A Scrappy Finish

 Bulk Mail is officially done!  This started with 1.5 inch strips in a rainbow of colors.  I sewed up one each month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  The center squares are 12 by 12 for 144 total squares.  Each border uses 60 more squares.  Add to that 20 cornerstones and that means that 2528 1.5 inch squares were put to good use in this quilt top.

 There was a soft green and pink paisley print on yellow background that got stretch out with just a little bit of extra yellow for the back.

 The rainbow binding might just be my favorite part.  I pulled out one 2.5 inch strip from each color of the rainbow and sewed them together in spectrum order.  It was so satisfying to hand sew the binding down, knowing how close I was to the end based on which color came next.

One last shot of the quilting.  Pebbles and ribbon candy in the wide sashing strips and a simple stipple on the colors.  I am linking up at Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap! on Sunday.  Showing off your scrappy progress on Sunday is the perfect follow on to ScrapHappy Saturday, so be sure to go visit and see what scrappy fun is brewing out in blogland.  

Packing

I draped a finished quilt over a chair to dry last night, and this is what I woke up to.  

 That helped me decide to get the binding on sooner rather than later before things started to get frayed or ravelly.  After much thought, I went to the 2.5 inch strip bin and pulled out a red strip, and orange strip, a yellow strip, all the way to the end of the rainbow.  The binding is all machine sewn now and ready for some slow stitching in the car.

 Of course, but the time that was done, it was too dark to get any good pictures.  Shorter days and cooler weather are really making it feel like winter around here.

Still going strong, I went ahead and put the last border on this year's sampler quilt.  Now all that remains is to applique down the tear drops.  More applique for the car?
Most people worry about clean laundry when they are getting ready for a trip.  I am madly trying to figure out which quilts I can get finished before it is time to leave.  

Bulk Mail Delivered

This quilt was based on giant Postage Stamp blocks.  Eventually I started calling it Bulk Mail.  It is fresh off the frame and hanging to dry after being spritzed with water to remove the water soluble blue marker from the quilting.  Right now I am in the phase of noticing all the flaws.  Tomorrow though, in the light of day, I will think about binding and take some glamour shots.
It is unheard of for me to find energy to sew on a school night, but with Thanksgiving break starting on Wednesday, lessons are winding down quickly.  I even took Sydney to LAX tonight and still found time to finish off the last third of the quilt when I got home.  Amazing!  I think it is the nip in the air that is giving me a new bounce in my step.  A chill has definitely arrived.  We were all scurrying to find long pants and jackets this morning.  I know that doesn't sound very cold to those from up north, but anything resembling seasons is a welcome change for us transplanted southerners.