Floral Center

I have 12 floral blocks, so decided to join them and add sashing. It will need a focus fabric, so what I did was to take a picture of how it looks now to see what I can use.

Part of the challenge with my quilting is trying to use what I have to make a quilt top and back. The photo shows a variety of colors which is what was planned. The sashing is leftover from my Grandson's quilt. Its not white and because it was a large print of blue on the white, it sort of neutralizes the look. I need to measure it to see how much fabric I need for a border and go from there. I am happy with how it is looking so far. Everything was randomly placed.

Floral BOM

I made this today, and while it is done, it gave me some challenges to get it to the 12.5" square. It will fit with the other blocks and that is my next step.

I like how it turned out and next is to see how the other 11 blocks will work together. The white fabric stretched for me, whether I cut it on the bias or something else went on. I am not fighting with it, nor am I remaking it. It either works with the other blocks or will be replaced with a different pattern. I like the color combo here and call it done.

Merry & Bright

While I did piece the next block, it isn't trimmed. I've joined it to one of the setting blocks. Next one that is released for this row, I want to use more of the traditional red & green.

Today, at the Post Office, was very challenging. I shipped out two quilts and a simple envelope to one Niece. Should have been an in and out event. Should have been.

At first, the clerk wanted to charge $55 to send the box by priority mail. It could not be smashed down to the large flat rate box. When I balked, he said it would be less to send it by ground. Ground takes longer, and sometimes when I have opted for that way, it gets there sooner than the priority shipments.

However, I needed a different label. In re-doing the address, I wrote the wrong half of the street address, and his 'search' wouldn't accept it or give a zip code. No zip, no ship.

In order to call to get the correction, I had to leave the building for better reception, and got a friend who could give me the zip and correct address. Going back inside, I had to stand in line AGAIN. The ground fee, signature & new label (79 cents) came to $26.59.

I surrendered the entire experience. I've found too much stress and anxiety building in me lately and decided I needed to rest, and to get outside to be in the gardens. Weather has turned colder, much colder now. I can see some of the more fragile plants curl from Winter's Breath.

Me. Well, I want to cuddle under afghans and quilts, drink tea and eat soup.

Sacred Jets

I finished binding it and will get it ready to ship in the morning. I thought about this very cute little 4-year-old boy who will most likely drag it around his house and yard, laughing and running with joy. It was a pleasure to make him.

Who knows if these will be his colors or if even cares? I really like the wavy vertical quilting lines and might just do that again. It was easy and very effective for home machine quilting. Easy is always good. 

I don't plan to work on anything the rest of the day and may take it easy over the weekend.

Solstice to Solstice

Its not the largest quilt I've made but I sure had issues getting it all to fit in the pic. 

Solstice to Solstice Mystery BOM. That means it was a mystery quilt that was released one block each month, going from June Solstice to December Solstice. I set it aside because I didn't know how I was going to finish it.

I love it and it will ship either Friday or Saturday.

Binding Halfway

I felt like I was flying on the binding, only to discover a seam that was coming loose. That meant, I ripped off the machine stitching and need to catch that seam again. Before I go on with it, I need to re-examine both sides. I thought I did earlier but hey...these eyes.

Of course, just saying two words brought a 1969 song to mind by the Guess Who. This is what young men looked like in the later 60's, & none of them appealed to me then or now.

"...These eyes watched you bring my world to an end..."

Well, I may be a bit dramatic over a seam in need of re-doing, but its how I feel right now. Luckily there is plenty of time to make the correction and finish the other half of the binding before the weekend when I want to ship it out.

Ready to Bind

Such a big quilt at 90" square. I pinned edges so I could cut off the excess and get it ready for binding. Huge. This quilt is huge!

I am tempted to put it under my needle and quilt some of the parts. I might still do that. It took me the entire morning to trim it. Of course, I went all sorts of places with the work I did. 

Done is done. My next step is to calculate yardage and cut the binding joining into one long strip. It is a beauty however and I hope she likes what I did on it.