Field Day: Front Porch Sewing

I totally understand the merits of machine sewing the binding, but I just haven't been satisfied with my attempts at it.  I do it sometimes if I need to get a quilt out right away... otherwise I plan on one side a day of handsewing it down.  I think I am now 7 days into this 4 day process! LOL!  Currently on side 3 :)

Clara's Stars

Just an update on Clara's Stars.... I have four finished, which means only 212 to go (per the pattern).  I really like them, I hope I can stick with it through this year.



Now I need to get more going so I can have more than just a tiny wallhanging--or worse, pot holders.

Clara's Stars, a New Project

I thought I'd report on my latest project that I finally started this week. Instead of two different block of the weeks, Primitive Gatherings decided to lose their minds and have three options for a Block of the Week this summer! I am still not done with my BOW from two summers ago (to do the final border or not...), and although I bought last year's wool version as a BOW, I never started it. I love their pieced version this year, but I decided instead to do option #3, Clara's Stars. It is an English paper pieced project and I think I lost my own mind when I decided to go for it (my hexie quilt is lingering!). I think this week marks week 5, so that meant two days ago I was 5 weeks behind as once again I hadn't even started the project yet. But after I saw this great pile of 29 finished blocks from another quilter on our "secret" facebook page, I decided to start basting. I finished up week 1 and am about halfway finished with week 2, but I still need to baste the background and triangle pieces.



We are sent 50 different repro fabrics each week for the diamonds and triangles... after 12 weeks, that is a huge variety!  After I get a few done, I'll snap another picture altogether.

I'm taking a breather from the Splendid Sampler for a bit.  I'm waiting for another pieced block to pop up!

Bordered Diamonds Border

So now the question becomes... do I want this to become a bedsized quilt or do I make it as is for a twin or comfort quilt?  I'd love for this to become a queen sized quilt, but that would mean adding 20" to the width (it's currently 62x84).  So that's the conundrum. I could very easily use more of the left over fabrics and make a piano key border, but I'm not sure that would work with this quilt.


Anyway... I went for a third option in regards to setting the flying geese.  This way works much better with the leftover 2" that I needed to work with.  I am left with two corners having just one flying geese block instead of the two, but it looks fine this way.  I would have had to do some funky figuring with the other options.  I now have 6 flying geese borders that I can use in another quilt (I made a lot of flying geese, and I still have a lot of single blocks leftover).  I could play around with those for additional borders.  We'll see.  I'll stare at the top for a day or so and see if anything strikes me--or if I decide to leave it as is and quilt it up.



On to irons:
After hoping it was just a fluke that my Rowenta with 400 steam holes and awesome steam blasts decided that it was meant to be a waterfall out the back and totally drench my ironing table and projects more times than I can count.... I did an iron survey of what others thought. I really wasn't wanting to go beyond $50 this time. I've never used a Shark before, so I am giving it a try. I wanted an iron that was at least 1700 watts, and the one I bought today is at 1800. I just got/bought it today, so this marks day 1. We'll see if the Shark (Ultimate Professional Iron GI505) outlives my Rowenta DW5197 that I ordered on August 16,2015 (yes, I am getting very specific on dates... Rowenta should be better than this!). I really like the form of Rowenta, but if function isn't working, than your product is junk. Form Follows Function. But knowing how companies make appliances today, they aren't built to last. They want people to buy again before 5yrs. This is very frustrating.



I will likely hold on to the Rowenta since it still heats up well, but if the Shark lives beyond a year, it'll be going bye-bye.

Field Day and Bordered Diamonds Updates

I finished up my Field Day quilt top, the pattern from the collection of Kaufman's Kona Color of the Year: Highlight.  I made it larger with borders and now I await backing fabric.  I could piece some together, but I opted to search out some wide backing instead.  I love the top!  For the color pop at the bottom, I used the Kona fabrics I won two years ago from the Row By Row.  It was perfect for this, and no using the same color twice.





Next, I am trying to figure out a border arrangement for the Bordered Diamonds top.  I am about 2" off, so I will need to do something intentional for the corners.  We'll see what I come up with.  I can't decide if I like the streak of lightning in the pink fabric, or using it along the edges.  I will likely make the other two sides (since the flying geese rows aren't sewn together yet) and then make the decision.  Right now I am sort of preferring the pink lightning down the center.




The binding will also be the pink fabric (if that makes a difference in which you prefer).

and then there's this....


I walked into the living room to grab my camera and found Gordon in one of his contortions. I'm surprised he hasn't totally tangled himself up :) His smile makes me laugh...

Splended Sampler 30-41

I am finally all caught up... until tomorrow!  I didn't want to take any pictures or update until I had everything in order.  So here we go.  I just took a couple of pictures to do crops with, so at least one of the blocks was cut off.  I don't want to retake the pic, I guess that makes me not a professional :)













I'm still trying to figure out the sashing. I haven't decided on any certain color yet.

GFG: Row 5/9

This row has taken me soooooo long to do!  I am hoping that now I am over halfway finished, I will talk myself into working more diligently on it.  My procrastination brain takes over with this quilt.  I love how it is coming along... I just need to keep taking "one more stitch".



At the last retreat I went to, there were two GFG quilt tops that were finished.  Both were completed within 1-2 years of starting--and they were HUGE (as in, they would flow over the sides of a queen sized bed nearly to the floor!).  I really admire those that can work on projects that take this much commitment to the end.  Part of my problem was having a hard time with deciding what layout I would do, but honestly I get quilters ADD and move on, putting it away for a while and come back later.  Thinking about it, I wouldn't have done this quilt any other way (considering it has kept me company during some stressful times over the years).

Anyway, four more rows and I think I am going to add another ring of grey around the edges.