398 INCHES OF BINDING

I put the first stitches on the binding of the Wallflower Quilt.

The circumference is 398".

This may take a while.

FINALLY DONE!

I was so happy to get this huge quilt finished! It has been on the machine for two weeks.  I recorded over 9-1/2 hours on the machine, which means I probably put in almost twice that much time on it.  

This is the Wallflower Quilt that I made from a kit from Craftsy.  It is 90" wide and 108" long.  That is about as big a quilt that will fit on my machine.  I hope to never get one that big again.

Let me know if you are interested in it.

I even got the binding made and sewn on - there will be a lot of time put in hand sewing it down on the back.  Later.

After I got it off the machine, I performed my monthly grease and clean. 

Waxing the rails.

LAST DAY

Tomorrow morning I'm having carpel-tunnel surgery on my right hand (I'm right handed).  I'm trying to prepare for being incapacitated for a week.

I know I won't be able to cut fabric, but I might be able to sew.  So I've been cutting fabric like crazy.

Saturday, at work, I trimmed some half-square triangle squares, making that project all ready to sew together.

Today I finished sewing the rows together on my Wallflower quilt (kit).  I folded it up and put it away - I still need to make a back for it.

After walking the dogs in Lincoln Park and lunch out with the DH I started cutting up fabric for the Dandy Flowers quilt that I discovered online.  It was a quilt-along, but I didn't participate at the time.  I've been gathering fabrics and thinking about it.

I bought the fabrics for the stems and leaves at Missouri Star Quilts in Missouri last week.  Still thinking about what color to make the butterflies.

I had to sew one of the flowers together.

The stack of fabrics, all sorted, for the flowers.

All the fabrics, including the background, ready to go.

Here are the fabrics I used.

SEWING ROWS

I finished the last 5 blocks of the Wallflower quilt and then sewed two rows together.

This thing is going to be big - it won't fit on my design wall.

I bought a journal to record the quilts that I longarm.  I want to know when I've quilted 100 quilts - that will have paid for my machine.  [what machine, you might say.  I don't know where it is - all I know is that I paid for it already.]

You can see the journal in this first photo.

This Wallflower quilt will be one of the first, I hope.

PIECING BIG

One of the odd things about this Wallflower quilt kit I'm working on is the size of the pieces and blocks.
I usually work in smaller pieces.  These blocks end up being 18" square, which seem so big!
I was busy most of the day, and only got a few more of the other blocks done.
I think there's only five left to sew together.

COLOR LOVE

This color is the main reason I found this quilt kit irresistible.  It's the most wonderful acidy greeny-yellowish-gold.  With the red, it just pops.

I got the rest of the 'star' blocks for the "Wallflower" quilt sewed together today.

SUNDAY LITE

Sundays are always our days to go shopping and get ready to go back to work.

We went grocery shopping in the morning, then spent most of the day catching up on yardwork, housework and laundry.

I'm still putting the kitchen back together.

The countertops, tile and sink are all installed.  But, I still need a garbage disposal for one side of the sink and the dishwasher is not hooked up yet.  Hopefully, that will all come together early next week.

I did get a little time in the studio sewing and I spent some time getting a list of fabrics I need for my next project.

A glimpse of the new countertop and tile back splash.

BIRTHDAY 61

Only one more year until I can retire!

Darrell and I left early and went up I-90 to Denny Creek and hiked up to Franklin Falls with the dogs.  We were surprised to see so much snow on the trail, and the poor dogs didn't bring their boots!

Afterward, we went shopping and bought a new toaster-oven.

Then had lunch and came home to relax.

I sewed a little, but it was getting stuffy upstairs with the iron going and I was tired.

I got another Splendid Sampler block done - The Selvedge Saver, which happens to be one of my least favorite blocks.

I got a couple more of the easy blocks done on the Wallflower Quilt Kit.

TRIMMING PIECES

I got all of the half-square triangles and flying geese sewed together for my Wallflower kit project so I could take them to work and trim them up there.

So, I did and I did.

FLYING GEESE UNITS

I'm working on this Wallflower Quilt kit.  The directions introduced me to a new way to making Flying Geese units.  It is a very strange way to do it.  I wonder how anyone ever wrapped their mind around this and came up with this convoluted process.  But I like it.

May the Fourth Be With You!

ALL CUT OUT

I finished cutting out the fabrics for the Wallflower quilt kit.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was plenty of fabric to cut out the needed pieces.  The stack on the lower left of photo is all the leftovers.  The only one that had me worried was the background fabric, it came very close.  I have very little left.

Then I got the rest of the tiles removed (except for the tiles behind the sink, which I'll remove at the last minute so as not to get the wallboard wet.)

This is the before picture - I guess I didn't take an after picture.

I accidentally destroyed the wallboard trying to get these tiles out.

I cleaned up the hole - tomorrow I'll put a patch in there.

CUTTING FABRIC

I had to work a half day this morning.  I got home just in time to go out to lunch with the DH to a new sandwich shop down by Endolyne Joe's called Wildwood Market where they make sandwiches and have gluten free bread on request.
After lunch I cleaned the green stuff off the back deck and deck furniture and got the picnic table ready to use.

Then I went upstairs and started cutting fabric for the Wallflower quilt (kit).  So far, they seem to be pretty generous with the fabric.  Yea!

MAY DAY BUSY

Monday, and I was pretty busy today.

I took the dogs to the park first thing.

Then I went with DH while he ran a bunch of errands.  We had lunch out and then returned home.

I got the Block B of my Wallflower Quilt kit done.

Then I removed one wall of tile in the kitchen in preparation for the new countertops and backsplashes and cleaned up the mess.

The instructions include a totally different way to make the Flying Goose units.  I works okay, so I'll probably do the rest of them the same way.

Jelly and Jax

Jax says he heard a squirrel.

Cherry blossoms at Lincoln Park

The old tile and countertop.

After I removed the one wall of tile.

WORK FREE THURSDAY

I had to take today off from work to make a decision about tile for our kitchen remodel and get it ordered.

I had a very busy day.

I got a little sewing in first thing in the morning. 

I made the latest Solstice Challenge block.

It's called "Board Games" and was designed as a 24" block.  I have a finite amount of fabric and haven't been able to find any to add to my group.  So, I had made the decision early on to just make 12" blocks instead, and then sash them in a simple setting.

I pared this block down to the basics and made it 12" instead.

After that I took the dogs for a walk in Lincoln Park.  They were so excited!  We haven't been to the park for a while because of my schedule lately.

I took the dogs home and then headed down to the area around the Seattle Design Center and went to several tile dealers.

I thought I had narrowed it down to the one I wanted, but I found another I like even better.  I got a sample and filled out an application to be able to buy from them.

I came home for lunch with the DH, he likes this new tile better also.  After lunch I realized that the quarterly taxes are due on Monday.  So, I sat down and got that taken care of.

I had about an hour and a half until I had to get dinner started so I went back upstairs to start on a new project.

Yes, I said 'new' project.  [What is wrong with me?!]

Hard as it is to believe, I actually bought a kit.  Yes, a prepackaged kit with fabric and pattern.  This is first for me.  It looked so fun I couldn't help myself.

I prewashed the fabrics yesterday.  I ironed some of them and got them organized and then cut out and sewed together the first block today.

It's called Wallflower.

There are two blocks, this is the simple one.  They are 18" blocks.