Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? A Finished Quilt!

 

Hi, all!

Well, here it is, Friday again, and only a little more than five weeks until Christmas!  But we're busy working on Thanksgiving here, and won't go into Christmas mode until next Friday.  But since it is Friday, that means that it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  Let's go!

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As you know if you've been here for the past few weeks, I've been working on a fall quilt for my bedroom, and last week I was excited to announce that I had finished the top.  Well, I'm happy to say that this week, I have a finished quilt!

Monday I took my quilt, backing and batting up to church, where our new quilt machine sits on a 12 foot frame - plenty large enough to quilt my king-size quilt all at once!  

This was the first time I had a chance to quilt with the new Innova, and let me tell you it was smooth as butter!  And so, so nice to be able to quilt my top all in one piece, rather than in two sections and joining them together.  

On Tuesday, I put on the binding.  I played a little binding chicken, and as you can see, I won!  You can see the backing fabric here, too - a pretty 108" wide print from Joann's.

A trip through the washer and dryer, and it was ready to put on my bed!  I also changed the quilt on the headboard, and ordered some new pillow shams to replace the white ones I had for my winter and spring quilts.  I'm still planning to make a long accent pillow, probably a 2" square patchwork using the fabrics I used for the leaves, but I don't know if I'll get that done before Thanksgiving.  But for now, my bed is festive and seasonal!!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's making you whoop it up this week?

What's got you doing a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - A Mixed Bag....

 

Hi, all!

Is it just me, or do the weeks seem to go by faster as we near the end of the year?  It doesn't seem like seven days since I last put together a to-do list, but it has been!  So let's see how I did on last week's list....

1.  Keep working on those quilt blocks.

Done!  And not only did I work on the blocks, I finished the top!

2.  Do some more cleaning upstairs.

Nope! I didn't do any upstairs - but I did do some serious cleaning and re-organizing in my kitchen!  

First, the pantry!  I didn't take any before shots (I was too embarrassed!) but I will guarantee you this is a HUGE improvement!

I even cleaned up the racks on the door!

And because I found a bunch of storage containers in the bottom of the pantry, I re-organized the dog's treat cabinet too!  (Can you say spoiled??)

And then, because why not, I cleaned out the spice cabinet!  It's so nice to have it all organized now!

3.  Take care of some Nana duties while my daughter is out of town.

Taken care of!  I do love being close enough to help her when she needs me, and it's great to spend time with the grands!

4.  Work on the scrap bin if all this gets done!

Not even once.....

You all really should be laughing at me, because as I write this, my dog is going ballistic barking at something outside.  My husband put her leash on to take her outside so she didn't stay out there barking all night (we like our neighbors more than that!) and when he went out, we heard some really strange, loud, really inhuman sound.  (Several times!) Let me tell you, he got back inside in a hurry!  Now we're both totally creeped out, closed the blinds, and we're wondering if it's an alien invasion...... 😟

Anyway, let's get going on next week's list...

1.  Finish the fall quilt.

2.  Clean up my patio area.

3.  Make or find tablecloths for all the tables for Thanksgiving.

4.  Finish cleaning upstairs.

As you can tell, I'm moving into Thanksgiving mode - we are having 24 people over to our house for the big day and there are a few things I've been neglecting that need doing!  It's exciting, through, and my husband always loves having company, because that's when all those things get done.  

And now, I really need to know - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Fall Quilt Top, Finished Before Winter!

 

Hi, all!

It's Friday again, and we all know what that means - - - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!!  I hope you're ready - I know I am!  I sewed up a storm on Thursday just so I would be.  Let's go!

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As I said, Thursday I woke up determined to get my fall quilt top assembled in time for this post.  Wednesday afternoon I had laid out all of the blocks to get them in the right spots....

I am really thankful for my large studio that has plenty of room to lay out a king size quilt on the floor!!  All I was trying to do at this point was get the colors spread out properly.  I gathered up each column to sew up the next morning.  

I got up early and jumped right in, creating the nine columns of leaves that will comprise the quilt.  Then it was time to cut and create the sashing strips that go between the blocks.  And a few hours later, look what I made!

Isn't it glorious?  Thanks to @rnquilter, who suggested a purple background to allow the leaves to shine.  

I used 34 of the new fat quarters I bought last month, in fall browns, red, oranges and yellows, to create these blocks.  I still need to find a backing, but will probably use an extra-wide print of some sort.

It's a simple block, which works up quickly and is easy to speed through with chain piecing.  I made the blocks one at a time, but used chain piecing to create components and then press them all at one time.  So the 63 blocks I needed for a king size quilt went together pretty fast!  The pattern is called Fall Leaves by Cluck Cluck Sew, and I highly recommend it.  The instructions were clear and the cutting instructions in particular were perfect, even to the extent of ensuring that directional fabrics were cut in such a way as to keep the pattern running in the same direction! It's also very fat quarter friendly, and has a bonus table runner pattern included.

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends.

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah