A new project in process

Hello, everyone.  There is a new project underway around here.  I think it's going to be a lap quilt. The pattern is Building Blocks, from Fat Quarter Shop. It's a charm square pattern.

Blocks have been made, and some were "un-sewn" and then sewn again. (Backwards blocks don't work with some patterns.) They were first laid out on the floor, but the automated vacuum was patrolling the house, so they got moved to the guest room. This is when it became apparent that some blocks had been assembled backwards. After that was straightened out, and various changes were finished, they got their placement codes pinned in place.

The placement codes are the standard matrix space labels I learned in business math classes in college.

A1 is at the top left. The bottom right is H7.

I did one extra row of blocks, the pattern only called for a 7x7 square and I thought it should be more of a rectangle. 

The table runner is done

Hello, everyone.  The table runner is done. This is my first modern-quilting style project and I'm not sure how I feel about the concept.

This morning,  ready to have the binding sewn on.

And it's done. 

I'm not feeling the love for extra-skinny binding. Next time I will cut it wider and let a little more binding color  show.

The binding does punch up the accent squares, but at this size the little reddish dots don't do much to echo the flower colors.

I did free motion quilting in the larger squares in the blocks, and simple geometric lines for the rest of the quilting. 

Color Play: binding

Hello, everyone. This is the table runner in-process. I did use the extremely modern pattern involving squares, several of the Road to Round Top fat quarters,  and a revolvers-on-stone accent fabric. 

The quilting is done, but the final wash will, of course, wait until the binding is sewn in place. Today's post shows auditions of binding fabrics.

various views of the runners and candidates for binding. 

The choice comes down to whether the binding should be as low-volume as most of the fabrics, or contrast with them.

I'm leaning toward the darker gray with little reddish dots all through it. The orange floral from the fabric line come off as either too brightly orange or too pale, and the lighter grays have the same lack of contrast. The crackled-wood look of that one across from the grunge print stands out too much, wanting to make itself the star of the show. The darker gray floral is nice, but I think the little reddish dots will play up the flowers in the middle block. The dark gray "Grunge" at one corner of the top photo is just too much sharp contrast for me here.

A New Pinny

Hello, everyone. Today's post introduces a new pinny for my bowl of pinnies. 

The top side: pieced from leftover half square triangle and strips. I added a grab loop just for fun, but it could also be used to keep the pincushion from going astray while being used away from home. The grab loop, already sewn into a bit of strap, was another strip in the stash. I quilted along seam lines for the top side of the pincushion. 

The bottom side. I quilted along the pattern lines of this charm square. The navy is a little darker than the blue bits on the top, but it's still compatible. 

As y'all can clearly see, the overall pincushion is about 4 inches square after stuffing.

This little thing is a rest for me, after last week's finish on the Old-and-new quilt. I especially liked finding a use for the leftover corners from the flag wall hanging.

Old-and-new and DONE!

Hello, everyone. The Old-and-new Quilt is done.

The Old side.

The New side

Details of the angels and Log Cabins, and the block made from the My Favorite Color Is Moda book. (Link to that book is in the last post.)

Angel blocks and all but one of the Log Cabin blocks from stash. 

Sashing and binding from a mini jelly roll in gray.

Purple solid stripe from stash, left over from making the sewing machine covers a while back.

Final size, 62 inches wide by 82 inches long. Small double or big twin, basically.

Yippee! Another one done.

It's quilted!

Hello, everyone. 

The new-and-old quilt has been quilted and it's ready to be squared up and bound. Woo-hoo!

Gooey Butter Cake

Hello, everyone. 

Gooey Butter Cake has always seemed like a cousin of Lemon Bars: a base that's more dry and a gooey top. 

It's a standard of Duke's Bakery in Alton, Illinois, where on Sunday morning after church the cars line up down the block as people pick up their  breakfast. The butter vanilla scent fills the kitchen while it bakes.

Update on the vintage quilt project

 Hello, everyone.

Today's update on the vintage quilt project: there is light at the end of the tunnel! Most of the quilting is done. (Perhaps 10 inches are left to go, approaching the left side from the center.) Then the binding, then it will be done!

Just to refresh, these are the vintage side

and the new side

The new side, and the batting, are a little bit larger than the almost-queen-sized vintage side. There will be a bit of trimming after the quilting is done and before the binding is added.

The large "tile" block near the top is from the My Favorite Color Is Moda book. The log cabins and the angels and other various scenic-centered blocks are from stash. Yes, there are still a lot of orphan blocks in my stash! 

The vintage side has a lot of stars that were made from crumb quilting, in a huge assortment of clothing fabrics of the 1930's. Cotton muslins, various blousings, even cotton flannel are represented. The green, red, lavender diamonds that form the hexagons around the stars also incidentally form a 3-dimensional block at the intersections of the hexagons. All of the vintage seams are hand sewn. 

So, leaving y'all to resume the rows of quilting and hoping to finish Real Soon Now....