I Guess Goals are a Good Thing?

 

This quilt now has binding. I can cross that off my goal list from Monday, and I didn't even think that I was going to be able to get to it. I am so relieved to be getting a few things done in my sewing room. My entire goal list is complete for the week, and I even sewed a few random blocks for other projects.







 

This is a terrible picture of a cute quilt for a friend that had a baby boy very recently. The pattern is a very simple one of my own that only requires 3 yards total to assemble the top: a light, medium, and a dark print.  Pattern finishes at 50 inches square. To finish the top, all I had to do was locate the border fabric in my stash, and sew them on. Easy, right?  Can anyone tell me why I drag my feet on the easy stuff like bindings, backings, and borders; but jump in head first, with unbelievable excitement and tenacity into things like the Circle Game?





 

I purchased this pattern at QuiltCon. I totally love Jen Kingwell's style of pattern design and instructions.  Templates are clearly drawn, and easy to follow. My hopes are to begin this quilt as part of a quilt along group on flickr the beginning of April.  I still have to decide on colors, which usually takes a little thought for me. 

 

She has another pattern that is amazing called Green Tea and Sweet Beans:

 

The actual quilt is so much more stunning in person. I can't express to you how yummy it is.  Lots of beautiful fabrics on a perfectly chosen background of text fabric goodness.  Made my teeth hurt with sweetness. I will be buying this one next and Steam Punk. I truly feel as if she is designing these pattern just for me...(you are so, so sweet to do that, Jen! :)...) Okay, she doesn't know me from any other (crazy, unbalanced) quilter. She really intended others to make the quilts too, so go ahead and see her stuff HERE!  If you want to confuse the crap out of her, tell her that Button Counter sent you. 

 

 

All righty then.  Now for my goal list for this week!  I will be finishing Beca's gift. (and mailing!) I need to begin cutting pieces for an Amy Butler Weekender bag that I am starting (more on that later...enough craziness for one blog post), I will prepare the back for the baby quilt, and I need to make a backing for my toile quilt.

 

Random fact for the day: In every episode of Seinfeld, there is a Superman somewhere.



In Your Face!

 

Yesterday, I got that granny square repaired that my lovely daughter destroyed.  She had cut it in three different places.  I also discovered a little spot on the very top of her head where her hair is only a half-inch long.  Hmmm. If only it were as easy to fix that. To say that I have my work cut out for me is nothing more that accurate, pun and all.

 

 

Yay!!! I got the back of the Dia De Los Muertos quilt finished, finally, and crossed off of my list from Monday.  Why was this not taken care of earlier?  Let me tell you.  Pull up a chair, and grab a cup of coffee.

 

I bought the sugar skull fabric a while ago.  A long while ago, thinking that 5 yards would be plenty for the back of this quilt.  After getting the top done, I brought that and the backing fabric with me to my last retreat so that I could get it done there.  Having that extra elbow room is nice for that sort of thing.  I cut the fabric exactly in half at 2 1/2 yards, then sewed them side to side. Now, normally I take extra care to match up the design because I have OCD and OCD and OCD, but there wasn't enough fabric, so I had to grit my teeth and send it on through the Janome.  Got it together, and did a little happy dance that it was done, then measured...and did an unhappy dance (which looks something like a Sioux pow wow, except you use the quilt as a rug, and instead of chanting, you swear).

 

So when I got home with it, I threw it in the corner of my sewing room and gave it the bird on a regular basis, until yesterday.  I can only take taunting for so long, you know.  I cut it down the length about 15 inches from the side, and cut it across the width about 15 inches from the top.  I added the black fabric, and the green fabric, enough to add another 15 inches to the length and width, and now I also have a cool area to put a label.  I may even entertain appliqueing a few sugar skulls to the black area after it is quilted, just so that quilt knows that I am the winner.  I win.

 

Tonight, I will work on that border for the baby quilt. Let's see if I can't mess that one up. lol.