov 19th & 20th and they are hoping our border will be open by then. Maybe wishful thinking? Yes a lovely afternoon and supper with Sylvia before I left. 

Once home it was back to my scrap sisters challenge and disappointment in my original plans. So tried a few variations before settling on another 48 - 2.5" HSTs for my cornerstones, nine more 4 patches to make up tomorrow! Well at least I'll have the seam allowance turning technique down pat by then! 😀😀😀 Now feet up, a glass of wine and curling!

Catchup - April 27th-30th

I don't know if it's the weather or the sitting around doing my bookwork and no walking or sewing, which is up and down, but I'm aching! 

Today I took Sylvia to her appointment and she too said she was achy so maybe it's not just me! We did a couple quick errands, picked up Freshii salad and back to her place to eat, then I headed home! 

Hopefully tomorrow I can do something different now that this is all behind me. I need to sew a few more masks and some much wanted quilting time at least! My Scrap Sister Challenge has been begging me to get with it again! 

Oh yeah I'm ready to drop off the RCMP quilt package to Mook Fabrics tomorrow for Thursday pick up by Stitched Art. I'm anxious to see this baby quilted and once I've the two accent pillows and binding sewn! YEAH!!!

April 29th

Thank you Bonnie for these treasures you find and post! 😀😀😀

An iffy day to join Edna for a walk, times so chilly we covered up, other times uncovering as we warmed up, but still nice to get out there. 

Now resuming my scrap sisters challenge and hitting MAJOR setbacks, which I don't have time for! Guess I'll go back and press my seams to one side and see if that helps! 

Okay I pressed to one side, hammered seams down, pressed to one side, sewed, hammered join down again, pressed then released a couple stitches, turned kinda, lying much better! Hmmmmm!

I must have checked a dozen videos and most had 5 layers not HSTs meeting up like I have.  GRRRR!!!!

Yeah I figured it out! I ripped back into the HSTs section and removed those tiny 4 pieces and restitched flat. Now I'm happy! Glad I don't have a king sized quilt blocks. YEAH!!!

Wine for sure tonight!!!!!!

April 30th

Not a good night at all!  Forgot to have the wine last night!  Too many things churning through my brain, then the added frustration sewing the HSTs together, I guess triggered a 3 hour insomnia spell! After half an hour I got up, made toast, set off the smoke detector at 3am, then sat for 2 hours ripping out the corners of 4 layers of adjoining HSTs. Finally tired enough to go back to sleep at 5am and slrpt till 10ish! GRRRRRRR!!! Not a good start for today, staying home!

HSTs Note to Self! ☝️ 

In future once trimmed to size, multiples sewn together into a larger block and then sewn into larger HST blocks. Open up bulky corners and remove the FOUR tiny in seam excess pieces of adjoining HSTs to reduce seam bulk, then sew back together. Much easier for opening centre joins to lay flat!!!! 🤗

A quiet day, sewing on my scrap sisters challenge! Much better going once the HST delimma was solved. I'm liking the looks so far and hopefully tomorrow I will see some of the layout, better than my paper rendition! 😉 Maybe, just maybe I'll make the May 15th finished deadline? Will see!  Now relaxing, enjoying a glass of Chardonnay and watching women's world curling.  Better be a better night!

Catchup - April 21st-26th

April 22nd

What a beautiful day for our revisited walks after a week's break! Maybe that's why my hip and leg are giving me grief! Feet up now! 

This time we returned via Ness Ave, stopped into Sew Inspiring and I bought a pattern, there was a wall hanging I loved but it was a machine embroidery class. We ended up at Boston Pizza in St James for an awesome patio lunch! Then we slowly continued our way back to Edna's and me home!

April 25th

Flashback to 1981! Hmmmm I 💖💖💖 my long hair! But know it's not for me anymore!

April 26th

Ohhhhh when are people going to smarten up! So many abiding by restrictions are paying the price for the "nay sayers"! Guess it'll be another year of insanity!

It's been three days of no sewing or walks while trying to complete bookwork so I can get my taxes done! Yeah I know why leave it so long!!! Because it's no fun and other stuff! My own fault!

It was lovely to deliver a couple masks and visit on Colleen's deck for an hour!  Cleared the cobwebs out!

Catchup - April 19th n 20th

April 19th

What's on my mind? FRUSTRATION! See Saturday I had issues with ZOOM but that resolved closing a second ZOOM request window, not sure why they were trying to include me in a learning session at the same time! Then Sunday I noticed my cell was on Rogers not WiFi so went to check my router and Shaw connection and ZIPPO internet connection to my account! Tried to reconnect but it's not listed period? HMMMMM! It's been deduced by my techie that the router may have died and to contact Shaw for the all inclusive box to get reconnected. That's today's chore! We'll this morning my cell phone has no Rogers connection either? I phoned from my landline and get extreme calls, please call back or please use online options - yeah right!!! But my tablet has Rogers LTE connection! YEAH! Okay what to do first?

Something to try remember when needing a measurement in a pinch!

Dang! After spending the evening making a graph paper pattern for my Scrap Sisters Challenge quilt, I can't even send Sylvia a picture!!! And no I'm not posting it till the deadline May 15th. 😁😁😁

And today, 5pm, I found two baggies with another two sets of HSTs by my machine to sew up! SHEESH!!! Guess my design will change again! This'll be my third version. 😅😅😅

April 20th

This is one of my pet peeves! Lazy unprepared people driving snow covered vehicles! There should be hefty fines to them for careless use of vehicles!!!!! Even jail time for assualt with bodily injury! PERIOD!!!!

Well it was a productive day but with little sewing! See I needed to seriously purchase the batting and backing for the RCMP quilt and get threads on sale at Fabricland. So I picked up Sylvia as she wanted a few items and we ventured off! That was the fastest in and out of Fabricland I've ever had in Covid times! Mook Fabrics had some items I could not pass up and muslin for Edna (hope I picked up the right shade), then picked up lunch at Wok Box to eat at Sylvia's, our yummy favourite! 

After lunch we headed to Cedar House Quilting and picked up the batting, then Sylvia asked how close we were to Selkirk, closer there than back to Winnipeg 😉! So I asked if she wanted to go check out Mama Bears new shop - dumb question - so off we went! It's smaller than her Ashern shop and I've not been to the current Brandon shop yet - soon! We both found some treasures there too! Lovely day even with the gusty winds and trying to snow off and on! 

So this evening I started cutting the sashing and sewing up the strips for the Scrap Sisters Challenge quilt. I forgot how much I dislike Y seams, but after a couple the next 14 went well, hope that continues for the remaining 16! But I left the block layout for daytime lighting, hopefully tomorrow!