Lazy Days of Summer, yeah right!

So much for the lazy part of it anyway. Actually it hasn't felt much like summer around here weatherwise either! I guess I should count my blessings, a lot of people are suffering in the heat, but sometimes I get tired of having cold feet all the time. At least I'm not wearing my sweatshirt all day any more.

I have had so much to do lately that it's hard to keep up. I haven't blogged for a while, but  I have actually got some quilting done. (After sewing a lot of muslin curtains, that is!) I finished the first pick four challenge from quilt studio, so this is the grand unveiling of....

Morning Glory

I actually finished quilting this top over the course of three days. I had a false start - quilted four blocks, looked at the back and realized why it is a good idea to actually press the back. The center line had a tiny tuck in it. I hate taking out quilting, so I stuck it in the closet to decide whether or not I really wanted to take it out, or if I should just leave it in. There it sat for about two months, then I said to myself - it's not meant for a show quilt. It's a small tuck, just leave it in and get going on this, girl! So I did. I had no real plan for the quilting, just took each section as it came and made decisions on the fly - you know, lay it out on the floor, stare at it for a good 15 - 20 minutes, say - let's try this, and go for it! Actually great fun and I am really pleased with the results! Did some small stippling around the flowers in the center of the block: This quilt was from the book No Boundaries. Fun technique for using prints and letting them overflow from the confines of their pieces. I used clear mono to outline the edges as they are just fused down. I can't leave anything un-sewn it seems, just don't trust it to stay! This is the quilt, folded in half at the foot of my bed! It's really bright and cheerful.
I absolutely love how the back of this came out (despite the few small tucks - oh well!). I did some spirals to fill in an empty area, and to practice. My spirals usually leave a lot to be desired! The big flowers I saw in a magazine and thought it was a neat idea to make a really large flower. A nice large meander in the outside border finished it off nicely.




Of course, I had a challenge in figuring out what to bind it in. I always forget to get that in advance and end up struggling to find a solution. I used the darkest yellow to bind it in, and am pleased with that. I would have loved to use the blue polka dot, but it wasn't available. Maybe someday I'll learn and make sure to set the binding aside beforehand!

I am now working on the second challenge, and plan to have it done by the end of the month. Actually if it comes out well, I'd like to enter this in a couple of shows. It's a beautiful quilt. Not going to show you now, you'll have to wait til it's done!