Wednesday, June 12, 2013

WIP Wednesday - 6-12-13

I have so many things in the works right now that it's hard to keep up!  This week I worked on Barcelona Nights and got all of the A blocks done and the B blocks - good progress for a week that was half out of town getting to greet my new grand daughter.  The B blocks gave me a bit of an issue as the directions did not match up with the illustration.  I tried to reach the writer of the pattern, but haven't heard from her as yet, so I made an executive decision and went with what I felt looked right.  I am doing this as a shop sample, so when I write up my hints and tips for the kit will include directions for how my version varies from the written instructions.   The next blocks are paper pieced so I am looking forward to doing those.  The red and black are very dramatic and dark, not really my usual choice of colors, but they are very striking and I think I will like the finished quilt.  Pictures definitely don't do it justice!



I also completed the piecing for my Giant Dahlia quilt!  I have loved working on this and can't wait to choose a pretty background for it!  I thought it was really easy to piece - now the cutting, that's another story!  It was really great to go digging through my batiks for these bright happy colors, though.  This quilt is one that's been on my "life list" and I actually can see myself doing more of these in the future.  Not as hard as they look!

And speaking of cutting I got this in the mail this week - the new Olfa Splash cutter!  What can I say, but I love it!  The feel of it in my hand, the way it cuts so smoothly and the gorgeous color - this is my new favorite tool.  And the best part - it is guaranteed forever!  Wow!  My grandma is 94, so I'm pretty sure I have a lot of good quilting years ahead, so I will be putting this to the test.  My original Olfa cutter is going strong at over 20 years worth of cutting, so I'm sure this one will stand the test as well.

Next week I'll be at my daughters house snuggling the new grand baby, and playing with my sweet grandsons - so I'm not sure if I'll be getting any sewing done, but I might pack up some Dear Jane blocks to hand sew.  We'll see!  I will have some cute baby pics to share, though.

3 comments:

Terry Aske Art Quilts said...

I love the red and black - very dramatic! And the new cutter sounds awesome!

teachpany said...

Isn't it even more fun that you won the cutter?? I love that it matches your scissors, too. Great job on the Barcelona!

thebutterflyquilter said...

Love your Dahlia! Beautiful!