WIP Wednesday

I've been out of town at a convention for work so I don't have a lot to show you this week but I miss blogging on a regular basis and you know what they say, no better time then the present.  Since I was out of town and spending a lot of time in a convention center and hotel I took along my hexagons for a little hand sewing.  I forgot how much time this project takes.

Hexagon Quilt Progress

I found that I have the best luck with sewing little chunks and then adding them to my middle so that's why this thing isn't even but I think it is coming along okay.  With any luck it will be done by 2016.

I think this one is called Honey's Choice but I'm not sure.

This is the last Farmer's Wife Quilt Along block I made before choosing to pack this one up for a while.  I've been finding these little blocks to be pretty challenging lately and because of that I've lost a little love for this project.  I am determined to finish it and I think if I give myself a little time off when I pick it up again I'll be ready to give it everything I've got and finish it up.  Really I packed it up because if it's out in my sewing room I will like I HAVE to work on it and it takes the joy out of something fun sometimes.  So it's just taking a little nap.

Blocks for Dueling Flurry

 I've been cutting pieces for my half of the dueling flurry quilts.  It looks like I am making my brothers quilt while my mom is working on the matching one for my sister in law.  These are going to be Christmas gifts but our goal is to have the tops pieced by the end of July so that the long arm quilter has plenty of time to work on them.  I guess I better get busy.  We are using Alison's Seville pattern.  If you haven't check out her patterns yet I recommend them for sure.  This is the second pattern I have used of hers and they are just so easy to read and follow.  This quilt looks really complicated finished but its really just the repeat of 3 different types of blocks.  While cutting I needed a little bit of a break and I couldn't help but sew up a few of these super easy blocks.

1st Row of Scrappy Stars

Finally before getting busy with Summer Sorbet I did manage to sew one row of my scrappy stars quilt together.  It's very skinny so I am going to have to make a few more blocks in order to get the size I want but that's okay.  It is going to be a great quilt when it's done.

Be sure to head over to Lee's and see what everyone else is working on.  Lee's taking the summer off from WIP Wednesday but she has lined up some great talent to guest post on her blog during her break.

Summer Sorbet

I finished up the summer sorbet quilt this morning around 12:30am and it is being delivered tonight along with meals to my boss.  She wasn't feeling up to a visit so I just sent it along.  I know she will love and appreciate it and I hope she finds strength in its warmth.  You can read more about the quilt and it's story here.

Summer Sorbet Quilt

Summer Sorbet Front

It is quilted in an all over circle pattern.  I think they look more like tennis balls because of the way the circles loop back into themselves before transitioning on to the next.  But I was hoping it would not only tie in with the circles on the minky back but that it would also soften all of the sharp angles in the blocks on the front.

Close up of the quilting.

Front and Back of Summer Sorbet

 I used couture cotton in raspberry for the binding.  This new solid is super silky and it was really easy to hand sew as binding.  I can see more of this solid in my future for sure.  I love the way it frames out the quilt, balances with the bright colors in both the front and back, and ties it all together.

Summer Sorbet Strength

You may remember that I was working on finishing up a quilt based on the Bizzy Kid pattern from Alison at Cluck Cluck Sew.  Originally I didn't have any specific plans for this quilt.  I was just so inspired by the color scheme and a need to sew that I knew I wanted to make something even though I had no idea what.  After getting this quilt started I realized its bright and happy colors would be perfect for a quilt I was needing to make for a coworker.  Recently my boss was diagnosed with Cancer and my first thought was she needs a quilt.  She's going to be going through radiation and I wanted her to have something to cuddle under to take lots of naps.

Sorbet From Pintrest

I had planned to order washi tape fabric for the back of this quilt but once I had a plan my goal became to finish it as quickly as possible and get it to my boss.  My mom suggested that I look at using Minky for the back because it would add that extra special bit of softness.  I got online and started looking for minky and it didn't take me long to find something I liked from fabric.com.  I knew my quilt top was going to measure somewhere close to 60 by 80 when I finished so I sent some emails back and forth with my mom and decided to order 2 1/2 yards of a minky that was 60 inches wide.

Kaufman Minky Cuddle Balloon Party Aqua/Magenta

Yes, EPIC FAIL!  60 inches wide of course is selvage to selvage which you all know won't work.  I had the backing fabric sent to my mom's because I thought this would make the process faster.  I dropped the finished quilt top off to my mom last Saturday so that she could take it to the quilter who had promised that once we dropped it off she would finish what was on her long arm and then load this quilt next.  That's one great thing about having a relationship with a long arm quilter, they help you out when it's important.  It was only when my mom and dad laid the backing and quilt top out together that the mistake was realized.  Then the text message came.  Your quilt top is 2 inches bigger than your backing.  WOW!  How am I going to fix this?  I knew my mom had already been gracious enough to sew muslin to the minky to give the long arm quilter a way to stretch it into the frame.  So I suggested we cut 1/2 inch off both sides and then I would just use an extra wide binding to cover the little bit of muslin that would be left in the quilt.

The next text I got was "I am not cutting your quilt top!"  I quickly shot back oh it's fine.  I really need to get this done and I don't have time to come back and get it and then take it all apart.  You see my boss is currently in week 4 of a 7 week cycle and I really want to get this finished and to her.  I explained again to my mom that even though I understand the importance of not doing anything at all if you aren't going to do your best that in this case it was more important to me to have it finished than to have it perfect.  But finally I agreed to think about it overnight.

The next day my mom suggested that if I took out the 4 long seams and resewed them 1/4th of an inch smaller it would pull in the quilt top enough to make it work.  This was followed by a lot of grumbling from me that I didn't have time to make the trip back down to their house after work followed by me agreeing to do it.  My father stayed up until 11 taking out all four of the long seams.  The next day I was schedule to come down and resew those seams but this little thing call work and a crazy rainstorm got in the way.  Not that it would have mattered because by lunch time my mother had texted me a finished photo of the resewn quilt top.  By the way my parents if you don't know them are some of the nicest, kindest, most considerate people you will ever meet!  They aren't just this sweet to me.

Top after being sewn back together.

I have to say I think the finished top looks even better now then it did when I had finished it.  The quilt is at the long arm now and she is hoping to have it finished by the end of the weekend.  I am dropping dinner off for my boss on Thursday so I am hoping to have the binding and all done by then so I can take the quilt to her.  Hopefully she will find strength in summer sorbet and will know that she is loved.