Fabric added YTD: 143 yard
Fabric used this week: 3 1/2 yards
Fabric used YTD: 66 yards
Net used for 2010: -77 yards
This week's quilting yielded two more finished baby quilts. This top was sewn months ago using pink scraps, it was dropped and put aside because I couldn't make up my mind about what to use to make it bigger. At 29" x 35" it didn't seem big enough.
As usual, I found it and another 25" piece of the barbie print while searching for something else, so four 6" strips were cut and added as a border, it finished at 41" x 46", perfect!. It has been quilted with concentric squares 2" apart, the binding is sewn on and ready for the hand sewing. Just in time for a baby shower.
The second quilt: A co-worker and his wife welcomed their first born a couple of weeks ago and this strippy/scrappy quilt was finished as a welcoming gift for their baby. I believe this was pieced a couple of years ago when I purchased a John Flynn quilting frame. It was intended as a practice piece, but was also put aside until now.
The soft blue, green and yellow colors seemed appropriate for a little boy so I quilted it with yellow thread using a meandering pattern. This little guy seems to be peeking out of the edge, he's adorable!
This quilt is extra cozy with a flannel backing. I did struggle with the binding, I found it in a scrap bag someone had given me and there was enough of it to bind this quilt, however, it never occurred to me to check the size or weather it was cut straight or on the bias. Well, it turn out to be 1 3/4 " wide and cut on the bias. I've never done bias or binding this narrow before, what a learning curve. It had to be sewn down with a decorative stitch and I learned to use a stiletto to help hold the fabric while sewing it, it keep wanting to roll back and out of under the presser foot.
Here is a full shot of the finished quilt.
As usual, I found it and another 25" piece of the barbie print while searching for something else, so four 6" strips were cut and added as a border, it finished at 41" x 46", perfect!. It has been quilted with concentric squares 2" apart, the binding is sewn on and ready for the hand sewing. Just in time for a baby shower. The second quilt: A co-worker and his wife welcomed their first born a couple of weeks ago and this strippy/scrappy quilt was finished as a welcoming gift for their baby. I believe this was pieced a couple of years ago when I purchased a John Flynn quilting frame. It was intended as a practice piece, but was also put aside until now. The soft blue, green and yellow colors seemed appropriate for a little boy so I quilted it with yellow thread using a meandering pattern. This little guy seems to be peeking out of the edge, he's adorable!This quilt is extra cozy with a flannel backing. I did struggle with the binding, I found it in a scrap bag someone had given me and there was enough of it to bind this quilt, however, it never occurred to me to check the size or weather it was cut straight or on the bias. Well, it turn out to be 1 3/4 " wide and cut on the bias. I've never done bias or binding this narrow before, what a learning curve. It had to be sewn down with a decorative stitch and I learned to use a stiletto to help hold the fabric while sewing it, it keep wanting to roll back and out of under the presser foot. Here is a full shot of the finished quilt.
Oh yes, the 10 yards in.... I want to join crazymomquilts quilt-along #5 , which calls for 4 1/2 yards of background fabric. Apparently the 100's of yards I've purchased so far do not include white fabric or much of what would be considered background, so off to the store I went. I originally intended to buy 5 yards but there was a 50% off coupon in this month's store's ad. Technically, that means I bought 5 yards and they gave me 5 more yards for free. I know, I know, twisted way of justifying the yardage. No worries, it will be used sooner or later, at least 4 1/2 yards. The scraps? I don't usually count scraps out so I'm not sure if I would count them in; I'll have to figure it out. In the meantime, I'll be playing with them until everyone else in the house start getting out of bed. Thank you Katie!
The quilting didn't turn out that great, this is the first time I had trouble with thread breakage. I was so frustrated after trying every tip and suggestions in the world on how to prevent this, I just concentrated on getting the meandering done. Because of the thread problems, it turned out denser than I wanted; this was a good thing, after all, the denser quilting along with machine sewn binding made a very sturdy baby quilt. I think it will stand up to lots of use. Here is a close up of a corner.
This blue quilt finished 
I also run into a little trouble with this setting fabric. The hearts are non-directional but the words: "I love you" are, this is another validation that the straight setting is a better option for this quilt. I love it when things just work out on their own.
The only problem, it is turning out smaller than I want it. The fabrics here were the original designated borders, but now I'm considering a pieced border.