positivity quilt along finish

Way back at the end of May, I joined in the Positivity Quilt Along.  My goal was to use up some green and blue fabrics because that is where my stash is getting out of control.

(I'm sure you all are rolling your eyes because you know that it didn't diminish my stash a single bit.  We all suffer from this phenomenon, but none of us have yet figured out why it happens!)

I also had a bunch of grey left over from a previous project, so I thought that combination would make a nice quilt that could be for a man or woman.

So I started...

..and then decided that some yellows would be good, too.  Just for fun.

Turns out I didn't have a lot of larger chunks of yellow, so there are a lot of singletons in there.  (All the others got, I think, four of each fabric.)

I sewed and sewed and sewed.  The pattern is simple enough, but it does take some time to get blocks constructed.  I was working in groups of eight, which made it take longer, but at the end, I had made significant progress.

Weeks later I got to the layout and started sewing the blocks into rows.

And then came the dreaded long seams to join the rows into a top.  Thankfully there weren't too many seams that had to match, so pinning wasn't awful.

And out I went to get a photo.  The colors here look pretty true...some of the others I've taken...well, my phone seems to have a mind of its own when selecting colors lately...

Then the procrastination took place.  I did buy and wash the back, but it took a bit to screw up my courage for my longarm.  (Ever since it had its tantrum quite a while back, I'm even more wary of it.)

Eventually I just decided it needed to be done.  So I loaded it up and decided to do something simple just in case it went crazy.  I figured I could limp it through if I had to.

It behaved.  I don't think I even had a single thread break, but it's been a few weeks (and a lot has happened - more on that soon), so I can't remember.  I guess if it really misbehaved, I would remember that, right?!

I bound it with much help...

(You know it's a good quilt if the feistiest of your cats climbs right in, right?)

And then I set it aside, planning to get a photo "soon."  Guess when "soon" happened?  Yep, this morning.

I did my best to fix the colors here, but it is a grey, overcast day here, so it was a struggle to get them more or less right.  But it is proof that the quilt is done!

This closer shot (taken just minutes after the full quilt shot that the color turned out horribly) shows the colors pretty much dead on, but you can also see the quilting and the back fabric.

Now all I need to do is get it sent off!  (I think I'm supposed to wash it first, too...)

The other things in my life that have literally kept me from sewing almost anything in the past week include pickle relish (we finished the pickles from the last post), a quilt show and the final pig roast prep and actual pig roast.

I also finished the whale quilt and sent it off to its new home, but I'll blog about that next week.  One finished quilt per post, thankyouverymuch!  (But that was about all the sewing I did except to start a few cat hammocks.)

No photos of the pig roast or the relish (it's a mustard relish we made for my mother-in-law because she needs it for her amazing potato salad, but you can't find it in stores any more).

The pig roast was a huge success.  There were maybe 70 people that came, which was incredible.  Current coworkers, former coworkers, neighbors, cousins, immediate family, family friends...  And we had SO MUCH food.  We could have had double the people and no more food and still had leftovers!  But I was too busy chatting and eating to take any photos!

Compared to years past, this was so much better.  It will definitely be happening again next year.

The AQS show was pretty good and the quilts were amazing, but it is a little intimidating.  So much of what is there are art quilts and very modern at that.  Nothing I would likely attempt.  And they make the few more traditional quilts that get accepted look almost shabby.  Those quilts are amazing too, but it's kinda like setting my nice house up next to a palace and asking folks which they like better.

So...it's almost not even inspirational any more to attend.  Not that the quilts were bad or wrong or anything like that.  Just too much for me, I think.

But I shopped the vendors and came home with some patterns!

The hubby went with me and insisted on the monsters - to be made for my niece Adrian (who got a quilt not too long ago - see the sidebar for a link to her latest quilt).  And we had seen the robots at a previous, recent show, but the vendor was out. She had them in stock this time, so I snagged it.  It will be good for a future boy quilt.

The others caught my eye, and being cheaper than fabric (well, a kit or a bundle) I decided I could splurge a bit.  None have any immediate plans (except the monsters, but we're in negotiations about when she should get that...), so for now I'll just pet and admire them.  I'm sure in time I'll find a reason to make them.

With the party done and the quilts that had deadlines done and the hubby finally going back to work (four weeks of vacation is a lot, folks...a LOT), I can finally settle back into my normal routines.  I'm looking forward to that.  (I think the kitties are too...I had three in bed with me last night, which is not normal for a warm night!)

Happy quilting!

Katie