tada!

I finished up the 2nd of the Snuggle Up tops today so shanghai'd DJ after he got off his exercise bike for quilt holder duties. You may think you are seeing double and you sort of are, LOL. They are different but subtly so. I think that these would work for either a boy or a girl.

If you read my last post you know about the over calculation I had done on the 1st top. By the time I decided to do another with the extra strips I had cut, I was out of a few of the fabrics.

2nd one

1st one

I was able to squeeze out just enough fabric for the narrow flap and binding for both quilts from the same yardage----woohoo! The only thing that remains is to cut some fabric for backing and then we can pin these at the next meeting. These are such a snap to quilt up too which makes them even better for pro bono tops using as many colors as you want or as few.

So what is next? I was talking to Pat this afternoon on IM and said that I should just close my eyes and reach in the UFO hamper and pull out whatever my hand grabbed first and finish it up. I should be making an effort to empty that thing as I want the space for something else!

A phone call from my mom this morning told me that she and my dad had disassembled an old treadle machine into three sections for transport. They are in purge mode right now tackling the attic and some other rooms in the house. "Less is more" after all. DJ said he didn't understand why they were clearing stuff out---wasn't hurting anything up and out of the way, LOL. The out of sight, out of mind philosophy for him, obviously! (thought you would get a kick out of that, Mom) I had mentioned on one of the trips back this summer that I would not mind having it "some day" but of course, it may have been promised to my sister or sister-in-law who also sew. Mom has had it for some time and it once belonged to the church my dad pastored. The church women sewed for one of the local hospitals at the time. Well someday is going to come a lot sooner than I thought. I guess I know what we will be hauling back in the car next trip back. I haven't told DJ that yet, LOL.

I DID pull out a project bag and it looks like some string blocks that Theramae had made are next. I planned to sash and cornerstone them for a larger top and some of the sewing is already done. I don't think I have to make any blocks to go with it but will count up again to be sure.

It has been a pretty quiet day otherwise---just the way I like it. I took the day off from walking so slept in a little bit though Skyler was bound and determined that I get up at the summer schedule time. I ran a couple errands, fooled around a bit on the computer mostly answering email and looking for a particular recipe that I may try tomorrow. Guess that's it for today's post.

WIP Sunday---huh?

Yeah it is customary to post this "work in progress" stuff on Wednesday---alliteration, after all. Who knows what I might be working on by then? Knowing me, this same top if I don't get busy on it this afternoon. ( I didn't get the whole thing in the picture---some is hanging below the sewing machine table.)

I was on loose ends a couple days ago--really didn't feel like working on the fusible applique "Be Attitudes" since I normally buttonhole and then quilt it right after I finish the applique---machine still in shop till probably months end.

What to work on instead though? Earlier in the week I had drug home a bag of stuff one of the Belles had brought. A few blocks that needed the sashing removed from a donation top--did that but will re-visit the piecing back together later. Also in the bag was a pile of appliqued floral blocks with pieced half star baskets. Hmmm, interesting-- but only 5 or 6 are completely done and a bunch more to work on. Not yet but possibly down the line---and with different fabrics if I have to do them. (Looks like poly-cotton which you know will not crease properly but I could be wrong about that fiber content)

When I went to stow those sections away in the closet, I pulled out a stack of 3 1/2 inch cut strips I had found at our meeting place at the church---that white, gold, striped and leopard looking print you see in the picture. At one point before it got put away, I had pulled some fabrics from my stash to pair with it: an gold pinecone looking print, black with stars and crescents, a stylized graduated rust landscape print with what looks flocks of birds on it, and so on. I think I had planned an old pro bono fav Snuggle Up top. Obviously judging from the picture, I got busy on a top.

There were 10 strips of that jungle piece--more than I really needed--or so I thought. I loved the cobblestone looking giraffe piece but alas, it was only a fat quarter and I had cut a big hunk out of that for an "I spy" section. With some piecing, I was able to squeeze out two strips. I could use another scanty piecein that set aside pile in between those. Once I started cutting the other yardage I had on hand, I had 5 strips available in 6 different fabrics. Perfect, I thought!

Well, actually it ended up being TWO tops I am making. At some point when I was sewing it occured to me that 30- 3 inch finished strips would make a quilt that was 90 inches long!! Not a bad idea if I were not making a donation top and we shoot for 40 x 60. DUH, 20 strips, not 30. Okay, 10 strips towards another top then. I raided my stash (again) and came up with a few other prints that will work with the greens, golds, brown tones--using some of the extra Hearth and Home yardage I got for my upcoming Strip Twist for the FAB retreat. Some cat and dog fabric Mom sent home with me will work too.

Actually the first top has 21 strips in the final strip set and the 2nd, 20. The 2nd is not shown but the strip sets are made, joined and looped and cut, just waiting for me to finish up the 1st one. I was able to squeeze out 11- 3 1/2 inch strips vertically from each strip set. I left off yesterday on Snuggle #1 with vertical strips joined in pairs. I plan borders on this one with that rust colored squiggles old Fons and Porter (I think) print but maybe a narrow inset of black between the top and the border. I only have one small square section left of that squiggle stuff along with a pile of narrower strips after I cut for the quilt (s) but I may have enough cut to border both. I'll find out soon enough! I might be back to piecing to squeeze it out but hey, if it worked for our quilting foremothers it will certainly work for me.

Stash busting is the name of the game, after all.

Oh, some final thoughts on this pattern---switching horses in midstream with the strip pairs, messed up the direction that I had pressed the strips. If you look at the strip sets when joined, on the back of the piece, the strips should appear to be raised up and them the alternating looks strip indented and narrower across the back of the yardage. Let me see if I can explain this better--every other strips has its seam allowances pressed AWAY from it. Pressing in that manner will allow the seams to nest perfectly when joining vertically. Actually the pdf file of the pattern has a good illustration of how the back of your piece should look before looping.

The other thing? When sewing strip sets, join the consecutive strip (or strip pairs) by starting your sewing line from the opposite direction or the piece will start bowing. You need the feed dogs to work their magic and ease the middle strips in. I think I may have picked up that tip in Billie Lauder's Bargello quilt----it also uses this loop idea as does Bonnie Hunter's scrappy bargello though I don't think she says to do direction switching.

Hope you have a good day with whatever you chose to do------