One week later..........

I sure didn't mean for a whole week to go by without posting.  I meant to post yesterday as a matter of fact and even had a couple picture to share but somehow it didn't happen, LOL.  Thunderstorms and having to power down the computer may have had something to do it with it.

 I have finished up the piecing on HO HO HO blog hop project 2 now and went over to the church meeting place to pin both one and two fairly early on Friday morning.  I was home in time for lunch which was all DJ was concerned about.  Rather than set up to start quilting, I finished up the binding on the remaining two sides of this Tons of Black Challenge quilt from last year.   Now it is ready to be counted for the guild obligation but I am allowed to donated it for the Bama Belles cause too.  I am thinking that this might be a good one for the Ogden House project that my friend Gene Black headed up last year provided they are doing it again this year.  You can read about the efforts HERE.

I can't show you the other stuff so this will have to do!  Pattern Source:  Quilting Assistant Mock Trip Around the World.  I would do another of these in a heart beat as the blocks can be arranged just about any way but I like this medallion style one probably the best.  The website gives you a couple of other ideas but I came up with a few others.  See my past post HERE for that.

I am also considering making a pillow case/gift bag for projects 1 and 2 but I have never done one of those roll up type deals.  I mentioned that to my friend Norma yesterday but I had a kit that I had one at guild to practice on first.   I said I would probably have to watch a video first to get through the process---or holler for Jane to help me, LOL.  She has made quite a few of them so I knew where to turn.  Norma came up with a couple of links before I had a chance to google it.

Missouri Star Quilt Company has one that she finished up the interior seams on the serger found HERE.  Robin Gallagher of Robin Quilts, Etc. also has a video for the pillow case but uses a french seam on the remaining two sides  HERE.   I recently said that I would like to have a basic serger and this would have been a good chance to use one.  I did the french seams BUT see how much off I am where this band meets?  Actually I think it is my fault for not re-cutting the strip in the kit.  The quilt shop tears their fabric.  I pressed it is half as instructed but there are spots where it is about an 1/8 of an inch off in the width.  I know because 1) I can see it is NOT even and 2) I measured it after the fact. 

Robin said to seam it on the other two sides, like an L, at first a quarter inch seam sewing with wrong sides together  and then turning it and doing a 1/2 inch seam.  to encase the raw edges.  I know how to do french seams from the old garment sewing days.  That just made for a big blob in the corner that I ended up clipping anyway.  I should have done it one seam at a time and it might have been easier to press it too.  Oh well, this was a "try it and learn" endeavor.  I know what I would do differently next time.

It is sort of cute though, isn't it?  Ballerina mice.  Who knew?   If they are still wanting these at guild I may donate it.  If not, maybe we can do a few more and send them with our quilts when we donate them down the line.   OR I might just use it myself, LOL.  Probably not. 

Other than that I did a bit of research for a hexagon idea I have for the late August hop.  I need to know how big it might finish so I  have cut something out to try my theory.  This is a case of combining a few things from a few sources to get the result I THINK I want.  It may not work but then again, it just might, LOL. 

Here we go again with the thunder bumpers and it is pouring down rain!  Same thing happened yesterday and we had two inches fall in a very short time.  Skyler has seen enough and is heading for his hiding spot under my bed!  Thankfully, I had run the grocery errands before this came blowing in.   I had planned on quilting today but that may need to wait till things calm down a bit in the weather department.  I'll swap out machines anyway.  Plus there is a whole boatload of binding to press as well. 

Hope you are having a good weekend in whatever you have chosen to do----