New Whirly Giggle Quilt

Well, folks, its been a busy week here in Wisconsin. Still very cold, but no snow at least.

Work and life have been very hectic this week with something going on after we get home from work every night. Tuesday night was Girl Scouts and last night we had a chili pot luck at church (yes, yours truly took a big pot of chili and a pan of corn bread). So I have not had a lot of quality time for quilting.

Sunday I started working on the Whirly Giggle baby quilt that I mentioned in my last post. Given all of the problems that others have had, I thought I would piece a few blocks using scraps before I started cutting out my Butterfly Fling (jelly roll). Here's my first attempt.

I wasn't too happy with them, the arms seemed so stubby and I had to trim a bunch. I went back to some of the instructions and decided to add the extra 1/2 an inch width to the white fabric and try it on another fabric (maybe if it was one that I might use, I'd do a better job at it). Here's what I got.

I had to trim about an inch off of each side. Too much waste. So I looked at the other examples and the instructions again and realized that I was putting the wrong side in the middle; the other blocks have the narrow edge in the middle. So, okay, let's try that, and readjust the white fabric one more time. This time it worked and I've made 6 blocks total.

I like them on point so I think I'm going to go that route. I need to make a bunch more and then decide if I'm going to put plain blocks inbetween or not.

Have a great day.

Laurel

Flagstone Quilt Done!

DD and I just got back from our weekend away. We went to the Holidome in Fond du Lac for some relaxing time. They have a great pool and hot tub. I had a gift certificate for a free night. We really enjoy being pampered in the middle of the cold, dark winter.

While DD was sleeping in this morning, I finished sewing the binding on my flagstone quilt. Its done! Ta-da! Here's a couple of pix.

Saturday we ran a bunch of errands before heading to FDL. One of those errands was to drop off the quilt top for a Trip Around the World that I finished back before Thanksgiving to the woman who will machine quilt it. The quilt is queen-sized and one of the few full bed sized quilts I've ever done. I've done lots of baby quilts, several wall hanging or lap quilts, but I think this is only the 3rd full size bed quilt I've ever finished. I didn't have any pix before I took it over there, so I shot a few of it draped over the quilting frame while we were discussing the various options.

I know it looks a little funny at this angle all bent like that, but there wasn't room to take a bigger picture.

Well, I need to start a baby quilt. I have a baby shower for a woman at work in two weeks so I'd better get cracking. I think I'm going to try the Whirlygiggle (windmill) pattern that everyone is talking about. I have a bunch of Moda's Butterfly Fling that I bought last fall that will be perfect.

Have a good week everyone!

Laurel

Blue Bento Box Quilt Top Done!

We're getting ready to go out of town for the weekend, but I wanted to show you the completed top of the Bento Box quilt that I got done last night. I'm really happy with the way it turned out and love the pop of red.

Have a good weekend all. We'll be back Sunday afternoon.

Laurel

Friday at Last

Well, its been a long week.

Last night I finished quilting the border of the flagstone quilt and machined on the binding. We're going out of town this weekend, so I'll take it with me to hand sew the other side of the binding down.

Tonight I'm going to sew on the borders onto the Bento Box quilt (see post below). I've decided to go with a red inner border and then the dark blue outer border (I went and bought another 1/2 a yard of the blue). I'll post the results soon.

Katie and I are pretty excited about going to the Holidome in Fond du Lac for Saturday night. We love the pool and just getting away. I won the free overnight stay last year and since it expires in two more weeks, I thought we'd better go now.

Have a good weekend, all!

Laurel

Thursday - Not Much Going On

Well, all, not much action going on here in Wisconsin. The weather finally got warm (we're supposed to get above freezing today) and there's slush everywhere.

Tuesday night I went to a class on long arm machine quilting. I wasn't too surprised about what I learned, but it was rather anticlimatic. I guess I'm looking for something that doesn't exist yet: a quilting machine that will quilt the entire top without having to forward the fabric and can have continuous all over quilting. Like diagonals, etc. I'll use my $20 rental credit one of these days, probably on the Bento Box quilt when I get the top all done.

I have a blue and pink queen sized Trip Around the World top that I completed before Thanksgiving. I had hopes of quilting it myself on a rental machine, but after the class I've determined that I don't want to use it to learn on. The LQS gave me a name of a local lady (no shipping cost!) who does really good machine quilting and I'm taking the quilt top over to her house on Saturday.

Last night I didn't get any quilting done. I feel a little bit guilty, but I'm a big fan of the TV show "Lost" and last night was the season premiere. Its one of those shows that you really can't sit and listen to (and who can do 100% listening when the machine is whirring away) and miss the visuals. So I veg'ed in front of the TV watching Lost and enjoying myself. DD was playing on the computer in the other room (she's very active in Webkinz) so I just sat there watching my show.

Tonight I plan to finishing the quilting on the flagstone quilt and at least get the binding sewn on so I can do the hand work this weekend. Yes, I'm already thinking about the weekend and not focusing on what I have to do today.

Laurel

Flagstone Quilt 80% Quilted

Here's a pic of the progress on the Flagstone quilt. The entire top (minus the borders) is stipple quilted. It was alot harder than I remembered it being (moving the quilt around on my little machine). And its taken alot more thread than I imagined. I've just about finished my second big spool. I don't buy thread in the cones 'cause I just couldn't understand that you could go through thread so fast. I probably have to add bobbin thread every 45 minutes or so. This quilt (unfinished) measures 70" x 47". Its a big lap quilt.

As to finishing the quilt, I've just got the borders to quilt and then the binding.

Tonight I'm going to a long arm machine quilting class at my LQS. I'm really excited to go and learn this. I have a queen sized Trip Around the World that I want to quilt on a big machine and the class provides the know-how and a credit towards the rental.

Looks like we've had a rest from the snow for the past couple of days and by tomorrow its supposed to get above freezing. Wow! A regular heat wave!

Take care and stay warm.

Laurel

Sunday Night....Ahhhhhh

Well, its Sunday night, DD just got put to bed, and my flagstone quilt is about 40% (machine) quilted. The border fabric came in and I picked it up on Friday after work. I put it on last night and this morning pin basted it after church. It looks awsome. Pics to come after I get it off of the machine.

I still haven't decided what to do about the Bento Box borders, but I really like the pop of the red, too.

DD pulled a fast one tonight. Just before going to bed, she announced that she has a sore throat (there's strep going around her classroom; of course, she hasn't been there in five days). She admitted that she had it earlier today (when she went to the movies with a friend) and yesterday (when she went swimming at the Y with said friend). Funny how she didn't mention it before doing any of those activities. Oh well.

Back to the grind tomorrow. Hope you all have a good week.

Laurel