Busy, Busy, Busy

There is a lot going on and I have not taken too much time to work on the quilting I need to do. But I was impressed with myself that I completed the sandwiching process, which I hate. I just don’t have the room to do it properly and then my back is never completely taut like it is supposed to be. It’s very frustrating. Any tips and tricks are definitely welcome!

After that process, I began the quilting. I’m doing a bit of stitch-in-the-ditch by going around the squares. Every so often, in the small solid squares, I’m going to add this little spiderweb design. I think it looks kind of cool.

The quilting is coming out pretty well. I’m only about 1/3 of the way through. The quilting on the back looks better than I thought it would even with a horrible pucker of looser fabric back there. Urggh!

Here’s that pucker. Luckily it doesn’t show up too much on the black fabric. I may end up hand-tacking it down though.

I hope to make some progress within the next few weeks. Mom needs to have this one by the end of September so she can add it to her Halloween decorations. I’m getting excited for her to get it!

Reaching the Finish Line

Okay, I’m in the home stretch on the Halloween quilt for my mom. I started piecing the backing by taking a rectangle of spider fabric and surrounding it with the backing fabric I found.

I then cut it in quarters and flipped it around a bit. I was a little constrained because of my unending use of directional fabric. I really need to tame that beast. Anyway, I ended up with this:

Which I did not like due to the swastika appearance. So, I did a little more improvisational piecing and added a few internal borders. I needed to add some dimension to each edge anyway. I like the way it turned out. It’s all sandwiched and pin basted and ready to quilt. Gryffin loves to help hold the fabric down while I take the pictures!

I also finished the top for the Christmas quilt I’m working on for the Craftsy Amy Gibson workshop. And I had enough fabric left over to make a sweet pillow. The fabric is Santa’s Workshop by Doodlebug Designs for Riley Blake.

So, I have quilting to do on the Halloween quilt and 3 more finished tops that need backing to be completed this fall to be ready for random gifts and then Christmas. That plate of mine never gets very clean. Oh well – always on to the next project and trying to decrease that WIP pile!

Change is in the Air

Well, the fabric choice of my border did not work out. Let’s just say that my seam ripper was put to work. It distracted the eye from the main fabric in the quilt. I still love this spider fabric and I will use it on the back. I’m thinking of some kind of modern pieced backing using that fabric and some of the scraps from the Costume Clubhouse line.

So I was able to finish the top with a halloweenish polka dot fabric that really sets off the blocks well. Time to piece together a backing. I found some really cute Halloween word fabric but it’s all glittery and I know, based on previous experience, that glitter comes off on my machine and everywhere else. So, I will most likely piece together the spider fabric, the polka dots, and remaining fabric from the Riley Blake bundle. I’ve yet to get started on that.

I’ve been working on a new Craftsy workshop taught by Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock. It’s a basic pattern but I’ve already learned an easier way to piece some things together. I didn’t buy enough fabric so I’m waiting for another layer cake to arrive on my doorstep. I’m using Santa’s Workshop by Doodlebug Designs for Riley Blake.

Here’s a pic of it halfway sewn and laid out.

Weekend Roundup

Well, it’s still Halloween in July around here. I found a really cool black fabric to use for the sashing material and cut up my strips. It’s a Robert Kaufman print and I really love it. I think it goes great with the Costume Clubhouse fabric.

Now, time to do the layout. It took a lot of thought to make sure to cut the prints properly and to sew them in the right direction. The Topiary Tiles pattern did not use the directional fabric that I chose for this design. And it used precut squares instead of the fat quarters that I used. I had to do a few reinterpretations of the pattern directions to get them cut the same. I ended up doing 20 big squares instead of 24. So, first I cut my focal fabric (20 7″ squares) and then I cut the rest of it.

From each supporting fabric I cut:
20 11 1/2 x 2 1/2″ strips
20 3″ squares
20 2 1/2 x 7″ strips
20 2 1/2 x 3″ rectangles
40 3 x 7″ strips

I mixed up my supporting fabric and used some of the same patterns on multiples blocks. I cut the 2 1/2 and 3″ WOF strips first and then cut down from there to get all the pieces I needed.

I love the way it turned out. I had a little help while trying the layout on my bedroom floor and then a little wrestling match ensued between my two kitty helpers. It’s good to take a break for a little entertainment from time to time. After the match the layout ended up like this:

I found this adorable spider fabric that I will be using for the border.

And I can’t wait to see how it all comes together in the end. I think it looks good so far.

Halloween in July

Today Ive been working on, well contemplating really, portions of a Halloween quilt I’m putting together for my mom. I’ve made the blocks using the Topiary Tiles pattern by Amanda Murphy. (It’s a free one!) I think the blocks are really cute. In this picture I’m trying to find a good layout for the quit top. Without a design wall the bed will have to do.

I have 10 more squares cut and I’m trying to figure out which fabrics I want to use for the sashing within those blocks. I also need to get some sashing for in between the blocks in the quilt itself. I’m deciding between black Halloween texture or a black/white Halloween pattern.

The fabric is Costume Clubhouse by Riley Blake designs and I think it is just darling.