FF: QBB Quilt.

 

Hi Friends! How is your Friday treating you? This week, I finished sewing up my Quilts Beyond Borders quilt, and I'm hoping to drop it in the mail later today! (They're still looking for another 100-150 by June, so if you can help, contact them. I'm going to try try try to fit another into my schedule.)

Backing is this turquoise and brown print with a smidge of the brown and white polka dot as I didn't have enough. I'm almost out of that polka dot print, and it will be a sad day when it's gone.

Quilting was straight lines through both sets of corners. I finally convinced myself to quilt both diagonals, and I love it. (Of course.) This quilt is so simple, but it's so happy and cheerful that I love it for its simplicity.

 

One of the requirements of QBB quilts is that they have to have machine-sewn binding. Since I typically handsew one side, I practiced on two other quilts before giving this one a shot. Of course, I practiced a zigzag stitch binding on those two, and I only had Agatha and her straight-stitchin' ways, so I gave another method a shot. It wasn't bad, but as you can see in the pic above, there were a few spots where I sewed over the binding by accident. (Oops.) I keep telling myself that one day I will rock at this. That day is not today, but I am getting better!

I was so close to having a second finish this week (the owls quilt!) but I wasn't able to get the binding done. Next week, Friends...

What have you been up to this week? I'm linking up with TGIFF and Crazy Mom Quilts. You are too, right?

WIP: April Showers Edition.

This past week has seen less work than usual, primarily because spring has finally arrived, and the lovely sunshine has prompted me to spend a lot of time outside with my kidlets. Alas, it's raining today, and the light has been splotchy all day, which means lousy pictures, but some good work done on projects. 

My oldest kidlet is finally tall enough to start holding up baby quilts. (Woo!) Unfortunately, he's not very steady with his hands, and he kept dropping the sides, so I snapped this quickly and moved on. This quilt is for Jamie, or more specifically, for her incoming baby. I've got to figure out a backing option, but it's coming along.

I started piecing my QBB quilt blocks together. Yes, those are fat kitties. If you like kitties, they are great. If you don't like kitties....

Since my QBB quilt has to be bound by machine, so I thought I would practice on my Sissy Love quilt, aka, The Quilt that Almost Broke Me. I'll talk more about *that* adventure on Friday because I should have a finished Sissy Love quilt by then. Unless it does, in fact, break me, and then you can find me slamming my head onto my sewing table and muttering gibberish.

I used this tutorial from Rachel of Stitched in Color, and I really like the look of the zigzag stitch on the front. I think it adds a bit more texture, and on this minimalistic quilt, that's welcome, at least by me!

So far, my back is sloppy in places, but mostly straight and steady. Because I'm in a hurry to get this quilt done and out of my life, I'm not working as slowly as I should, and if I'd take my time with it, I know it would look cleaner. But whatevsies. I'm getting 'er done!

(And no, I didn't abandon Agatha for a newer model. Agatha doesn't rock a zigzag stitch, so I've borrowed a friend's Janome for a couple of days.)

I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced! You should too! 

WIP: Trippin' Edition.

I might have started a Trip Around the World quilt.

I don't want to say that I drank the kool-aid. And besides, at this late in the game, having seen 4+ other cool quilt movements come, doesn't this make my TATW quilt retro?

I cut my strips at 3" to make the most of my fabric stack of FQs, and each block finishes at 15". I've finished nine blocks, which will yield a 45" square quilt. I'll be adding some sort of border to two sides to get to the 48"+ mark.

A few weeks ago, I read about Quilts Beyond Borders call for finished quilts due mid-July. I couldn't help myself, and I found myself emailing them about sending one. And once I finish this retro TATW, it'll be headed out, eventually to go to a Romanian orphanage. Woo! I told myself I had to use fabrics I had on hand, and if I can squeak another quilt out, I'd like to send two.

I know we quilters are busy peeps, but if you think you might have a bit of time to finish a quick kid's quilt--the specific request details are here, and they can be really simple quilts--please consider sending one.

Today, I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced, this week hosted by Greenleaf Goods.