{WiP} Wednesday #10

Smell ya later, May. Butt-whoopin' time is over. Go away and let me get some rest!

Whew. From top to bottom, May has been stressful. I feel like we've just gone non-stop, had parties or guests all the time, had birthdays and deaths, finals and graduation, projects completed and more projects started. I'm really hoping June isn't half as crazy and sleepless as May was.

Last week, we saw me partway finished with the quilt top for the quilt I'm going to donate to Craft Hope Project 13 for their Security Blanket drive for survivors of the tornadoes in Alabama.

I'm calling it Building Blocks of Hope, I think. Something like that. Anyway, I was on a very tight timeline to finish the top and the back because I had a 1:00 sew-time on Friday at the long-arm. I finished the back at 12:20, and still had to cut the batting, square up the edges, pack up, grab some lunch, and drive the 20 minutes down there. Needless to say, I was late. :)  Not too bad, and I'd reserved the machine for the entire afternoon, so it wasn't a big deal, really.

Mookie wanted to dance on the quilt.

I used 10 fat quarters for the top, and was able to make a strip of leftovers on the back.  Overall, I used about 6 yards of Kona Snow, but that was for the front and the back. I've got a pile of scraps and strips that probably come close to a yard, so if I had been extra careful, or pieced some of the scraps, I could have gotten away with less. But, like I said, I was in a hurry, and that $5.00 in extra yardage was worth it.

I quilted it with a random, meandering loop-de-loop design, and I am SO VERY GLAD that I did this on the long-arm. There is just no flippin' way I could have man-handled this huge quilt on my home machine...large throat and all.  The finished size (before binding) is 6 1/2 feet by 7 feet. It took me about 2 hours of actual quilting (and walking around/taking a break) time, which is phenomenal compared to how long it would have taken me to do at home.

The colors in this strip were the inspiration for the rest of the quilt. Like I've said, this isn't in my normal range of color choices, but I like how they all came together. I hope the recipient does too. :)

I'm going to bind it in the aqua in this picture, and plan to have that done and mailed off by next week. Honestly, I'm a bit bummed that the deadline for the drive is before our next MQG meeting. :) I like to show things off. (don't we all?) I am really pleased with it, though. Mistakes and all. Every time I walk past it on the dining room table, I pet it. There isn't anything fancy about this quilt, really. It's not an original design, it's not terribly funky or fresh or modern. The quilting isn't terribly inspired or intricate. But sometimes there is beauty in the simple. And I really hope that whoever gets this will agree. :o)

Between busting my tail to get that thing quilted, and a family-focused holiday weekend, I didn't get much else done.

I did finish (and mail) my squares for the May do.Good Stitches {Faith Circle} Bee.  You can read about them here.  The finished quilts are going to be SO cool!

(They look better in real life. It was super windy outside when I went to take pictures)



Recap of WiPs:

1. Robert Kaufman Kona Solids Challenge - unfinished, but I'm stoked about my design! (I actually came up with another new design yesterday. I created a mock-up in Excel and can't decide on RF1 or RF3. RF2 is just too predictable. This is supposed to be a challenge, doncha know.)
2. Kelly's Bee Happy door and window blocks - unfinished, but halfway done.
3. Camera Strap - unstarted, but I need to move this up on the must-do list!
4. Jen's Purse - unstarted.
5. 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. :)
6. Bottled Rainbows Quilt-along - unstarted.
7. June do.Good Stitches bee - lollipop tree blocks. These are VERY new on the list, so I have no guilt about them. :)
8. Secretive Get Better quilt - unstarted, but I'll put everything aside when the time comes to make this.
9. Secretive P-n-P quilt - unstarted, must buy the fabric and then figure out a pattern. (I actually love the pattern I used for my Alabama quilt, so I might just go with that again!)

New this week

1. Mystery mod-mosaic block. I know some really great people that have THE BIGGEST hearts around. That's all I can say. I should be working on it right now, but I left the mailbox key in Dave's car, and his car isn't here right now, so I can't get the mail to get my fabrics!! Dangit! 

Hopefully next week I will have a finished quilt to show you, some finished door and window blocks, some progress on my solids challenge quilt, (hah) progress on that dern camera strap, progress on my lollipop trees, and maybe a start on my June Bee Happy bee squares.

I hope you have a great, crafty week! I've linked up with Elizabeth at Don't Call Me Betsy (changed for this week) for the {WiP} Wednesday collaboration. Go and see what everyone else is up to!

...and this is what my littlest does while I'm focused on taking pictures of a quilt!

It's a good thing she's cute. :)