Saturday, August 11, 2018

Under the Needle - August

 July and August are supposed to be our rainy season. We're still waiting...and praying. I've only had the mower out once and that was just to cut one little part of the yard where I've been watering the trees like mad in an attempt to keep them alive.. but hope springs eternal and today I am happily stitching as the rain puddles outside my window:


We've had a lot going on around here, but a girl that loves to make quilts will always squeeze in dabs of time to work on them. After I finished our Girl's Sequoia Quilt for her Birthday, I stitched up a couple of puppy-inspired drawstring bags to send flea and tick meds for her hound puppies. It's less expensive at our vet clinic than anywhere else:


I also finished piecing all the blocks for my Scrap Dance Waltz quilt and it is now a top waiting to be pressed:


It's hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that it's already August, but August it is. I was craving some mindless sewing so I have been sewing HSTs for a pattern using a layer cake:


It took me 4 days to draw my lines and get the squares trimmed and starched, and and then my mom called and asked if I could make a baby quilt for a friend of hers. Of course! I was tickled that she asked. The theme is woodland critters. She told me that the invitation was cute so I asked her to have the neighbor, who is also a friend of ours, send me a photo of it:


Yep, cute! And I remembered this fabric a friend has used for a baby quilt a few months ago:


Perfect. And then the dilemma began. Settling on a pattern is often the most time consuming part of the quilt making process for me. This fabric is sweet, but it does not play well with others. Plan A looked promising:


Until I laid it all out:


No. Plan B:


No. On to plan C:


Better, but not quite and I did a lot of ripping to add that brown. Then I thought of another tweek, but I just did not have the heart to rip it all out again and remake those QSTs. So I thought about using 9-patches and commenced to making those.


Still not loving it. That was plan D. Sigh. I'll be back with plan E. Sheesh.

10 comments:

  1. Have you seen the Triangles On A Roll? A roll of preprinted paper with markings for triangles and they come in different sizes. They are supposed to work well with yardage and precuts. I haven't tried them yet but some of the women in my quilting bee have and love them. They are available on Amazon or you can check them out at trianglesonaroll.com. You don't have to draw lines or trim!

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  2. Woohoo on the rain Karin!! Now send it this way, pretty please! Glad you are finding some sewing time. Have you rearranged the pieces in plan A, played with them some to come up with a different design maybe? Good luck, I'm sure you'll come up with something.

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  3. Yay for the rain. Hope you get lots.
    I love plan D. If you turn the 9-Patch block so it makes diagonal brown and green lines, it will have a trellis crossing the woodland. I think it has lots of potential. Good luck with the decision. ;^)

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  4. I love the first layout. The gold works well.
    Cathy

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  5. I so understand your dilemma - but - I like them all - and think any of them would be loved -

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  6. Make a 2 to 3 inch border out of the brown fabric. This will ground the quilt, and give the eye a place to rest. I don't know if it will make the quilt too big, but I tend to make baby quilts bigger. They can them become toddler quilts.

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  7. I like your plan C and D! The colors are great! I too am thankful you have rain. It has been hot here in CA. We are headed up to the mountains, again. I think about starting up my blog again but it takes away sewing time. It’s so nice to read yours.

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  8. I like C, but maybe with a solid as the outside border. But, I understand you needing it to speak to YOU!

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  9. I really like plans A and B!

    Yay for rain! Please send some to Michigan--we are so, so dry.

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  10. This has nothing to do with your post but just had to tell you I made your chicken penne pasta recipe for the 3rd time tonight. That stuff is SO GOOD!!! Thanks for sharing your recipes with us!!

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