Grace, a wrap-up...

I've officially finished Grace.  And a couple days ahead of schedule too!  It's nice not to feel that last minute pressure to finish something.  I can't count the number of times I've put myself in that position.  This is definitely the way to go.

Grace

This may be the only quilt I've made where I know the exact day I started it, July 4th.  So it took me 17 days (including today) from start to finish.  That's a pretty quick turn around - especially when I consider I have quilt tops that have been waiting to be quilted for at least 3 years!

I used the pantograph, Climber, by Meridith England to quilt it.  I like this pantograph; it's simple to follow and flows nicely across a quilt.

Climber by Meridith England

We took it outside in the late afternoon sun to get a picture of it.  You can tell the sun's been very bright here lately.

Grace - hanging outside

It's already been washed and dried and will be delivered to the birthday girl this weekend.

The Back of Grace

So, here are the stats for this quilt:

• Size: 68" square
• Fabrics: Looking Back Jelly Roll and backing by Brannock & Patek, Kona Cotton Bone and Ivory
• Batting: Warm &White
• Thread: Aurifil (piecing), Superior Threads Variegated for quilting
• Pattern: Star Struck by Cozy Quilts
• Quilting: Climber by Meridith England (15 passes, 4 bobbins)
• Started: July 4th, 2011
• Completed: July 20th, 2011
• Recipient: Michele - for her birthday

 Until later...

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. 

Psalm 62:2 (NLT)

Progress Report...

I'm puttering along on several projects right now- switching between them frequently.  I'm both enjoying the work on each of them as well as the variety.

First, I've hand sewed the binding down on 3 sides of Grace so far.  This should hopefully see a finish tomorrow.

Completing the binding

Second, I've almost finished assembling another quilt top.  Once quilted, this will be donated to a child in need.  I only have 3 more rows to sew together...

Dilly Dallying Around Charity Quilt

Third, I've quilted a quarter of the Connections top.  I'm trying to make several passes on it a day.

Quilting the Connections Top

And finally, I'm continuing to work on the Fly Stitch on my Winter Wonderland quilt.  I think I'm slightly more than half done with it.

Adding the Fly Stitch in between the embroidery blocks

So that's what I've been up to - or the bulk of it anyway.  I hope you're enjoying whatever's keeping you busy as well!

Until later...

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” 

 Psalm 25:9 (NIV)

Another record for me...

Although I hoped to post a different record finish here, this weekend has been incredibly busy and I didn't quite make it.  If I had finished hand sewing the binding down on Grace by tonight, it would have been exactly 2 weeks from start to finish on this quilt.  But no biggie, I still have 5 days before it really needs to be done, so I'll cut myself some slack.

However, I did set a different record for me.  I started quilting Grace at 9 PM on Thursday night and finished quilting less than 24 hours later.  That's a 1-day turn around for a quilt that's 68" square.  I'm just amazed that I got it done that quickly!

Closeup of the quilting on Grace

I felt a little rough the following day, but am still so excited to have this done!  I know there are those of you out there who regularly accomplish such things, but I really didn't think my neck would hold out that long.  Funny enough, my neck wasn't the issue.  It's my knees that were giving me fits.  I was concentrating so hard, I kept locking them up!  Ha! Ha!

Back of Grace

I'll continue to work on the binding, but I'm almost ready to call this one done!

Until later...

“God does speak—sometimes one way and sometimes another—even though people may not understand it.”  

Job 33:14 (NCV)

Finished on time...

Whew!  I almost didn't make it.  But a little after 11 last night, I put the final stitches in the birthday quilt top.  (I've now decided to call the quilt Grace.)  It was kind of an arbitrary goal - to have the top done by the end of the weekend - but it now gives me 11 days to quilt and bind it.  It also means I completed the top start to finish in exactly 7 days.

There are 9 of these blocks in the quilt - 5 with a light background, 4 with a dark one.  Each block finishes at 16" and contains 40 pieces.

One of the blocks in Grace

Once I had all of the blocks made and most of the center together, I had Mr. Quilting Bug come and give it a look over.  I wanted to make doubly sure that none of the units were turned in the wrong direction before everything was assembled.  Been there, done that.  It takes so much more effort to unsew a complete quilt top to fix a mistake rather than to catch it before then.

Center of Grace assembled with sashing

The quilt was too large (68" square) to lay out on the floor of my sewing room to take pictures, so I took it to a spare bedroom.  The lighting isn't as good in there so the colors aren't as true as in the previous picture.  Oh, and Moses helped me with these shots as well.

Completed quilt top

Instead of stopping for the day - it was already after my bedtime - I decided to stay up and complete a few other small tasks.  I made the binding for this quilt and pieced the backing as well.  Once I pre-wash the batting, it's ready to be loaded on the frame.  I also took a half hour or so to start cutting out my next quilt.  It's going to be a charity quilt using a Dilly Dally layer cake.

The amount of help I had while working on this quilt yesterday was just amazing!  Moses was my fabric inspector...

Moses on the quilt while I'm trying to pin on borders

Gabriel offered workout advice - by making me step over her every time I got up...

Gabriel in front of my cutting table

And Sam acted in a purely advisory capacity...

Sam napping on the back of the couch

I'm hoping to get this quilt loaded on the frame later today.  But first, I've got some chores to take care of.

Until later...

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. 

Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

Ace and Grace...

First off, I would like to welcome the newest member of our family into the fold - Ace!

Welcome Ace!

He is a 5 month old beautiful boy that my sister adopted a week ago.  (And he looks a lot like our Gabriel.)  I traveled down to visit over the weekend and got to spend some time with him.  I'm surprised someone didn't snap him up from the shelter before her.

He quickly made himself at home.  And although he has a lot of energy (as puppies do), he wants love and affection more than anything else.

Ace and Grace

He was a bit under the weather yesterday because of his treatment for hookworms and managed to finagle an invitation on the furniture.

Snoozing on the recliner

Hopefully he starts feeling better today.  But now that's he's had a taste of the furniture, I don't see him staying off in the future...

My niece, Gracie, wanted to do some sewing with me and her Grandma while I was there.  In no time flat, we whipped up a skirt for her to wear to church this morning.

Gracie's new skirt

She's also lost a few baby teeth lately and isn't shy about showing them off.

I had a good visit with family and only wish I could visit more often.

Until later...

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. . . . We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. 

Romans 8:29 (MSG)