Done with One

 Sand and Sea is done!  I just took the last stitch in the binding and hung it up for a quick photo shoot.

 Here is another shot of the quilting.  Waves and swirls freehand.

And of course, the back.  I think  I'll make a pillowcase to store this one in and then move on to Mom's quilt.  First though, to check on the pot roast.  It sure smells good, hope it tastes good too.  

Finally Done

 I thought I would never get this one off the frame!  Tuesday is our morning out, but I was sure I would be able to finish it up the minute we got home after lunch.  I am doing morning drop of this week for math camp, so the afternoon was looking good.  We had just gotten home again, my rear had just made contact with the couch to check on e-mail when the phone rang with a friend wanting Sydney to play.  Back in the car we went for a quick drop off as this is the friend who moved to a neighborhood nearby.  Finally home again I was ready to jump back in when my cell phone rang.  Ryan threw up at camp :-( Oh no!  Back to the car again with fresh clothes.

Sure enough, when I finally made it home for good, the quilt was done within minutes.  I used a light blue thread and free motion swirls for this one.  I'm thinking brown for the binding.  Not that I have any brown of course, but tomorrow is another day.  

Waves?

I'm going for an ocean effect on this one.  I have three actively underway, each at a different stage, this one sits on the frame while the green quilt is getting borders cut to size and the pink quilt has just had its binding attached.  I can't decide if it is fun jumping from project to project or just strange.  

Winning the Battle of the Bs

Look at my freshly made back for Sand and Sea!  Only took most of the day, but look at how crisp and modern it looks.  Not my usual style at all, but I think I like it.  There was just one small "oops" moment when I realized that I had cut the second blue band in half the wrong way, but I found a somewhat similar shade to add in and make the row long enough.

So now the big decision becomes, should I load this guy up on the frame and get it quilted, or keep working on another set of borders and backings?  I'm leaning to the second as the house is already a big mess of fabric.  If I finish off one more quilt then I can do a clean up before changing gears.  So, deep breath, little happy dance and back to work I go.

Just a few minutes later........

 The last back went together likely split.  Fortunately I had enough of one fabric to make it work.

Borders are on as well, don't you just love it when they fit perfectly with no stretching and easing?  That never happens for me.  

So now there are three finished quilts with backs draped nicely over a chair and waiting for a bit of clean up and frame assembly.  YEAH!

Basking in the "Bs"

Borders and backs are the bane of my quilting experience.  I have more flimsies in the closet hanging out waiting for the "Bs" than I care to admit.  It used to be batting and basting as well, but fortunately, the handiquilter got me over that headache.  So today I decided to just persevere and get some quilts past the awkward phase.  The orphan blocks got a leftover dresden wedge border.  Anna has called dibs on this quilt.  She wants to take it to sleepaway camp later this summer.  It sure is unique.

Here is the back, random chunks of floral fabrics that didn't go with anything else and another strip of the dresden bits.  Definitely one of a kind.

Next up I got the pink fabric cut that Anna had picked out for the border on the second chemo quilt.  I think I'll cut the extra 16 patches at a wonky angle and use them as cornerstones.  These just need to get trimmed to size and sewn on.  There is enough of a pretty pink print to make the back with no trouble.

Sand and Sea will have a simple border from a coordinating print that was bought special.  There is still a bit for the back to go along with extras of the tan and blue.  Maybe in horizontal stripes to represent a beach horizon?

 The kids wanted to go see the movie Epic this morning.  There won't be a lot of days this summer when all three of them are home at the same time so we took advantage of the opportunity for a group outing.  It was actually really good.  Ryan and Sydney have been playing together beautifully all afternoon.  They worked together to clean Ryan's room after lunch and then started a game of dino-opoly.  I think Ryan is winning after getting museums on Gigantosoraus and Seismosarous.  Kurt is just back after going out with some work people, I made a nice pot of chili in the crockpot which the kids said was actually very good.  They even said I should make it again sometime.  Some days are just really good all around.  I hope that tomorrow doesn't swing the other way to compensate.

Rainy Day Productivity

It was a long and rainy day yesterday.  There was a break between rain bands that allowed us to run out to the grocery store, but other than that, it was an inside kind of day.

 Sydney made pants out of pillows, nobody is sure why.

 Anna helped pick out border fabric for the second chemo quilt after I got all the blocks sewn together.

The Sand and Sea blocks made it together as well which means today should be all about borders.  I even got a few Green Crossroads pieced as leaders and enders between rows of blocks.  

The rain has moved on today and there is no math camp!  The kids have been asking to sea Epic and this might be the only weekday for a while when they are all available.  I am just back from a nice morning run (shocking right?)  so I will go and get the day started.  

Sand and Sea Crumb Blocks Done

The blue crumb blocks were all finished during May for RSC13.  Today I sashed half of them out in tan and the other half in blue -- going for a beach and sand feel.  I even have a border fabric -- usually a big hurdle for me!  There are a couple of quilt requests in the works and I seriously need to get working on them.  Next on the list is Mom's second chemo quilt.   I have a stack of pink 16 patches ready to go and need to decide for sure on the alternate block.  Four Square is one thought like the one here, or maybe an Arkansas Crossroads block like the one here.  Have I mentioned yet how much I like summer vacation?  I could do this year round.
Today was actually an out and about day.  Orthodontist, math camp drop off, free movie, trip to Joann's and then back to pick up at math camp.  After that though, I got have a little quilt time.  Kurt was home early from work and made soup for dinner.  It is a bit damp and drizzly here, some sort of tropical organization so as odd as it sounds, soup hit the spot.