She's all pieced!

 Well folks I am happy to say that with Red my quilt is all done. Now I will be searching for the best backing and then headed to Marcia's for some professional quilting. I really loved the way it all turned out. Still in love with the fabric.

 Couple of different views. The fan kept blowing so I couldn't keep her from sliding on tables. Still a few ends to finish up, loose threads and getting the binding put together.

Carousel

Goodness this quilt will have your head spinning and thinking that you are not putting her together correctly. I assure you that I am putting her together right. I had to keep checking to make sure. Love the effect that it has and it is coming together. Are there mistakes?  Well Hell yes there are. But taking on this challenge you are bound to have some minor. And if minor mistakes is all I have and for the general eye they can't see them.  Then yay me!

I loved sewing today. Why you ask?  hehehe Well because of Red of course. I love, I mean love the table extender. When piecing this just makes it all so much easier. So easy....easy... I think you get the point. Put what is so nice about this extension table is that you can basically lay your whole piecing on it and feed it into the machine.

Another think that I am loving already is who smooth the feeding is. I really just had to walk my hands, which is what you should do, but I haven't had a new machine in some time. So this was new to me and made things so nice.

One thing I will need to change is my chair. It just isn't high enough once the extension table is on. So I will be shopping for a new chair.

One issue I am finding my machine has, is one that I read about. Nesting.  ACK! I am playing with some suggestions by fellow owners of the Horizon 7700. What the machine is trying to do is for your to not have any hanging threads at your ends. It is pulling the top  and lower thread ends back to the back so that is can stitch over it and hide the loose ends. Love the idea, but not always liking the nesting. doesn't happen all the time, happens just every now and then.

With all new machines there is a learning curve. This I believe is my biggest curve. Everything else is just coming along.  OH another HUGE benefit is the automatic tension. It's like this machine just knows what I want.  ;o)

Just piecing my carousel lap quilt together. On Red of course!

The girls have allowed me to play on my machine off and on all day. They were happy to b e home I think. But by this evening it had worn off. Screaming was heard and time outs were given.  ;o) But how could you resist this little helper?

 I playing the drum mommy!  Yes she was playing the drum, that is for sure!

Here is what 5 of the 9 rows looks like. Kind of neat! Didn't have a good spot to lay her all out, but you can kind of see how it looks mismatched? Still in love with the fabric and color choices. Tomorrow hopefully, well Wednesday, I will get the top all done. Too much to do tomorrow and coffee with girls tomorrow night.  ;o)

Carousel day 3

Did get much done on it today. I worked with layout again.  Then finally called it good enough to start.  I started to measure my blocks and make sure they were sqaure.  Always remeasure I say! Then started piecing the rows together. I was able to get the first two. So you have an idea of what it will look like.  Just 7 more rows to go. HA

You also get to see a part of my sewing/scrapbooking room. Oh and that would be Grace's art work that was in the CCISD art show.  Love that girl!

Day 2 on Carousel Quilt

Piecing, piecing, piecing....

That should be a song for quilters. Doesn't feel like I got a lot done, but OH my it was a puzzle. I was able to finish chaining my pieces together, iron out my seams and begin the piecing and placing of my blocks.

First I had to finish some biding for the baby clothes quilt. It is off to Marcia's to be quilted tomorrow!!

Rows A and B mostly laid out. With the fabrics being so dominate I needed to make sure that they were evenly distributed throughout the quilt.

So I called on the Engineer and puzzle master to help. As you can see WHOA fabric! 9 rows total with 7 pieces per row. There is a bit missing to. Lattice pieces go between each piece and on the ends. Brad LOVES, puzzles I mean LOVES them. So he was willing to help. He is always willing to help me cut, figure and piece.  Love him! I am not the biggest fan of puzzles.  Brad says that is why quilting suites me. Cause it is my kind of puzzle. I can cut the pieces to fit anywhere.  ;o)

Well here is the sort of finished product.  Going to sleep on it tonight, and take one last look before I start putting the rows together. But I like the distribution of fabrics.  We check both vertically and horizontally to make sure the same fabrics weren't in each row or column.  Goodness.

I really love the earthy tones of this fabric line. I am getting excited about how this is turning out.

Headed to bed over it all, going to sleep on the layout. Tomorrow is a busy day, more dr. appts too. Headed to Marcia's www.stitchmemories.com to have my baby quilt professionally quilted. Then she will be helping me make squares that are two half triangles for the block of the month. Oh and don't forget a Hobby Lobby stop for some Kona Cotton.

Night all!

Carousel Lap Quilt 1.

Today I began sewing on a quilt I have been wanting to do for a long time. About a year ago with Quaker Town closed it doors here in Friendswood, I jumped at the sales and bought a TON of fabric for 60-70% off. Moda fabric, Robert Kaufman and more. I had intended this to be for Grace, but my husbands Aunt came over one day with a Robert Kaufman botanical fat quarter pack. That bundle just spoke to me and I knew it was fit for the quilt I have been wanting to put together.  

This will be my first quilt with so many pieces.  I think so far I have cut around 200 pieces. But I did get a lot done today. Started on the 31 blocks. I really like the colors. Yes it has orange in it, but not a TON of orange.

Here is what my quilt will look like. I love it it plays on your eyes.

 My fabric choices. I think they are perfect for this quilt. One things that I love, I mean LOVE about fat quarters is that they designer of the fabric put a lot of thought into how the fabrics go together and plus makes the matching of fabric just a tad easier for me.

 

The cutting begins. First I had to cut 63 squares that where 6 1/2 by 8 1/2 My fat quarters were perfect for this. My overage on each one was just over 2". I will be saving that for my binding. Thinking I will want a funky binding using this left over scraps from each fat quarter. 

Next I cut 116, well more to be safe, 1 1/2" by 8 1/2" for the lattice pieces. Here I am in the process of making 31 blocks. Each has a lattice piece on both long sides.

 

That was all for tonight. Tomorrow I plan to finish sewing the lattice pieces to make the 31 blocks. Then I will begin assembling the rows. That is where the magic of this pattern takes place.