Will I Make It?

I'm referring to more than getting the baby quilt done on time, although I am making progress on that.

The renovations have bathed the house in a fine layer of dust and a not so fine layer of mud. Hubby is working so hard to get the basics done so we can actually finish the basement. At some point in the future this space will be my sewing studio. At some point...

Back to the quilt. I went with triangles. And some circles, of course. Are you surprised? I'm trying to work on it in the midst of the mess. Not in the basement - the state of that space means I'm even afraid the laundry isn't getting clean - but in the dining room. That's the joy of a baby quilt, it doesn't take up much space when you are working on it.

Another Baby Quilt

Thanks Jacquie. I went to the store for you and came home with these. So much for stash busting with my current projects.

Yet another baby quilt to make. I've left this one a bit late, the baby is due any day and there might be a bris that I'll need to attend with a present in hand. Good thing I haven't actually decided what I want to do yet.

My friends are very vibrant people - an engineer and a speech pathologist who write music and play (he) on the side. Yet their home is subdued, letting art and music take center stage. It is a challenge for me to tone down and design a quilt that maybe isn't so bold. I thought I could do the no darker than sand concept, but it was too much (or too little) for me. But these fabrics, while bold in design, are softer in colour. They've become a perfect jumping off point.

Because Hubby is making me to get all my stuff out of the basement this weekend I braved the chill (he took out a window the other day) and went to pull fabric last night. Anything and everything that remotely went with the starting fabrics came upstairs. We'll see what makes it into the quilt. Some of these seem a little too bold.

Now, to just figure out what I want to do... Triangles are winning right now, but I've also thought of some interesting (and easy) linear designs. What to do, what to do?

Swimming Along

Ignore the fact that this top needs a good pressing, and the light has washed out the colours a bit. Oceane's quilt top is done, the back is done, and I need a nap to get it basted.

I wanted to give you a binding tutorial, but the Monster just woke up from her nap and will not let me use the computer without incessant demands for the Baby Beluga video and a tour through You Tube. Hopefully I can get to it on the weekend.

As I was getting the binding done yesterday and snapping all the photos I realized that I want to add a few more tutorials - on mitered corners, labels, and yes, squaring up a quilt. Soon to come, a series on all the finishing touches for your quilts.

All Squared Away

My mom went home, I'm almost done the course of antibiotics, and I even worked out today. Yes, I feel relatively normal again. That should last until I go to the dentist this afternoon.

Inspired Improvisation is almost done. I finished the quilting yesterday and got it squared up this morning. I don't know about you, but I like to square up my quilts before I put the binding on. Some do it after it is on and stitched down. I used to do it after I first sewed it on. Then I got a quilt back from the long armer and it was all squared away for me to attach the binding. Much greater success.

Oddly, the process of squaring up and cutting away the excess fabric and batting is my favourite part of finishing a quilt. This is the moment where it actually becomes a quilt, not just a bunch of cotton fancily put together. Sure, binding completes it and the label tops it off like a cherry, but the loss of the trimmings shapes it into a proper quilt.

Up next? Pieced binding, and I'll post a tutorial on that.