Monday, July 15, 2019

It Doesn't Look Like Much, But I'm Making Progress

Next up in the hoop is the Big Tipsy Basket quilt. I don't think it was really supposed to be next in line, but I'm playing around with the idea of putting this one into the regional quilt show. It's all been sort of up in the air as we have an older friend getting married that particular weekend near Portland, Oregon.  
Big Tipsy Basket
Quilts are supposed to be picked up directly after the end of the quilt show and I've been having trouble lining up someone to collect my 'potential' entries. Still working on that minor detail. There's a still a slim chance that we'll just skip the entire weekend away, as my husbands work has been piling up on him and so many of our weekends are being booked up. So will I? Finish this quilt in time? Yes, no, maybe so. It should quilt up quickly, but on the other hand I'm not one for added pressures in life so we'll see. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the almost mindlessness to the echo stitching and subconsciously pondering many of life's complexities. We think as adults we should have complete and utter control over our lives, but wowsers. Just not the way it usually is!
Getting sandwiched and pinned
It was nice to get the hand quilting finished up on Vintage Flowers though. It feels like I've been working on that one forever! The binding has since been machine stitched into place and it's now just waiting for the hand work time. I don't dread hand stitching the binding like some people, just need to find the opportune moment and be 'in the mood'. Hand stitching binding doesn't take days and weeks to do as I can be pretty fast with plying my needle. I don't know how others manage, but my machine finished binding always looked terribly sloppy and would have to be redone anyway. Why bother wasting that time?
Vintage Lily
Speaking of time. Melon Patch {below} has been co-opting a ton of my time lately. Ughh! So tired of stitching these innocuous looking petals! Out of 20 sets of 4 petals, it's down to just 3 sets left to stitch. The main problem is that it takes approximately an hour from start to finish to stitch one set of petals, so do the math. There are three hours left until this particular phase is completed! And I've told myself, NO more applique projects until getting this part done. No real surprise that anything and everything else gets in the way. I've read books, made apricot jam, drove to Home Depot with my husband, played with my granddaughters, took walks with my daughter, wrote a quilty blog post...
Always more petals to stitch
Too, all the nine-patch blocks for Patchwork Garden quilt have been finished up and now are sewn into the horizontal rows. I'm not sewing those rows together until I stitch as much of the applique possible so...., yeah......*sigh  Not happening until I get going on the previous project. Cuz I mean it! Bummer. This one looks like more fun, right? I've been gathering the potential fabric together for the applique though, so it's not like I've been sitting around twiddling my thumbs here.
Patchwork Garden progress
There's even another 'all applique'  that I've been eyeballing lately too. {not that I'm counting the stacks of fabric marinating on the counter tops at all....} It's a print that I saw online and already contacted the designer to ask permission to try and recreate in fabric. Ahem! Yes. It's been gathering steam behind the scenes so to speak, fabric being gathered and contemplated in great, serious detail. Hhmm... Maybe if I get enough interesting applique projects out ahead of  me then the carrot and stick approach might actually start working?

12 comments:

  1. no more applique until it is done huh - you going to make it? :)

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  2. Don't wander off the plan (applique). Do what you can and enjoy the moment. You're good at that.

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  3. The petals for Melon Patch are definitely labour intensive but worth the effort!
    What is the size of Big Tipsy Basket? I'm looking forward to seeing the fully finished
    Vintage Flowers when she's gotten her binding on.

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  4. What a delightful post with lots of lovely quilts!
    What regional quilt show?

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  5. I love your big tipsy basket :0) I'm very curious about the print you're wanting to recreate with fabric. Good luck with your Melon Patch petals - you'll get there!

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  6. I've only done a machine stitched binding a couple of times and it never looks as good as my hand-done one. I have a project I'm trying to complete and get out of the way. I want to work on anything else but I'm a hard taskmaster and am hand stitching away. Those petals will only take three hours and then you can do anything your want. (I'm in cheerleader mode here - ha!) I'm glad you're enjoying the quilting on the basket - sometimes hand quilting just makes me so content.

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  7. Sometimes we just have to go with the flow and start another new quilt, always best done when the spirit moves you. Waiting til something else is done takes the joy out of both projects, and often the "new" quilt never materializes. Summer seems to be the time for slacking just a bit, and it seems there's never a day we can set aside just for sewing. Well, winter is just about the same scenario ...

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  8. You have a lot of good things going on! Hope your three hours came and went quickly!

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  9. The basket is quirky and original. Suits your personality.....or my impression of your personality since we have never met in person.

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  10. Control over our lives? Whatever gave us that idea? At least you are in control of your quilting, even if you are making yourself do more of the "work" and less of the fun stuff for a bit. I'm intrigued by your all-applique possibility - I hope you get permission so you can share it.

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  11. Your basket is so beautiful with the block design you used. I’m always impressed with the number of projects you actively keep going at one time. I can’t wait to see your next Applique quilt.

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