"Under the Haystack Fast Asleep" ~~ Finish

I've been on a tear in an attempt to use up some of the blue fabric in the stash. It's beginning to become a burden. Actually it's more like seasickness. But I'm determined. I have one more quilt top complete and ready to go on the long arm for quilting. This one, though, is complete and ready to go to a baby boy.  I'm calling it "Under the Haystack Fast Asleep."

Did you notice the green chair. It's part of the set with this orange chair. 

 For this quarter square log cabin, I decided to make the blocks wonky. Talk about add some movement! It may be the reason that I'm sick of working with the quilts. 

Of course, I could just be sick of the weather. Tropical Storm Cindy is doing her job very well. Thunder rolls with very little time between each burst. The puppies are getting hoarse from barking at the thunder.

And in case the weather and the puppies are not enough to entertain, we have an incessant red bird attacking himself against our windows. Now we get one every year (I wonder if it's a family trait) but those have always chosen one window. This guy will attack any window: the bow window in the living room, the window near the long arm, the kitchen window, the window by the machine. 

Quilt Stats
Name:	Under the Haystack Fast Asleep
Size:	40" X 40"
Fabrics:	Variety of blues from stash
Background:	n/a
Binding:	scrap fabrics left from blocks
Pattern:	Wonky Quarter Log Cabin
Quilting:	practice quilting / variety of motifs

It's all well and good to have an extra quilt or two for those times when you need one quick, but you know, I needed a little diversion. That said, I made a pincushion. I bought a new ruler--one for making hexies. It allows measurements for 1" to 5" hexies. So I cut out two 5" pieces, sewed around the block, leaving an opening of course. Then turned it right side out and stuffed it with walnut shells. Easy, easy! I didn't quilt it because truthfully I didn't even think about it. How silly is that? (Maybe don't answer that question. hehe)

Linking up with

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Crazy Mom Quilts 

My Quilt Infatuation
Busy Hands Quilts
TGIFF at Slice of Pi

Wonky Stars Table Runner (part 2)

Last night I wrote about my weekend project, a wonky stars table runner, which I still haven't finished but the only thing left is the binding.  Well, not the binding since I've decided not to put on a binding. 

Instead I'm hand-stitching the raw edge by first turning both top and bottom into the quilt.  Why, you ask....simply because I'm out of fabric.  Yep, I ended up piecing the background for the top to have enough. 

It's my way: don't measure then figure a way to wiggle out of the problems.  Turning the edges in to close off instead of binding is my wiggle.   I could, of course, piece some of the solids for a binding, but I want to give this idea a try.

In the meantime, as promised last night, here are photos of the quilting I did on Sunday.  I enjoyed this quilting so very much.  I hadn't quilted feathers in a while so it took a moment.   I needed the practice and am not one to practice on blanks.  I have so little time to play that it's all serious play. 

 I like the feathers even though I can't imagine that feathers and stars go together.  This table runner is for my dining room table, and I can live with the combination, even if it doesn't make sense.  

 

                          

 

Have you ever finished a project with no fabric left for binding?  How did you handle that? 

Wonky Stars Table Runner (part 1)

Saturday I felt that I needed a new, fun project.  I played with a couple of ideas and finally settled on a little table runner idea, mostly because it is small and quick.  I remembered to take pics along the way, so I thought I'd put together a tutorial.

Of course, I needed to choose fabrics, so  began by pulling some pretty solids and placed them on the gray background fabric. Although I auditioned more than these and needed only six colors, I decided to work with these eight and eliminate two as I progressed.  In the end the pink and dark green did not make the cut as one is too light and the other too dark.

I decided to use my Accuquilt Studio to cut the 3 1/2 inch squares for the stars.  I cut four of each color setting one aside for the center. Of the other three, I cut two in half (four each of 3 1/2 x 1 3/4) and one into four (four each of 1 3/4 x 1 3/4).  The small squares were easy to work with--I simply drew a diagonal lines and then stitched following that line.  I drew a diagonal line on the rectangles also, but note that it has to be placed in a wonky way to sew.  The best I can say is that I used the starting corner and the center of the gray square to eye the placement of the rectangle.

I made four identical squares for each star.



 

The next step is to trim the corners and press.

Once all the pieces for one star are stitched, it's just a matter of arranging the nine patch.  The top row is stitched, then the second and finally the third.  (Don't look at how kooky the pieces are.  I ended up cutting and sewing a whole new yellow star because I cut something wrong and the trimmed pieces are too small to rip out.)

Then stitch the three rows together.  Easy.

 Really!  It's so easy that I began after lunch and had the little piece loaded on the long-arm before coming in from the studio.

Come back tomorrow for part two of this project post. I'll show the quilting that I did on Sunday afternoon.  See you then!