Starting New Projects

Isn't it fun to start a fresh, new project!  I love the excitement that comes with it.  My favorite experience is to keep the pace going and finish before my enthusiasm wanes or I get distracted with something else.

Woven quilt background ... ready for a center applique.

When these striped batiks were delivered to Kat's shop, I knew it was time to try a woven quilt.  So today, while I played and enjoyed hanging out with fellow quilters in the classroom, I cut these strips and wove them.  My next step is to decide on a center fusible applique.  Something yellowy-orange.  Maybe a tropical flower.  Maybe a fish.  Hmmmmmm.  If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment and help me out with this.  Tom generously suggested a moose from his fabric stash.  I'm just not convinced that a moose would love the purples behind him.

To hold the fused fabrics in place, I'll zig zag stitch along the wavy grid lines, maybe with a black thread or maybe with a green and purple metallic.  More decisions!

Once I pressed/fused the woven fabrics to batting, I switched to another new project.  Since I've enjoyed twisters so much, I thought I'd use halloween fabrics for a large twister quilt.  I cut the 10" squares today using the Shape Cut ruler in the photo.  It's an easy way to cut squares quickly.  Those teardrop shapes near each half inch allow your rotary cutter to slide in place and make the cut along the slit in the ruler. 

Start of a new Twister quilt.

House progress report : carpets will be installed next Thursday.  Our movers are scheduled to pack / move the following Monday and Tuesday!  We'll spend the night back in our own home on Tuesday, 20 September.  Yippeeeee!

This means that next week will be consumed with all the last minute finishing touches on the house.  I'll probably spend most of my time there until the move.  The builder thinks he's finished with the inside, but there's paint missing in places and there's paint on the new hardwoods that needs to be removed.  A few other things need his attention too.  Overall, it's looking like a home instead of a construction zone.  I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas!

Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars

Customer Quilt ... Just the borders this time

D9P quilt ... borders quilted

We all have those changes in plans.  When life sort of gets in the way.  So for a new friend, I was glad I could help out.  She's on her way to a family gathering and although she wanted to do these borders herself, she also wanted to present the quilt to a loved one.  We looked at the center quilting and decided to do these loose swirls with pointy fronds.

If I quilted feathers to echo the centers, mine would be tighter and much more funky.  I feared it would be a split personality quilt, which probably wasn't her goal.

D9P quilt .. another view

Last week, I was so excited to teach 2 different classes at my local quilt shop.  I love seeing others get enthusiastic about their projects.  The excitement is contagious!  Also, it was a wonderful haven away from the cares of home repair at just the right time.

Speaking of homes, the hardwoods are in place and we'll have carpets installed next Thursday.  The contractor is working through our latest punch list and we're just about ready to call 'er done!  I think we'll schedule the movers for the following Monday.  (Weekends cost more dollars.)  That will give us a little buffer to get baseboards touched up if the carpet folks and their tools leave marks.  At this stage, it's getting harder to wait.   I want so badly to hang up shower curtains and set up the kitchen.  But my wiser half has reminded me that the dust hasn't settled yet.  We may have to shave off the lower half inch of cabinet above the refrigerator in order to fit it back in place.  Those hardwoods raised the floor level.

I've started quilting the t-shirt quilt too.  Here it is on the frame.  Soon I'll share the quilting design.  It's a quick and easy loose design.  An heirloom quilt this is not.

T-Shirt quilt on the frame ... 2 more rows to go!

Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars