Odds, Ends, and a September Deadline

Now that I have bambinos on the way, I better get cracking through this WIP pile. They are due October 1, but twins usually come early, so I'm setting a deadline of September 1, just to be on the safe side (with room to procrastinate, of course).


Let's assess the damage, shall we?










1. Quilt Bee - Finished

I finished up these blocks for my quilt bee a while ago. Sadly, I made the decision to drop out of the bee, due to my diminished energy level and new responsibilities on the horizon. I feel good about clearing my plate, but it's always tough to let go of a good thing.











2. Brother Quilt - Sent out to my long-arm quilter friend! Thank you, Kristin!

The top is done!! Huzzah! (Though after this picture I added a 10" purple border on the top and bottom.) I'm so happy with how the top turned out. I pulled together the left over scraps from the top, as well as a big piece of purple and gold fabric Mr Awesome had gotten in Guam years ago. I didn't even look at it until it was done...and I love it. Pictures when it comes back quilted. It's a little larger than queen-sized, and I don't want to wrestle it under my little machine. I really can't wait to gift this to my brother for his graduation in June.

3. Mumu - Sent out to my long-arm quilter friend! Double thank you, Kristin!

We were having issues with spreading it out. I'm looking forward to getting some good pictures once it's complete.

4. Meanwhile I still have scrappy blocks that will become matching pillows. A pretty spring bedroom set for us!

5. Spring Sampler - Cut self off from scrap obsession (or channel it elsewhere)

Curse the scrappy gods and their wicked ways of depositing more and more green and yellow scrap into my life on a daily basis. I've been leisurely making block after randomly sized block and frankly it has to stop somewhere. Since it's SPRING again, and this infinite project could drag on for the next 50 years, it's time to put this top together, make the back (I already sense an on-coming scrap attack there), quilt, bind, and add perle cotton detail by hand. I'm considering hand-quilting the whole thing in perle cotton, but I also want to practice my free-motion quilting on the machine. Maybe both. Hmm, decisions...

5. Emma's Trip Around the World - Finish back, tie, bind

This back will be a cinch: the block is already made, I just need to surround it with Kona Snow, tie it up, and bind it. I might also go ahead and reinforce some of the seams in the top, and bind it by machine (hey, it's what my great-grandma would do).

6. Bonus: Paisley Sunrise - Finish hand-quilting, bind by machine

I'm taking it a bit easy on myself with this one. It has a significant amount of hand-quilting still to go, and I feel like I only get slower at it. If I don't meet the deadline here, it'll be something the twins can enjoy interrupting until they're at least 5 or 6. At least quilts never go out of style :o)

7. New projects

An untold number of baby quilts, books, blankets, wall hangings, mobiles, bibs, and storage boxes.

8. What I will NOT be making

Clothing. Of any type. My wonderful mom is already compiling patterns for the babies, which I will not be touching with a 10-foot pole. Cute - yes, necessary - yes. Yet I sweat when cutting out and sewing anything that is not quadrilateral. I'm very grateful my mom loves to make wearables (and she's great at it too)!

Wish me luck, and check out more WIPs over at Lee's: