Strings/crumbs project update - Crumbs 2 top DONE!

So what did I do this week on this weekend project?

1. Cut and applied a 2.5" gray border to the sides of the finished center of the top - I had put the center together last weekend.

2. Applied the long sewed together 6.5" crumb blocks to each side - I had already made these last week. Unfortunately I only had enough for two sides.

3. Made up 28 more crumb blocks - mostly using parts of the other blocks I had already trimmed down - it made them go much faster than If I had to start with little tiny crumbs. I both sewed them and trimmed them into 6.5" blocks.

4. Sewed those blocks into one long strip.

5. Attached this long crumbs border which was 6.5" wide by long, long, long to the top and bottom of the quilt.

Here I placed the border on top of the other to pin it into place.

I pinned quite a bit.

Then I sewed the border on

This is what my top looks like at this point. I am not sure...but I may like this version better than after I finished it completely.

I decided to add another border - a black one to the outside.

6. Cut and attached a final 2.5" black border.  I changed my overall plan a bit. My plan from last week was a black border to come before the crumbs border and make the crumbs the outside border. Why did I change it?

Why?  Well, to be honest, I had forgotten to look at the plan and added the crumb border to the gray without looking at my pattern. THEN I checked. 

I decided to leave it and put the black on as the last border. It's okay - esp. since it stabilizes those crazy edges well.

This quilt supposedly finishes at 89"x101" but mine is a tad bit smaller than that since I used about 3/8" seam allowances and not 1/4" when sewing the crumb border to the gray and black. There was just too much bulk and "bumpiness" to stick to that tiny of an allowance. This shrunk it up a bit from what the Electric Quilt program said it should have been.

Crumbs 2 top all finished!  YEAH!

I will then put a binding on of various colorful short pieces - no longer than 12" each.  I may go ahead and make up the binding for it as it's pretty slow to make enough binding for a 90"x100" quilt. I'll do it and then attach it to the top so when I quilt it, the binding will be ready. I'll tackle that when I feel like doing some "mindless" sewing.

And that's it!  I've finished my second ever crumbs top!  (First one I ever did was Crumb Pizzazz.)

Reflection

It's slow going, but when I face the fact that I wasn't making any progress whatsoever on my crumbs/strings before I started this project, I am pleased enough. 

This project has forced me to stop and consider these pieces. 

I've also finished 2 more large strings tops and 1 crumbs this year than I would have had I not started this project.  

I will probably now turn back to strings. I have some blocks already made up and just need to finalize my plan and get going on them.

Those off white and orange/brown pieces were part of the edges I had to trim off since I made it on point - the "HI" quilt top I made recently.

This top uses about 97 blocks of 6.5"x 6.5" . This is a total of 4098 square inches. A square yard of fabric is 1296 square inches, so I used over 3 square yards of "made fabric" out of my crumbs and a few leftover or unfinished blocks! 

I am super pleased with that!  SUPER pleased.

Let me show you a few close ups of the blocks I used in the border. It is difficult to see the exact blocks since there are so many seams..

This black and yellow sashing was a block I changed my mind about. I may go back and change my mind again - I haven't finished that particular 2" strips top yet.

This part of a chain blocks is something I decided not to make. The patriotic block next to it was a 9 patch that originally went into the corner of a top I made earlier this year. I hated the look and took this out and put in a plain navy square instead.

Here are some leftover cut offs from trimming up 2.5" strips and a piece of leftover strings. On the left is part of some 1.5" squares I had sewn together. I found them recently when I straightened up my sewing room. Since I had no definitele plans for them, I decided to incorporate them into these crumb blocks.

This is what happened when I kept sewing cutoffs together.  It does make for a lot going on.

Here is the overall layout of the top. I've not written up a pattern yet - but if you were go back and read everything I've written about this, you could make it without a pattern.

Check back again after next weekend to see where I go next with this strings/crumbs weekend project!

---

Be sure to check to out what my sis has for you in the store for your next project if you find yourself needing some fabric!