Roundabout Top Done

As it sits on the rail. Patient. Waiting. Quietly enjoying the incoming fall until it can meet backing and thread.

Roundabout

After getting the borders on the Roundabout top, and after doing a two movie marathon yesterday for lunch with handsome Jim, I decided I'd had about enough of the 100 blocks. I'm ready to start getting them into a setting. My goal was to get them all complete before the nights end, but then a few of them turned into quite a time taker. I have six more to go and plan on tackling those first today.

While my rainbow rail fence top is loaded, I'm still unsure just how to quilt it. It usually comes to me the day after I load while working on other things next to it. But nothing is really coming to me as of yet. I'll transfer the design to my iPad and doodle on it during lunch to see what can be thought up. I may have to call in the quilting friends to weigh in on their thoughts.

Finally on the Frame

The quilt shop near my house, Pieces of Thyme, had a lingering sidewalk sale this weekend and Katie and I happened to wander over on Friday. She had some very (very) good deals on things to include a roll of backing fabric I happened to spot, which was JUST wide enough to get this big top onto the frame.

Need a name for this quilt.

I haven't named this quilt yet. I call it the colorful rail fence with black and white checkerboards. But that seems too long of a title. Any ideas?

Our Spartans did well in Evanston yesterday and while Jim was being entertained with their playing abilities, I made this.

Go Green! Go White!

I also got the borders pieced for the Roundabout top.

Jim is pressing apples this morning for his annual cider canning. The weather is being sewing cooperative so I'll be in the studio most of the day.

Mistakes to Learn By

I thought I could make this plunder work within the Roundabout top.

Oops

The middle arcs are supposed to meet together, which on the left side, they did. Not so much on the right. I could tear it all apart and just substitute the incorrect pieces, but I'm going to make this a pillow instead to go with the quilt once it's finished.

I tried to incorporate it into the quilt but as I've learned, fudging it something doesn't cut it. It'll take more time to try to finagle it in there than just remaking a new set of blocks.

But the rest of the top is sectioned together and will be ready to join later once this new set of blocks is pieced together.

No long arming yesterday. Booooo! I have the customers quilt draped over the long arm to showcase the work done when she comes to pick it up tomorrow. I have family coming up today and a lawn screaming for me to cut, so after this morning, the day is pretty much occupied with other items.

Measure Twice, Cut Once...

...except I measured three times and still this happened.

Ummm...not cool!

After unloading the whole quilt, I realized I had taken up too much in the top lead, which is why this occurred. And then things got worse.

After locating an acceptable additional piece, because I didn't have any of the other two fabrics I used in this backing, I sewed the new section together and onto the existing back. Except, instead of sewing it onto the bottom where I'm clearly deficit in length, I sewed it onto the side (this is a nearly square quilt). And, I didn't notice it until I got the thing nearly all reloaded.

Take it back off the frame. Take out the stitching from the added piece. Repress. Restitch. Reload.

I had a bit of a temper tantrum and meltdown after everything on the long arm bed went flying as I was trying to get this back over the back leader bars without any help. I am so done with trying to piece backings from scraps around the studio.

I thought it would add to the scrappiness of the quilt which is why I choose to go in that direction. I'll think way more times than twice next time I try to do something like this.

I have a new customer top coming in today and I had to get this off the frame; that new top coming in is a rush job, and it's quite large from the sounds of it.

During the weekend between working outside and long arming, I got a few of my large Roundabout blocks pieced. Everything to make all the small circle blocks are cut out and a few of those are pieced, and I started my October mantle piece. So all in all, until yesterday afternoon, the weekend went well.

Friday the 13th. Full Moon. More Storms.

I'm just glad I'm not working at the hospital anymore in Postpartum. These days were nuts when combined together.

Long arming did happen yesterday morning and it felt great. With the Long Time Gone pattern this ruler, called the Handi Quilter Straight Edge ruler, works great. It's longer than most of my other rulers and when doing a long set of borders or sashing strips to ditch, this is a great tool to have.

Long Time Gone being ditch quilted with the HQ Straight Edge Ruler

I started another pattern yesterday called Roundabout by Saginaw St Quilts. It's chewing up even more of my scraps and so far it's been pretty easy to piece together. Of course, yesterday was the large ovals. The small ovals will probably be a little tougher as their curves aren't as gentle.

I think I need to rebuild my blog. It's starting to get old looking to me and I LOVE change. Maybe later when the storms are back (expected later this afternoon) I'll do that.

Autumn Thunderstorms

Have we had our share of very wet and very stormy weather the past two days. Holy cow. I tried to work on the Long Time Gone piece three times yesterday and every time I turned on the long arm, here came another storm. Maybe day three will bring better luck?!

I started a new pattern yesterday called Roundabout  by Saginaw St Quilts. Well, 'start' is used loosely here. I transferred my templates and picked out the 52 different fabrics I'm going to put into it from my stash. Today I hope to get one or two blocks pieced and most of the large ovals cut out. This may be a cool retreat project, except retreat isn't for another four months, so maybe not.

Hazel was chillin' on the loft bed (formally Caleb's bed) this morning. She looks pretty sad about not being able to go swimming the past four days because of the weather. Today isn't looking promising either. The quilt she's laying on was the very first one the kids and I practiced on when I first got the long arm six+ years ago.

Just chillin' on a windy, cold morning

We used the quilt for Lily to protect whatever nice quilt was underneath, and it seems to be working out in the same use for now Hazel.