A Finish!

Well, sort-of. I consider a finished quilt top a finished project, then the finished quilt a second project. I had cut exactly just the right number of 1" white strips. I was pretty happy about that. I was afraid I'd have to pull out the bolt for the 3rd time...it's not a full bolt, but when you're in a small apartment, anything bigger than a fat quarter takes special work to cut.

If I don't See It, It's Not Illegal....

It will come out square. It'll be done before I go to work in the morning.

Progress.

My Kona Snow arrived today. Green4Me is progressing. The top is about halfway assembled from single blocks into the final top. It'll get a border once it's finished.



And this arrived with the Kona Snow. I like the colors! I have two charm packs.

And Then There is None

Two more big squares (each "big" square is just over 2 feet wide), and I'm out of my solid white. I recall it's Kona Snow. I think. I really hope so, because that's what I ordered to finish the quilt!


And, since they offered free shipping if I only spent $15 more (and shipping was $7 otherwise), I grabbed a pair of charm packs in Moda Chrysalis. My Mom admired the colors at a fabric store a couple years ago--not these fabrics, just similar colors--so maybe I can make up something for Christmas next year.

Merry Christmas!

My Christmas has been quite merry and bright. My family celebrated on Christmas Eve so my brother could spend the day with his in-laws. (I don't have any, so thus no problem for me.)




I was surprised and delighted to find Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design, and Inspiration
under the tree this year. I received other very nice gifts, including a down parka and photo collage of my family, but none are wholly relevant to my blog. I love the projects in this book. I love the layout, and the descriptions, and most of all, the pictures. This, along with Material Obsession Two: Shared Inspiration, were on my short list to buy for myself. I have no idea how, of all the quilting books out there, Mom picked the "perfect" one!

In other news, I was walking through JoAnn's the other day, and saw the perfect shade of University of Tennessee Orange yarn. As my Sister-in-Law is a huge basketball fan, I started this little scarf for her birthday. The last one I made her has been claimed by my 10-month niece.



The pattern will be published for free on Ravelry as soon as it's finished. I just need another skein of orange to finish it up. It being Christmas and me being out of yarn, it won't be done for a day or two.

And, finally, my Green4Me is finally starting to look like a quilt!



I'm very glad I added the 1/2 inch sashing. It's added a little size to the quilt, but it helps the design of the squares stand out. It's Kona Snow and I need to order more if I want to go any farther with this top. I'm going to be very happy with it when it's finished, which was not a feeling I was having about 6 months ago. And once I'm done with this, I can get cracking on a few other things.

Ooh! And in other good news, it looks like I get to make even more baby items. My best friend (and by that I mean the one that is still willing to add to her family) has a bun in the oven. I'm thinking about a quilt but will ask her first--I wasn't really able to talk on the day I got the good news--but I have some really cute fabric in mind that I'd like to play with, even if she doesn't want a baby quilt. I'd make her a baby afghan, but she's the queen of the baby afghan, and maybe I'll make something with sleeves, or maybe some toys. I don't know. I've got 7 months to get something accomplished.

Lots of Green

It's not easy being green. This quilt has been a work in progress for over 3 years. I decided I wanted a peaceful and serene bedroom, and the color to have (at the time, at least) was green. So I bought fabric and started cutting it. 3 years later, I finally have all 192 six-inch squares finished. I looked at the pile. The original plan was to just sew them together, no sashing, and declare it finished.

That just would not do. Even though it'd be quicker, easier, and done with. No...I am adding a 1/2" white sashing. I have 3 of these sets done, and 45 more to go. I need to buy more Kona Snow. But I'm confident this is the better option.

Oops...A Few Weeks Passed...

Oops. It's been a couple weeks. There's a good reason. I went on vacation for a week, and the week before that was preparatory. So I didn't do much besides pack stuff up and decide what to take with me.

I started my trip with the Rhinebeck Fiber Festival, one of the largest in the country, I believe. It was awesome, but I was a little bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it. I ended up buying nothing, saving my money for a trip to WEBS in Massachusetts. Also awesome. Not as overwhelming. Lightened my wallet by $86. Sorry folks, no pics. You'll see why in a moment.

Then, on to NYC! I visited The City Quilter, a very awesome little fabric shop (Little compared to the ones here in Michigan, it's actually quite large for a NYC shop). in the heart of Manhattan. I picked up some really great fabric for a Christmas quilt that I begun yesterday, as well as some black & white prints.

I arrived home late Saturday night. Sunday, I focused myself on my crafting, and worked on the blocks pictured below. You might recognize a few fabrics from City Quilters!




I really hope to turn the Christmas quilt into a published pattern. This is just the beginning of the first block.



I also spent significant time rearranging the craft closet and yarn stash. I'm matching all my yarn (gasp!) to patterns, bagging it up, and sorting it by desired end product. I'm doing this mainly because there's so much acrylic, and I'd like to really focus, and I can't with four totes of white acrylic staring at me every time I walk past the stash. So, here's the start. All the "good stuff" is already sorted.