4 to go!

Picture taken last night about 8.

Not my donation top---it is Aline's and I had volunteered to quilt it for her some time back.  I had planned to squeeze my Button Up(s)  into the quilting mix but took a good look at this top and knew that I could get it done in a short time.

First I locked in the blocks---a term that I picked up from my pal and mentor Joy who got it from Mary Ellen Hopkins.  I think she is the one who got Joy to machine quilt and Joy definitely gave ME the push way back in 2000 or 2001.   I believe that the pattern is "Just Can't Cut It" or a variation of it and was a 4 x 5 block set meaning to me, a little shorter than usual.   Horizontal and vertical lines were done fairly quickly as the blocks are good sized.

Now what for the blocks?  Well, that 7 inch star I had drawn off a few days ago looked to fill the space fairly well.  In retrospect I could have also used a cat's head shape from a previous quilt since she used a lot of that fun cat fabric in it.  Thanks to my pal Cher, I had some of that same fabric line and made a tag-along tote out of it.  It was the first time I had made the bag and I would come to realize that yeah, you can use a fat quarter all right but watch it with the directional fabric!!  All my cats are laying down on the job!  I included THAT particular tidbit/pointer in the post with the picture.

The quilting is done and providing I had time, would put on the binding and prep a label.  I could not be sure that Aline had not already cut something that color coordinated with her quilt.  I should be seeing her tomorrow at JOY group so will pass it on to her to finish up.

Right now my quilt stack is down to 4--- 2 of my own (Faux Log Cabin and Triple Rail) which date back to October and August of 2011 respectively and 2 of Linda C's.  I know one of those is like a skinnier Jelly Roll (zoom lines in other words) but the other a bit more complicated meaning it will need more SID than its mate.   Today may be Button Up day as I could use some hand work at the meeting tomorrow.

I am not a JOY group member though I used to be.  Last time I was there I was asked to do part of the program.  I have a standing invitation, more or less, should I want to guest or re-join.  Most of the Belles are members of JOY as well as it is a true guild.   I am meeting a local pal and facebook friend who is in need of some plaid/homespun fabrics and I have a whole box of them.  Maybe the lid will close a little more easily if I share with Terry, LOL.  Swap or whatever.  I do use stuff from the box periodically---Calendar quilts, button ups, etc and eventually a good bit of it will go for another boy quilt.  I did a Homespun Bricks some years back but I don't know if I can locate the picture since I do such a lousy job of re-labeling them.    (Pictures---camera----separate by month---my own stuff mixed in with the Belles so only part of my output is in a folder of its own.  No wonder I can't find anything! A job for another day there.)   AHHHH it is on my blog-- HERE.  I knew I had started it at one of our sew-ins but pre-blog or post-blog??  It popped up in October 2006.

I didn't get any cutting or design work done yesterday morning partly because we got up to some rain and thunderstorms.  No computer and no sewing machine.  Instead I sacked up the leftovers from my Faux Log Cabin as I promised those to one of the Belles.  I also emptied out my scrap basket for her use---removing a little thorn in my side.  If she wants to make scrappy quilts, have at it.   I don't have the time or inclination to want to re-cut that 2 quart bag of stuff.

I had initially thought I would have enough time to put the binding on the Picnic BQ, first thing in the morning but quickly gave up THAT plan. I had gotten a phone call from Lois the night before.  She needed to pin a family quilt before the next meeting  (NOT till the 14th).  She and her husband had been visiting family back in IL and she came home with a family crazy quilt that someone had found in the attic.  It needed new backing and batting in order to be used.  Lois being the quilter in the family was asked what she could do with it to get it to a usable state.  She said they all trooped off to Joann's for a backing fabric purchase.

Lois had to un-tie it, get it pinned and will have to bind it before she passes it back to another family member to re-tie it.  It will be a surprise gift in early September.  Since I am the one with a key, we set up a time Tuesday morning to meet and get the pinning part of the job done. Another of the Belles came as well and we made pretty short work of a big heavy quilt in spite of a re-pin----oops, we were too close to the edge with the fabric and got the selvage into the quilt top.   We knew the batting was going to be tight lengthwise anyway but messed up on the first set up.  It was smooth sailing after that though we had to shift it up and down. and to the side twice more.

It was fun to see the different fabrics in the quilt top.  Lois recognized some of her mom's clothing bits in there.  Others had been included in a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt that each grandchild got.  Pat and I were admiring some of the other prints--some you recognize as 30's, feedsacks or into the 50's era.   Some I wish I had for the Farmer's Wife Sampler, LOL.  As we were folding the top back to shift it, we found that the maker had not trimmed down the excess fabrics from the seams and the backing sheet was loose enough to trim it off.  Score there as Lois can applique another piece of the recovered fabric over the top of a complete worn off one.   We stopped for a quick bite to eat, Lois' treat and I didn't get home till about 1.  The morning was gone.  You know how I spent the rest of the day------quilting.

Can you believe that it is August already?  It seems like we just flipped the calendar page--yesterday!  A few things are already listed on the calendar with birthdays, quilt meetings, hair cut appointment and so forth.  I just know that I am going to be piecing soon and forming a mental list of which ones I want to work on.   Keep pluggin'!