Hat in Hand

Here I am back after a break from blogland.   I felt too guilty for being so behind on responding to comments that people had been kind enough to leave and was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all I had to do.  I missed being part of things though, it's not the same having a blog and not sharing.   I apologize in advance for the fact that I'll likely get behind again in spite of my good intentions.  I've been seeing the "Blogging Without Obligation" logo on my blog and I don't think it's entirely true, but

it kind of made me feel better, lol.  

Back and Label Scrappy and Ready

Big mistake, I got up this morning and thought DH is still asleep, I'll work on the back for my "Scrappy Lattice".  About 6 hours later I finished, which wouldn't have been so bad except I was supposed to be getting ready for company.  I had a flannel sheet set and that is what I used for the blue parts.  I used the flat sheet, the pillowcases and the sides of the fitted sheet, all that's left is the center of the fitted sheet.  This thing is huge.  This is one quarter of the back.   Obviously, I also used some flannel scraps to round it out.  The quilt is 10 blocks by 11 blocks and I like to know what side is up when I start making the bed, so the side of the backing that is pieced will help me know as it will go up and down.   It's a bigger quilt than I thought at first as when I figured I was figuring 10 inches finished on my blocks, but they are 10 1/2 inches finished.  Doesn't seem like much, but it is the difference of 100 by 110 and  105 by 115.5.

I thought it's a scrappy anything goes quilt, why not a scrappy anything goes binding.  It didn't seem to make much of a dent in my leftover binding box.

Now I really need to put it aside, but when I'm ready I'll just have to (maybe) add a little to one side of the king sized batting I ordered for it, baste it and quilt it.  I'm anxious to see it on my bed.

Giant Flimsy Done

My 5 inch Scrappy giant is a flimsy now.  It's all together and humongous, even bigger than my Sunrise Sunset.  The flannel sheets are washed and ready for me to make them into backs, and the binding will use up some of my binding scraps.  I've ordered some king sized batts from Connecting threads and they should be delivered any day.   Now to put it aside and get ready for company. 

Top Over a Quarter Done

First section sewn together, 5 x 6 blocks, so a little over a quarter of the quilt.  I think we are going to like it, it's homey like an old fashioned quilt.

110 Blocks Finished, Yay!

I finished my 110 blocks this am and it's only 5:30 am now, so you know I got up early.  About 3:30 I think it was, but I'm about to go back to bed for awhile soon.  When I thought of 110 blocks I couldn't think that I would finish very soon, but it only took a week or so and they are done.  When I started I thought to use only 30 style pales, but after about 40 of them I could see that not only was it boring (I like to have a variety to sew) to sew all the same types, but I knew that coming up with 440 different ones would be hard, I don't have a large stash.  Pretty soon, anything went as you can see and I tried not to use any one fabric more than 4 times.  I used the charm squares from the swap that I mentioned before, a moda charm pack, muslin scraps from the approximately 25 year old bolt, and then went to my scraps.  I got enough squares without going to my yardage and larger pieces.  I plan to use binding scraps and sheets that I already have for the back.  The only thing that I purchased was a king sized batting.  I couldn't feature piecing a monster batting that large.   The quilt will be 10 x 11 blocks and this is about 1/4 of them, 5 x 6 blocks.  There's really no hurry, except that I like to see the finished products, and I have company coming that I am very excited about, but hopefully in a few weeks it will be finished and my Sunrise Sunset (kind of Halloween because it has orange in it, according to my husband) can be put away until fall and this will replace it on my bed.   We just got a new mattress and box springs and went from two queen sized beds to three, so I also plan to do one of Bonnie Hunter's "Star Strucks"  for the bed that is now is DH's office.  The quilt in there is what we had been using since about January, but it is really a bit too small. 

New Quilt Started

I was all happy to have finished my 'year round' quilt for our bed, my Sunrise Sunset and then DH made a remark about orange and Halloween and kind of spoiled it for me.  Anyway, I decided that that will be our Fall quilt and I have started a new year round quilt.  It happened that about that same time I saw a tutorial on MaDan's Quilting for a 5" Charms Scrappy and I liked the cozy country look of it.  Here are 9 of my first 10 blocks, only 100 left to go.  I plan to make it 100 by 110 inches with no borders and since the blocks finish at 10" that means 110 of them.   I had some nickel squares from a swap that I took part in about 10 years ago and the muslin is some that was left from a bolt that I bought about 25 years ago.  I also have 2 charm packs that I bought about 3 or 4 years ago and some 'brand new' fabric that I have had for a few months.  I'll need 440 5 inch squares so when I run out of what I have already mentioned I'll go to my scraps.  It'll be nice to have a new quilt and use up some older fabrics, too. 

Paintbox Gingerbread

Number 12 for the year, Paintbox Gingerbread, more fancied up than the original Paintbox.

Sunrise Sunset Finished

All finished just needs to be washed and put on the bed.

More true colors.

And the back of course.

No. 10 Mary Ann's Quilt

Finished about 58 by 80 inches.  Hopefully it will brighten things up a bit for her.

Thank goodness for my embroidery machine, it makes labels nicer and easier.

Kind of a wild pieced back.  Originally it was for a little smaller quilt (one of Kerri's little girls, but then I decided to use flannel for theirs) and I had to add the red strip to make it a bit larger.  
Kind of funny, now I've made 10 bags and 10 quilts for the year.  Not too bad for a slow start, even if most of the quilts are easy ones.

Bags Finally Done

The good news is they are extra sturdy and should last a long time.  The bad news is they may not be bags that you would want to last a long time.  They are done and I hope that they are liked, but they have some definite flaws.

I thought I was making Mackenzie's the same size that I had made Logann, Maisyn's and Kolbie's, but I thought that I had used the 12 1/2" square ruler and then added a bottom, I must not have added the bottom.  Mackenzie's is deeper than I thought because I added 3 inches for the bottom and it may take her a couple years to grow into it.  I was so proud of this fabric, it is velvety, but it was a nightmare to work with due to the stretching.  I hope a few things, one being that the straps aren't too long, but I thought that a diaper bag would need a little longer straps to deal with the baby paraphernalia.  I hope this is one of the cases where "done is better than perfect". 
Now, one more quilt to finish for my "July Quilts".  At the last minute I decided that my brother's x-mother-in-law needed a quilt.  She has had a rough few months to say the least.  In November she lost her only daughter, only child I think, then she also fell and injured her shoulder twice.  She rented a home from a church and the second fall was when the back stairs railing collapsed.  A month or two ago the church evicted her (I know there may be more to the story, but it seems to me like kicking her when she's down) and she had to move from the home she had been living in for almost 15 years.  The quilt is another strippy quilt and is basted and ready to be quilted.  I also have my own two quilts waiting, my Paintbox and Sunrise Sunset (Orca Bay).