ALMOST SQUARE

 I bought a bigger cutting mat (30" by 60") in the hopes it would make it easier to square up the edges of a quilt top.  I tried it out - it made it a bit easier, but it's still a pain and not accurate.

I squared the top and one side and then worked off each edge to square the next side.  It didn't work.  The top is longer on one side than the other.  Good grief.  I'll figure this out later.

In the meantime, I got to work on the backing anyway.  I found a big chunk of fabric, a two yard piece of a Kaffe Fassett design with flowers that had been fussy-cut and had holes here and there.  I cut out pieces between the holes and this is what I ended up with:

The plan is to sash these pieces together with leftovers from the front, or something.

After cutting it all out there was a lot of little pieces left on the floor -

- too small to use.

ALL TOGETHER

 I've finally gotten the top of the grid all sewn together.  The last few seams required a lot of adjusting.

Now comes the part where I need to square it up.  I started with the top and then squared down one side.  I put it up on the wall - my only flat spot large enough - and realized there needs to be more adjusting.  I pushed it around until I found a spot that needs to be tightened up and pinned it.  Then I gave up right before lunch time.  I'm tired.

SLOW GOING

 It seems these last few seams are really going slowly.  I've worked myself into a corner and it's a big puzzle trying to figure it all out.

I've finally got all of the pieces cut out.  Now I'm just trying to engineer how it put it all together.

There will be partial seams.

BP MONDAY SEWING

I continued to work on my Field of Jeans project from the weekend while visiting with my Brave Patch friends on our weekly get-together.

Here is where it ended up.  I still have a bit to do.  It seems to get more and more complicated as I go.  But I figured out that if I put up the pieces, as a road map, it makes it a bit easier.  I am ending up with some partial seams though.

 

I'm auditioning a bit of that bright red I rejected yesterday.  At this point I like it and will probably leave it in.  What do you think?

DAY TWO OF WORKSHOP

 We met back together for the second day of Sherri Lynn Wood's zoom workshop, Field of Jeans.

Today we continued to work on our projects.  Sherri Lynn was there to answer questions and show some of her techniques for solving problems.

I woke up with a solution to why I was not happy with mine from yesterday.  I don't like the light blue 'sashing'.  I tried out some red over the light blue.

But, I decide that red was too bright, so swapped it for a darker red:  

I love it!

Then, I added some blue sashing.  I was worried I might be getting too many different colors, but so far, so good:

FIELD OF JEANS WORKSHOP

 I took Sherri Lynn Wood's two-day workshop, Field of Jeans over the weekend.  I hesitated at first, because I didn't want to make a denim quilt, but I finally signed up because I could do the workshop without denim, using just regular quilting cottons.  

She had a guest speaker, Robin Green.  She had some great ideas and showed us her wonderful quilts.

One of the things she said I had to write down.  She said, "Think of your inner voice as a guide instead of a critic".  

I wanted to use some of my hand-dyed fabrics I've collected in this project.  I started with a big piece made by Laura Wasilowski and added in a few made by Judy Robertson.

Here's where I ended up at the end of the first day of the workshop and the After Sew.  Figuring out how to sew it together is challenging.  

I'm not happy with it.  Something needs to change.

BOOK ARRIVED

 Our next selection for the Brave Patch Book Club is "This Long Thread" by Jen Hewett.  I ordered it from her website.  It arrived today, lovingly wrapped in tissue and she signed the title page.  I can't wait to get started reading it.

CORD BASKETS

 I made a basket from cotton cording a few days ago.  I only used about half of the 50 yards on the spool.  So, today after finishing the backing for Bird, I made another one.

BACK FOR BIRD

 I've been working on the backing for the Weird Bird quilt for the last few days.  I finished it today.  

I used up almost all of the leftover fabric pieces, even some really small ones and some bigger chunks.  I had cut a bunch of yellow strips when I was making the letters in Joe's workshop, so I used most of them, too.

These are all the leftovers, which will go into the scrap bins.

BORDER ON

 I put the final grey border around the Weird Bird quilt.

I go round and round about whether or not to put more on the bottom.  So far, I haven't.  Also, I'm pretty much out of that light grey fabric.

So, now, it's time to make a back.  I think I'll use the leftover fabrics.  I've got a lot of yellow strips to use up.

PARK ART

 Seen in Lincoln Park on our walk this morning.

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND QUILT FEST

 Darrell and I went to the Bainbridge Island Quilt Fest for the first time every.

We took an early ferry from Seattle and stopped at the Steamliner Cafe for breakfast.

I had a pesto omelette, yum. We sat at the counter and I sketched the grill.

We went up to the BARN and toured it, then went back downtown and found Winslow Green where the quilt show was.  There was over 200 quilts there.

It was a fun day.

IMPROMPTU FRIDAY

 Our Brave Patch Monday group had an impromptu meeting today.

It was fun!  I like twice a week.

I got the columns of the Weird Bird quilt sewn together.

I think it still needs some light grey borders around the other three sides.

GOING TOGETHER

 More work on the Weird Bird quilt.  I've started sewing these pieces together.

It's a puzzle and I've discovered I don't have many grey prints.

WEIRD MOVES ON

 I'm working on the Weird Bird Quilt - is that it's name now?

THE BLUES ARE IN SACRAMENTO

 My new friend Nikki went to Meissner Sewing Center in Sacramento and sent me pictures of my quilt, Rhythm in Blues, which is currently hanging there along with the other 'Best of Quiltcon 2022' quilts.

Seems an odd venue, but what the heck - they are being seen.

MORE WEIRD BLOCKS

 While visiting with the gals on Sew Modern Connection zoom today, I worked on my weird Bird quilt.

I made more of the blocks and then started putting sold greys around them.

PHOTOGRAPHING PI

 I got the hand-sewing of the binding and hanging sleeve done on my Nine-Patch Pi quilt.  So, it's time to take the good photos for submitting to shows.

We set up Darrell's photo studio and lights and he took the photos.