1974 Done!!!

We had little bit of a dramatic weekend and I didn't get near as much sewing done as I would have liked. I did get my quilt bound that I used my 1974 jelly roll to make. I decided not to go with borders. It's a little on the small side, maybe a large crib size, but I decided I liked it better without borders. I used my border fabric for the back though! This is one of the patterns I won from Camille's giveaway a few months ago called Jelly Filled. I was really curious about grandmother's flower garden. In November I bought hexagon paper pieces and started to work on this block. I haven't been working on it very often because I've been doing the appliqued flowers, but I made this one grandmother's flower. I really like the look of it..... but would I really keep this up for a whole quilt?

I started on another one. Maybe I'll do a baby one with just one row of petals. Hopefully I can figure out a method of machine piecing that I like. One as posted on the Moda Lissa blog awhile ago.

I need an easy way to deal with Y seams or marking the dots. Maybe I should just do one year and then in 30 years I'll have enough for a whole quilt. What do you think?

100 POSTS!!!!

I am in need of all your quilting expertise.... again. I just finished sewing my 1974 blocks together. All along I've been wondering about what to do for a border. When I got done sewing the blocks together I wondered if I should even do a border. Here is the finished center.

This is the fabric I got for an inner and outer border. I really like the fabric, but do I like it for this particular quilt border? I could use it on the back and just piece the back. I need your opinions. Would you leave the quilt borderless, or would you add the borders?

Of course Jake saw me with the camera and a quilt and said " I want to say cheese!" and jumped right on!

New Day, New Jelly Roll

I started my next quilt. I used the 1974 jelly roll I got for Christmas and the pattern I won from the Thimble Blossoms give away, Jelly Filled. I love starting a new quilt. Just the anticipation is so much fun. I also love unrolling a new jelly roll. I think I'm becoming obsessed with them.

So far it's going super fast. Can't say the same for binding my merry-go-round quilt. It took almost an hour just to sew the binding on yesterday afternoon with all those dips and points! Hopefully I can start on the binding tonight!

Pinwheel Spin

I'm trying to stay true to my goal of finishing all my quilt tops before I start more. Here is my pinwheel spin top. I took a class from Broadbent's to make this with my friend Anna back in April. This quilt was made using Quiltsmart, which I talked about in my last post. All the fabric is from Denyse Schmidt's fabric line Katie Jump Rope. Here is a closer picture. Sorry it's a little dark. The dots are also Quiltsmart.

Since this is an older line I had to piece the back because I couldn't easily find the fabric. This is how it turned out.

I still have one quilt to quilt and I need to finish binding Jelly Stars. It has the binding sewn on, but not sewn to the back. I will do one 30's flower and finish my Grandmother's Flower Garden block (notice I said block and not quilt!) before I finish Jelly Stars. I'm having some wrist pain though so it may be awhile.

This is half?

Do you ever feel like you put a ton of work into a quilt that turns out very small? I am half way done with my Merry Go Round Quilt. This is one of two jelly rolls. The quilt does go the other way, but my camera automatically turns it, which bugs me but I'm too lazy to figure out how to turn it. Anyway, this quilt is going to be a lot smaller then I thought. I think it's something like 64x68. Other than the size, I really am liking it though. I love the colors and fabric. It looks so happy. Now, do I pause here and work on another project for a day or two or do I just keep going? It's a lot of seams to match up!

This quilt is making me want to do a grandmother's flower garden quilt. I love them. However, I do not think I will love hand piecing. Also, I feel like if I hand pieced the top I'd feel and obligation to hand quilt it, which I know I do not like to do. Anyone made a grandmother's flower garden quilt on the machine?

The Great Debate '08

What quilt should I do next? I know, I know...... I'm starting a totally new quilt when you can see my list of quilts I'm piecing is growing and growing. But I just get so excited when I get new fabric! This weekend I got 2 jelly rolls for Recipe For Friendship. I have these two patterns that I haven't made. I was thinking I'd do the first, but I have been really wanting to do the second as well. However, the pattern for Black Diamond has been lost in the move. It's probably with Retro Aprons. I can't find that either. I did find my frog patterns though!
Anyway, I'm trying to decide if I should the Merry Go Round Quilt or the Black Diamonds. I have my triangle rulers on the way and I already have both patterns. Which one is more kitcheny? I love the retro kitchen look of Recipe for Friendship and Merry Go Round could be really cute in it.
Or should I keep looking until I find the Black Diamond pattern. The pattern doens't look as kitcheny to me, but I love it. Maybe it would look cute in Candyland Christmas or Isn't Christmas Jolly. Or maybe it would be cute in just a mix of 1930's scraps. What do you think?

The problems and debates of a quilter. Will they never end?

Pinwheel Spin Preview

Here is a preview of the quilt I'm working on the most right now. I have several others in progress, but this is the one that I am working on most. It's made from the Katie Jump Rope fabric line which is reproduction 70's fabric. Every time I work on this I get The Rhythm of Life stuck in my head.