projects...

I worked feverishly to finish my Christmas stars.  Okay, maybe not feverishly.  But I did sew them in batches this last round (taking photos of how the fabrics matched up before unpinning) to get them done faster.  I was getting kind of impatient to see them all together and move on to the next step!

Here are all sixteen together!  This is definitely not a layout for the final quilt, but you can see the variety of prints and colors.  (And that top left one is not any different background fabric than the others, it's just in a bit of a shadow.)

Next it was time to audition sashing and cornerstone fabrics.  The original has a mostly-white fabric with black flowers.  I didn't find anything like that on my shopping trip that yielded the black, some reds and the white dot you see above.  But I found a wonderful black and white stripe.  Maybe that would work?

On a subsequent shopping trip, I found a printed gingham.  Which is what was used for cornerstones in the original.  So I picked that up.  But still no floral print that I liked.

Well.  Let's see if those play well together.  (With a cringe as I anticipate chaos.)

Oh my.  That is too much!  I like the stripes, but not here.  Even without the gingham as a cornerstone, it is too much.  So I will put the stripe in the stash for a later adventure and wait until I can find a floral (or something similar) that will work as sashing.  My stash has nothing large enough that will work.

And, after deciding to put this aside, I though I would put it in a bin on the shelf.  Pattern, fabrics, blocks...keep it all together.  Except that shelf got itself into a hot mess because *someone* keeps putting stuff there instead of where it belongs.  Example?  The pile of selvedges trimmed from (mostly) quilt backs after piecing.  I don't use them, but have a few friends who do, and I know those long pieces are much coveted, so I hang onto them.  They were in the way and, as I was trying to move something else, leapt to their death on the floor.

Well, I sure don't need much to distract me.  I sat right down and started rolling these up, putting them in the shoebox to the left as I went.

The box is more than half full, but there is room for more, so I'm going to hold onto it for now.  None of my friends are asking for them right now, so I might as well save the postage until it's truly full!

Once that was done, I was able to stow the Christmas project and move on to the task of what project to start next.  Again, I have few projects in progress and they are all forever projects, so they're not screaming too loudly.

I found a bag of bonus half square triangles in the stash, while digging.  They're sewn, but not pressed or trimmed.  Perhaps I'll do something with those?  But I kept going.  I went through a few books, contemplating projects that had gotten my attention earlier, but nothing really screamed at me to start it.  I went through my quilts board on Pinterest, hoping for inspiration.  I found one, but all links to the pattern and blog and website and everything were either absent or giving me error messages.  So aside from other pins (photos) also leading nowhere, I was at a loss.

By that time, though, I had killed enough time that it was time to go finish Easter dinner.  I had put a roast in the crock pot (I'm not a big fan of ham and was thrilled this year that I did not have to feel guilty when my mom served turkey instead - I wasn't there, she could serve whatever she liked, and I got to choose!  My hubby didn't grow up in a particularly religious home, so they never celebrated Easter with anything more than chocolate, so I have no example to live up to.  Win!) and needed to get potatoes roasting in the oven and make some biscuits.  Easy, delicious dinner!

So I stalled out on what to sew and ended up reading and going to bed.  Not bad choices, just frustrating that I don't know WHAT to sew next!  I'm trying to be mindful of what I start because I have too many quilts already.  (Wait.  Is that a thing?)  And I want to WANT the ones I make.

This morning, I woke up and remembered this kit!

Silly Katie!  This was just two shelves below the pile of selvedges - on the same shelving unit!  How did I forget that?  So this had me hopping out of bed, knowing today had a list of chores to be completed before I could sew, motivated to get to this at some point today.  (I'm almost there!)

I also, after purchasing this, remembered some fabrics I bought years ago on impulse, that seemed to fit in.  I'm hoping to make this quilt a little larger, so I added these fabrics to the pile, hoping they will play nice.  (Or at least some of them.)

(Pardon the glare from the fabrics being in a bag.  It's dreary and cold here today (spring is just teasing us) and lights were needed.)  Soon I'll head up to the sewing room to tear into the kit and see how everyone plays together.

In other sewing news, I finished binding the blue and green quilt I quilted last week.  I thought I might be longarming today, but we have high winds and possible power outages.  Not a good combo for a very expensive sewing machine.

I haven't gotten out to get a photo yet.  The weather hasn't been particularly cooperative, but that is spring for you.  Alternating warm and cold, with much wind.  I'll get it eventually.  And then share final details.  (Speaking of which, I still have the turquoise one to share...and it is photographed!  Hmmm...a later post for sure!)

And finally, I sewed a couple more masks.  One of the young guys at work was struggling with the disposable ones provided fogging up his glasses.  I rushed home Thursday and managed to knock out two for him before the store closed!

I told him I would keep them tame for him, not wild like the ones I made myself, and he said "do you have orange?"  I about peed my pants laughing.  Do I have orange.  I know he doesn't know any better, but it was hilarious.  So I made one with orange on the outside and another with camo on the outside and orange inside, just in case the orange was too much.  But he has been wearing both and they are working for him, so I am happy.  I'll be happier when this is all over.  In the meantime, I'm happy to have a skill that can help keep my work family safe.

Off to audition fabrics!

Happy quilting!

Wash your hands!

Katie