Central Rails

I finally finished something.  It feels like it has been a long time since I actually sat down and finished something.  I like some of the long term projects that I have going right now like my hexagon quilt and my Farmer's Wife Quilt but sometimes it's nice to just finish something too.  I've been a member of the Old Red Barn Quilt Along Group for a long time but this is the first quilt from that group I have actually finished.  Ironically enough it is also the first quilt that the group made.  I used two Jelly Rolls of Central Park by Kate Spain for the front and yardage of a piece for the back.  I had originally planed to use the left over fabric from the back for the binding but in the end I had enough strips from the jelly roll left to make a scrappy binding.  This is the first time I used that technique and I actually like it a lot.  So I see more scrappy bindings in the future.

Front of Central Rails

Scrappy Binding

Back of Quilt.  I kept it simple with one main fabric and just an inset of left over pieces from the front.  Easier than trying to match up the pattern repeat.

Close up of the quilting.

This quilt was quilted by a long arm quilter in a variegated yellow/orange thread in an open scroll pattern.  Fresh from the dryer and I think it has just the right amount of crinkly goodness.  I love the simpleness of the pattern but the fact that it still is visually interesting.  The fabric is great but then again Kate Spain is one of my favorite designers ever.  Hence the fact that I have WIPs in Fandango, Verna, and I'm sure something else I'm failing to remember at the moment.

WIP Wednesday

I just found out about Work in Progress Wednesday through some blogs I recently started reading and so I thought since (a) I love to make list, (b) I find when I put it out there on the blog I am more likely to finish it, and (c) I love linky parties it might be just the ticket to a regularly schedule blog post that actually chronicles more than just a finished project.

Hot at the Machine:
Spring Weekends- I'm doing a little modification on this quilt top.  I'm going to make one more block and changed the layout to 6 by 6.  It will be a little shorter but also wider which I appreciate.  I found a great vintage sheet to use for the back so this one is almost ready for a little basting spray and then quilting.

Close up of Spring Weekends Quilt Top

Mod Times Quilt Along-This is a new quilt along and this week is all about cutting the fabrics and getting ready to go.  Since I decided I wanted to make my rectangles rainbow string blocks I am working on putting those together first.  I still need to cut the other pieces but I have my solids all ready to go.

The start of my rainbow blocks.

Central Park Quilt:  This quilt would be progressing nicely.  But I need to order another jelly roll (bad math skills) and some fabric for the back and then figure out who I want to have quilt it.  It is a little big for my home machine so I am pretty sure I'll be sending this one out to be done.

 
Awaiting TLC:
Freshcuts Square Dance: This one is at the long arm quilters.  She is having her studio remolded and I'm not sure where this one is on her to do list but hopefully I will have it back before to long.

Fussy Cut Bee Log Cabin:  While I have a lot of bee blocks from last year I'm not ready to commit to all of them yet.  I broke this one out first because I have a bit of a plan for it and I think I can make it happen.  I'm on a push to get some things finished because I've made a deal with myself that I won't be buying any more fabric until I use up some of what I have.

While my overall to do list is much longer than this I wanted to start small.  Sometimes my list gets a little muddled with things I want to do and not just the things that are actually started or that I have actual materials for.

Be sure to check out what everyone else is doing over here.

Return of the Mojo

After whipping up Spring Weekends this past weekend I found myself with time left in the day and a desire to keep on sewing.  It's been a long time since I felt like I was able to really sit down with Bertha and accomplish something.  I joked with my good friend Leanne who's been MIA for a while that I was glad she came back and brought my mojo with her.  I had a jelly roll of Central Park and no specific plans but a quilt I had seen a while back that I couldn't get out of my head.  I don't typically like to make a quilt in the same fabrics that I've seen someone else use.  Don't ask me why I'm just big on changing it up some at the very least by using different fabrics.  But Laura's quilt was just so stunning.  I've been a member of the Old Red Barn group over on flickr for a long time but I've never actually made one of the quilt along quilts.  Okay well I started the hexagon quilt but lets not talk about that.  Regardless it felt good to have a plan and to have something I could work on while looking for a vintage sheet for the back of Spring Weekends. (Which incidentally I found today at the very first thrift store I went to.  I expected it to take a lot longer.)

 I was able to get the jelly roll strips all sewn together into sets of six.  The next step is to cut these strips down into blocks and then sew them back together into a top somewhat like a rail and fence pattern.  I'm really excited about this one too because I think it will be big enough to replace our bulky comforter on the bed for the Spring and Summer.  I'm one of those people who has to have covers but hates to be hot so something light will be just the ticket.