At 53-years old, this is nothing unusual. I have a list of places I want to go and things I want to do before the children decide what home I need to go into before I spend what little inheritance they will inherit. But aside from that bucket list, I also have a bucket list of quilts and other projects I want to make before I pass over to that great guild meeting in the sky.
For quilters like me who tend to be on the semi-professional end of the art (we quilt for ourselves and quilt demos for classes and stores), sometimes our projects tend to lean so much on the professional end that we forget to create just for fun or just because it's something we want to do. A double-wedding ring quilt has been on my list for years and I've never gotten around to making one.
Until now.
Several weeks ago I shared the fabric I had chosen. I pieced the fabric into strips and then cross cut the strips so that all 416 strips looked like this....
I'm using the John Flynn method, so that meant that now I have to go back and take tiny "darts" into the squares.
I realize that for some "speed piecers" this may seem tedious. For me, it's mindless sewing that allows me to listen to my audio books. However, all those tiny, little darts and a freezer-paper pressing guide allow for beautiful arches.
And these arches snuggle right up to the "melons" and those concave and convex curves sew together easily with puckers or tucks.
It's a lot of work, but I do think that this bucket list quilt will be gorgeous when I get it finished.
I am really behind on my hand applique projects. That little one-on-one experience between my thumb and the car door really slowed me down. I sewed my bandage to fabric so many times I just gave up all handwork until I could take the Band-Aids off. But I did manage to get my second block on the Country Inn finished this week - the Petunia Block.
I was doing straight-up needle turn with this one, but the pieces are so big that I'm switching to freezer paper with the third one. I really do enjoy these larger pieces of applique.
By the way, if you're interested in making the Country Inn Quilt or Quilting the Garden and you haven't purchased your book(s) yet, you may want to head on over to your local quilt store or Amazon. I've heard through the grapevine that the publishing company that produced both books has been bought out and the new publisher has not committed to republishing either book.
Lastly, if you haven't heard, the Row-by-Row Experience has started! I purchased my first row this week from Dragonfly in High Point.
This is a picture of what it will look like. I hope to start on it this weekend. I'm kind of proud of it...I had a little input with this row. Patti Grubb did a marvelous job with this and I think it's really pretty.
I also purchased my license plate.
At this point my plan was to list all the stores in North and South Carolina that are participating in the RBR. However, this year there are so many! In Guilford County, Calla Lilly, Ye Olde Forest, Studio Stitch, and Dragonfly are involved. If you want to have the entire list, go to www.rowbyrowexperience.com/north-carolina and www.rowbyrowexperience.com/south-carolina. There are also Facebook pages for the Row by Rows. The experience lasts from June 21 through September 8, 2015. There is a contest. Create a quilt using at least 8 different rows, be the first person to bring the finished quilt to a participating quilt show and you win 25 fat quarters. If you've used that shop's row in your quilt, you receive a bonus prize!
And let's face it...it's a wonderfully legitimate excuse to visit quilt shops. Hope to see you at one!
Love and Stitches,
Sherri
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