Every Time I come Back...

It seems like I have this list of wonderful projects to work on. Then, when I come back to Poland, I see something that fits a whim right then, so I start on it.

This was one of those projects.

I’ve been looking at ALL MY strips and scraps. I don’t want to say that I feel overwhelmed, but I do feel like I want to use them and use them. After all, I spent all that time cutting them up, right?

I do love how I have used up so many for charity quilt bindings. I think I figured it out before, and for 120 60x80 charity quilts, if figuring only that number of inches, I would have used.over half a mile of these binding strips. I actually use a lot more because a lot is used in seams when sewing diagonal seams and using shorter pieces. So, that’s wonderful. It also means I don’t have to cut yet more strips right now.

I just had a wonderful idea.

I think I will try to make, from my scraps, 50 bindings from those 2.5” BAGS between now and the end of the year. I want to sew them and press them. I love pressing in the winter as it helps heat up the house. We do use wood heat and I don’t mind heating the house (from ironing) in the winter.

So I will do that.

But that’s not what I decided to do suddenly.

It’s this project.

I went down to my long arm room to start organizing for a new round of long arming (hopefully a lot of my own stuff) when I saw a stack of beautiful tops I want to quilt. I was reminded once again how much I love granny squares. I had bought this interesting Japanese fabric print - won’t tell you where - but once I opened it, I am not impressed at all with quality of the actual fabric. I wonder if it was actually made in Japan or just made to look Japanese. It was a bunch of 2.5”x19” strips.

Anyway, I decided I wanted to try to use up at least one of these sets of strips (not a Jelly Roll, but almost that number of pieces and inches of fabric). Upon using, I realized that they were cut a bit crooked, etc. :( But I’m off to using them anyway. I cut each strip into 2.5” pieces and I’m attempting to use them up!

Here is what I am doing with them. So far I do not know the exact coloration and layout of what I’m doing, but it will somewhat mimic what I did with the huge granny square top I finished up late last year.

However, these blocks are finishing up at 12.5” once trimmed, so ever so much faster to finish.

And the fabrics are all metallic and shiny. I suppose in many ways they are opposite of what I did with my Lori Holt quilt as they are never meant to look all shiny and metallic

I do have about half the blocks all done, however for my BIG granny square blocks with sashing/cornerstones all finished. The blocks are so very different. But I trust I will like it all once finished.

This is just one of those impulse projects I really didn’t plan to do. I just decided to “do it” in the midst of my other ones.

I mulled over what to do this one when I finish it and I couldn’t think of anyone who loved Japanese decor, etc. Then, I thought of someone.

The only problem is, I don’t know if this would be big enough for their bed (should they choose to use it that way). However, since it is not even finished yet, we’ll see what happens and if I decide to even offer.

I would want to wash it first and see what happens to all that metallic stuff on the fabrics. If it all washes off, after I shed a few tears, I will just keep the quilt myself and consider it a lesson learned and only buy my fabric from totally reputable sources (like our store!)!!!

I realize metallic fabrics really can’t come with a guarantee that the color sticks around - and I shant spend any more time worrying about it washing off at first wash!

I hope I can finish this one in a week or so. I’m not sure what I’m doing with the layout yet, as far as border and sashings/cornerstones, so I won’t show the plan yet. By the time the top is finished, obviously I will have made up my mind.

This has been one of those projects I didn’t start the week planning on doing, but somehow it just jumped to the front of the line!

Thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey.

Have a gbreat day wherever you are reading this.

Becky Petersen1 Comment