{WiP} Wednesday #9

Look! It's Wednesday again! And I'm posting again! (I'm such a broken record!)

But I've really had my nose to the grindstone this week trying to get my quilt for Craft Hope/Alabama done. Well, and having a joint birthday party on Saturday (and having to super-clean because my grandma came down!) and guests coming to stay from Sunday till tomorrow.

The birthday girls. Scrumptious!

Nose to the grindstone. I haven't sewn anything else.

The blocks in pile. Not nearly as impressive as I thought they would be.

I had to clean up my crap craft area a bit so I could hang my design wall again. Storage will come one of these days...but I'd rather be sewing than spending the time organizing. What's that? You don't know what I'm talking about? Whatever.

The blocks all rolled up. There was a tiny patch of sun, and I the colors were brilliant

This is 80 blocks, and the back will have some pieces/scraps from the fat quarters I used for the front. I HAVE TO get the top and back done by Friday morning because I've reserved time on the long arm, and that's really the only time I can do it.

I'm using the Flowerbeds pattern from the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of McCall's Quilting. BUT, I will warn you...if you do this pattern on your own, you will not need as much of the border/sashing/white fabric as the pattern calls for.  If you follow the pattern exactly, then you're good, but if you're a pattern-deviant like me, then you'll have a lot more than you really need.

I wasn't sure if I would dig the colors once I got the blocks together up on the wall, but I still do. They're definitely not my first choice of colors, but I wanted this quilt to be something that a man wouldn't mind having in his home. I mean, really. These people are rebuilding their lives from nothing. From the ground up, so I wanted to have it be a color combination that either a man or woman would be pleased to have decorating their new space.

Hopefully I will get to show you finished pictures next week, as well as other finishes!!

Recap of WiPs:

1. Robert Kaufman Kona Solids Challenge - unfinished, but I'm stoked about my design!
2. Kelly's Bee Happy door and window blocks - unfinished, but halfway done.
3. do.Good Stitches Bee - unfinished, but 5% done. :)
4. Camera Strap - unstarted, but I need to move this up on the must-do list!
5. Jen's Purse - unstarted.
6. Birdie Stitches - some unfinished, some unstarted. I'm going to a retreat in June, and I plan to take these along to work on there. I'll have lots of handwork time on my hands. :)
7. Bottled Rainbows Quilt-along - unstarted.

New this week (or more like "remembered" this week!)

1. Secretive Get Better quilt - unstarted, but I'll put everything aside when the time comes to make this.
2. Secretive P-n-P quilt - unstarted, must buy the fabric and then figure out a pattern.