A Hypnotic Finish

Well, this turned out to be a very quilty weekend!  On Friday I made a pieced backing for a 72" x 72" quilt, on Saturday I basted it and started quilting it, on Sunday I finished quilting it and made the binding, and today I finished stitching that binding down.  I made this quilt in about three weeks!  I am a happy girl.

I like the back as much as the front.  You might even say this quilt is reversible.

I made a little dent in my stash on this one, using more than nine yards of fabric. 

I'm really excited about gifting this because the couple receiving it has a special place in my heart.  I didn't decide until the beginning of this month that I was going to make it.  Getting it done this fast just goes to show you what I can accomplish when I put my mind to it (AND don't do any housework!)  

Hypnotic

May seems to be going much better than last month as far as goals go.  I'm "this close" to completing the batik quilt I started at the beginning of the month.  

These two blocks make up the design.  The pattern is "Hypnotic" from the Book Strip Therapy 2 by Brenda Henning.   

I tried to lay out the blocks in a different way than the pattern dictated, but I couldn't come up with anything I liked better.  I do like the original design.   

I knew I needed to make 32 blocks, but after they were made and I started laying them out on the design wall I realized I actually needed 36.  I got a big stack of batiks out (again), cut out all the strips for four more blocks, and sewed them up.  Once it was all laid out on the design wall, guess what?  I had four blocks left over.  What??  How in the world??  You know what?  I don't want to talk about it!

Next I found a yard of yellow ombre batik in my stash that I just had to use on the back.  Might as well work in those extra blocks, right?

   






















I usually baste quilts on my king size bed.  It's a little unorthodox, but it works for me.  I just can't crawl around and baste quilts on the floor like I used to!

First, I stretch out the backing.  This one barely fit!

Then, batting (of course) .....

..... and the top (naturally).

Lots of pins!

Throughout the process, I stop about every two or three rows of pins, roll it up,  reach under and stretch the backing at the sides and the opposite end, smooth out the top, and start pinning again.

All basted!

Even though I basted it this morning (which totally wore out my back!) I was ready to start quilting it this evening.  Of course, a lovely one hour massage this afternoon might have made it easier for me to get back to it! 

It's about one-third quilted now, so there's every reason to hope it will be done and ready to gift by next weekend.  

Linking up this scrappy quit with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework 
Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  I do believe I deserve a Whoop Whoop for that!

Hands 2 Help

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict hosts a quilt drive called Hands 2 Help.  Each year she offers the opportunity to make and donate quilts to specific, well chosen charities. For 2018 the chosen recipients are Little Lambs Foundation for Kids, Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo through Em's Scrapbag, and Victoria's Quilts Canada.

In March I completed two quilts which I made from Tom & Jerry fabric I had cut out to make pajamas for my grandsons -- about TEN years ago!  

The blue one .....

..... the orange one. 

Both quilts are going to The Little Lambs Foundation for Kids. They provide a little comfort in a backpack for children aged newborn to 17 who are transitioning into foster care or emergency shelters, or who have been hospitalized.

It makes my heart happy to think about the little lambs who will be receiving these truly special gifts. 


I'm Linking with Hands 2 Help.

May Goals and a Stash Report

Keeping up with goals this year is turning out to be a bigger challenge than I expected it to be.   I normally only set one goal a month so this year with the Scrap Attack challenge and the 6 & 6 in 2018 goals it's been a struggle to keep on track.  Even so, I have completed all eight of the goals I've set so far.  I'm just always scrambling around at the end of the month to get it all done.  What can I say?  Life just keeps getting in the way of my fun.  

The slip I pulled from my Scrap Attack bag for May's goal says to make something from the strings basket.  The basket was pretty full at the beginning of the year, but in January I made a small dent in it by making seventeen blocks for Kat and Cat's Covered in Love block drive.  

In April I had to spend a few days alone in a hotel room so I took my strings basket along and set up a personal sewing space there.  It was like a mini private retreat!

I was only able to sew in the evenings after I got back to my room.  The first night I got all this done .....

..... and the next night a bunch more.  Imagine what I might get done in May in my "real" sewing room!

My 6 & 6 in 2018 goal for May is to make a throw sized quilt from batiks.  I'm using a pattern called "Hypnotic" from Brenda Henning's "Strip Therapy 2."  These two blocks will make an interesting secondary pattern when the rows are put together.

Here's hoping that life will settle down a bit, I'll stay on track with my goals, and May will be productive.  Especially since June is already shaping up to be a real mess!

Fabric Added in April  -   11.0 yards

Fabric Used in April  -    36 yards 

Fabric Added Year to Date  -   19.5 yards

Fabric Used Year to Date  -   72.6 yards

Net Fabric Used in 2018  -  53.1 yards

April Goal Met - Sort Of

My goal for April was to "make something with" the fat quarters my friend, Leigh, had recently given to me.   I didn't realize just how many there were in that deceivingly small gift bag until I set the goal and then counted them.  I knew I couldn't use all 47 in one month, but I knew I could make "something".  I chose the green batiks and started cutting squares for my first Disappearing Nine-Patch.  A search through my stash resulted in some purple that looked good with the print, and I found three different cream prints for a neutral. 

The fabrics played well together, I thought.

To make that nine-patch "disappear" you cut it into four pieces .....

..... and sew them back together in a different configuration.

I felt like a small inner border was needed and found the perfect eggplant that was a close match for the dark lines in the purple print.  Stash to the rescue again!  I hadn't planned to use the purple stripes in the border at all, but I had used every last bit of green so I ended up using it on the corners. 

This is all that was left of the purple!

I may not have used up all the fat quarters, but I did "make something with" a portion of them.  Eight to be precise.  That's something!

It's just a flimsie for now, not a finished quilt, but it will have a home.  How could it not, right?  It's too cute.  

This was my 6 & 6 in 2018 goal for April.  Linking up with pomegranate and chintz.