finally!

this top is finally basted down! i think it's stunning....actually there is a little corner left, 2 leaf groupings that still have pins, but it's almost done! done enough to oooh and aaah over anyway. besides pinning it down in the first place, this was the most time consuming so far. next comes the needleturn applique, another time consuming portion but i don't care, it'll be an heirloom when it's done. i really love it....

one to go

here is the first side border on the boston commons. that leaves one long side left, but first must cut the 200+ squares for it. i am totally delighted as i think it's a gorgeous scrappy quilt. i'm spending odd moments strip piecing thinking of how i will quilt the scrappy parts. i already have a stencil for the white border, but not sure about the other places yet. with all those seams, it will probably be an all-over design of some type. and binding color? could be anything but might just stick with white.....the quilt will "speak" to me when the time comes i'm sure. i don't consider this an "heirloom" quilt but it's one i will definitely keep for all the memories in those little patches. ***** i'm using my "inchie" project for leaders/enders and i've nearly enough strips to make a square. these are 1.5" squares sewn in strips to become squares of postage stamps or pieces that finish at 1" square. if i can't get a 1.5" square out of a scrap, it gets tossed. that is my limit, even at $10 per yard which isn't my stash at all. that is the going price now at quilt shops and makes me more diligent in shopping my own stash.

view from here

yes, that's the old viking and more strips of those pesky squares! i totally underestimated the amount of time it would take to finish off the borders of this quilt. the sewing time is minuscule compared to cutting up the squares. course, i took a detour and organized my strip bin too. good thing i have nearly endless time available. the two weeks i was sidelined with bronchitis and a sinus infection was also a hindrance and would you believe, my sinuses are still not clear? pretty much at 100% baseline now, though. ***** don't know about you but i am pretty sick of seeing bad behavior on the news of so-called stars. these privileged people don't deserve all this airtime. they are to be pitied for sure. ****** i can cautiously say spring is definitely near. despite a couple of days of frigid temps, after that they modulate quite a bit for a long stretch; 40s in the daytime is very good.

Vote Tomorrow!

Check the left side of my blog for the button SewCalGal. Starting tomorrow, March 1, you can go to her website and vote for your favorite quilter. There are a number of categories and you can nominate the influential quilters in your life. You have until March 15th (beware!) to vote. ***** would you believe i still have 220 squares to cut for my boston commons borders? i've one side border just about done but it used up nearly all the squares i had cut previously. i'm closing in on finishing this flimsy....sort of.

sorting strips

after getting all my boston commons squares cut, i pulled all the strips in the mini-tote and did a little reorg for when i have to revisit this stash. no doubt there is at least one scrappy top in this little container. thankfully, my entire stash is nowhere near barbara wilkinson's, who was featured on OWN's "enough already" last night.

that makes me really happy as i am using it up as fast as i can. ***** happy birthday george! those of us who were school kids in the 1950s know that today is your REAL birthday, no matter what the calendar says. ***** where, oh where, are the warmer temps? 30s daytime, single digits overnight....ENOUGH already!

basting party

as i mentioned, got these 3 little projects all thread-basted and they are waiting for hand quilting. due to a winter-to-spring cold, i've not done much of anything for a couple of days but hoping to get these done fairly soon and off my UFO list. the lone star comes first, though, once the box of kleenex is no longer my BFF. i've also been dabbling with some larger UFOs, doing some prep applique work and, of course, assembling the boston commons borders on the machine.

halfway there

after a mini-marathon sewing weekend, i've the top AND bottom borders done on the boston commons. now just the side borders are left, meaning cutting up more strips and yardage into those teeny, tiny squares and sewing them all together. that's probably at least another week's worth of sewing at a minimum. good thing i've got some projects basted to switch off now and then. sewing this top is like a trip down memory lane through my stash. so many pieces bring fond memories. this is a quilt i will definitely keep. it'll be hand quilted, partially with a neat border stencil i bought from pepper cory in nashua a few years ago.

new project

quilters, like savvy entrepreneurs and astute businessmen, are always thinking of the next project. so to keep in line with my fellow quilters i have pulled out my "civil war diary" book and started preparing patterns. this is the first of 121 blocks. there is no rush for this project, just a block here and there until it's completed. this is my version of Dear Jane, fewer blocks and easier to construct. and it seems my ex was wrong for i CAN draw a straight line with a ruler.....sometimes anyway. i needed a break from sewing little blocks together for the boston commons, at least for a bit. i'll be back at the old viking later today.

slow progress

this is the top (or bottom) border so far. it isn't that i haven't been sewing up a storm (no pun); i've a stack of scrappy strips all made, just not attached yet. there are 12 more to add to this to finish it and then i can start on the bottom (top?). i've errands out of the house today, so won't get much done but maybe by the time the weekend's over, i can have the top AND bottom done. the sides too? no way at all. it'll probably be another week before the top is completed. i am determined to whack off as many UFOs as possible, still hoping i can get back to work soon.

more squares

yesterday i sewed all the squares i had cut into strips and they are patiently waiting for more, so this morning i pulled out more scraps and cut these. i know i won't have enough for the side borders, so i'm keeping my rotary cutter close for future action. it's going to snow again tomorrow (not much) so i'll save that task for then. hopefully by the end of the week if i don't get bored, i'll have my borders done, sewn on and the top finished.....we'll see.