A Cutting Frenzy

I'd like to think I am in the middle of a cutting frenzy, and perhaps by my normal standards, I am; however, I'm actually doing this in a rather slow and methodical way.

Yesterday's post referenced a quilt that we all have the option of working on together at our upcoming retreat at Canter's Cave. The quilt is called Best of All by Country Threads. Terry made hers awhile back, and when we all saw it, we loved it, and the idea was born to do a group-sew - make the same pattern with our own fabrics.

Terry unveiled her version of Best of All back in 2015, I believe. A group of us were at her house for a day of sewing. Jan suggested that we each make one and most of us agreed that it would be fun. Jan cut hers out almost immediately. I now have mine ready. Here are the fabrics I pulled.

Since each block is made individually, I wondered how I could best keep each block separated and organized. I tried using little baggies, but this became a problem because I would forget which parts I'd cut and which still needed to be cut and were enough of each piece cut -yada-yada-yada- I needed a different plan.

Because I'd just glued several hexies and POTC parts to cardstock/paper, I thought maybe a modified version of that method would work for these blocks, too. Here is a picture of how I ended up doing it. I didn't need glue, and I didn't lay out the entire block, but I did lay out approximately a quarter of a block so that each part of the block was in place. I stacked them in a box, one on top of the other, separating each with a sheet of paper.

 You can see that I've used a cardboard box from the grocer's; the can marks are visible under my first block.The box will be easily transported to the retreat. I will wrap it up somehow to keep all the parts where I want them. Weight them down, first, perhaps. Yes, this should work well.

This picture shows that several are stacked on top of that first block. It was a system that ended up working rather well, so I will probably use it again when I cut out this next quilt, called (I think) Baskets; it's a Kim Diehl quilt from her book Simple Abundance. Again, Terry has made this quilt, and it's a beauty.

So far, I have only pulled the fabrics; no cutting yet. Remember, I'm slow and methodical, you now. Below are my fabric choices for Baskets.

Gotta' get busy!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Quite Possibly, I've Lost My Mind

After four days of dithering about what to work on in the sewing room, I decided to make a little quilt that has been on my to-do list for several years.

This is a 2010 pattern by Country Threads called Pincushion Stars. I've seen a couple of these made up and they are wonderful, but oh-my-gosh! The entire quilt is less than 12 or 14 inches. (As I finish this, I will look up the precise size and provide it - promise!)

So here we go . . .

The parts in the photo above are the necessary pieces to make one star. They look normal enough, and wouldn't intimidate the average quilter at all. Until . . .

 . . . you see the size of these parts. With the penny as a reference, the dimensions of the pieces become evident. The small squares are 1 inch. Yeah, I know. Ridiculously small.

My first successful star is shown above (after throwing out a really horrible first effort). I learned a few things:
1. before cutting, starch the fabric stiff
2. take one backstitch to lock thread at the beginning and end of each unit
3. be precise; there is absolutely no room for 'fudging" when working with such a small star
4. press after each sub-unit is made and starch again when finished.

 Now I have two and need a total of 32; I've got a bit more of this madness ahead of me.

The only way to cross an item off a to-do list is to actually begin working on said item. Now, to get it finished. Stay tuned!

Happy Quilting, Friends!