OMG-November Finish Link Up

My goal for November was to get 1/2 the rows for Rick Rack Nines put together. That meant rows built and then added to make half the quilt top.  This pattern is set on point, sort of.  The rows are pieced and sewn on the diagonal. It will be a huge quilt. Hopefully big enough so it looks good on our king size bed. The quilt I use now lets the blankets and the sheet peek out a bit. Kind of like a slip showing ( when women wore slips,  that is!)  Kind of shows how old I am! :)

I had some issues with this one. I haven't done a quilt this big before. I haven't done the diagonal rows before!  And I made the 9 patches over the last several years as leaders and enders.  I discovered some are not 5" square and some are wonky!  I spent more that a few times unsewing, re measuring my 2" squares ( some are cut just a bit tiny)  I have learned a thing or two about cutting over the years!  Get the ruler line ON the fabric!  Nuff about my woes!

This is rows 1-8 being added to rows 9-14!  I sewed them in sets of two rows, then added 2+2 to make 4, then 4+4 to make 8. It seemed more manageable to me. My space is limited, my pressing station is just a regular ironing board. So I have to do what I have to do. Oh, look!  There is the zebra print that was in my first great grandbaby's quilt!

Most of my corners were good.

 Some not so good. Can you see the corner of the background fabric and the red hearts in the lattice that meet the next row.  Yikes.!  I guess in the big scheme of things , after it is all done , bordered and quilted the little oops will be hard to find.  I least that is my hope!

There are lots of seams so lots of chances to go wrong. Most of the problems were in pressing. If they nest on two rows, not necessarily on the next two. I do love looking at all the little 2 inch squares and remembering the fabric. The Dalmatian dog print was in a casserole carrier for a friend who loves dogs. The green and red plaid  woven fabric in a wall hanging that was one of my first projects. The red clamshells to the left of the plaid, was in the Airplane quilt for Mr Busy! So many memories and I only purchased background fabric.


So it is hanging on my design wall, too long and already too wide!  I will sew the next half working my way back to the middle, then sew both halves together. Not in December though, too busy. My OMG for December will be doable, I hope.

So here is my OMG Finish for November.  I am linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts. November Finish Link Up. 



Stay Busy and Stay Happy

November One Monthly Goal Link Up

I've been working on making 9 patches as leaders and enders for the last several years. Then I picked background fabric, Downstairs at Downton Abbey (cream with light olive green sprigs), from Andover Fabrics.

There are 290 9-patches needed, here are 110!

 I started to lay it out in April of 2018. This is a Bonnie Hunter pattern called Rick Rack Nines from her book, Adventures with Leaders and Enders.  You can read more about the beginning in THIS post!  I packed it back in it's project box because I needed my design wall for another UFO project!

This layout shows an "oops".  I packed it back in the project box.

Now I am ready to get the top together.  My OMG for November 2018 is to get half the blocks sewn together. This is a big top and is put together on the diagonal. My design wall will barely be big enough for the half triangle. Bonnie Hunter suggest putting it together in 2 halves also.

It is on my design wall. The first bottom left corner triangle is sewn to row 1. Row 2 and 3 have been added. Row 4 is sewn to Row 5.  More 9 patches and background squares are laid out. 

This will probably take me all month.  There is Thanksgiving coming up. My sister lost her husband after a long and complicated illness last Friday, the 26th. She lives about 2 hours away from me, but I may make a trip or two over there just because.  She has no children, so she is really all alone.


I will link this post up to Patty's OMG November Link Up.


Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Spinning my wheels

It seems I have been spending lots of time in my sewing room. But nothing completed to show for it. Does that ever happen to you?

This week I finished the piecing on the 5 yard quilt I was working on last week. I added the pale gray 4 1/2 " borders and wanted to decide on the backing. I ordered a wide backing with these wonderful words several weeks ago, not knowing what I would do with it.

But when I finished this quilt for my daughter, I knew that this was the perfect backing. I laid it out and realized that because it was directional, I would have to order more of this fabric . So this week, I ordered more fabric. When it arrives, I will piece the backing and get it ready to go to the long arm quilter.

I got started on my April OMG . I trimmed the batting and backing and tried to square up this quilt. I am not sure what happened, but when I tried to trim it by squaring up the corners as I was taught, some of the edges were way narrow. I  knew it I trimmed them that way, the 1/4" seam allowance would not be sufficient when I attached the binding. I thought, I worried, I weighed different scenarios. I decided to add strips of fabric where needed. Luckily, I still had all the leftover fabric. I was able to cut some 1" strips and add them to the edges of the places it was too shallow. I did not take photos, but it worked. If you look carefully at this corner you will see a tiny sliver of matching fabric that was added to the edge. I wish I knew how to add arrows and such to my pictures!

Wednesday, I got the binding attached at a sew-in with friends. It really helped having 8' banquet tables to lay the bulk of the quilt on. I will continue to hand sew the binding to the back as I watch TV or Netflix or Amazon Prime....actually I worked on it Thursday while stitching with some other friends. We meet every Thursday to do hand sewing. Embroidery, binding, even some knitting or crocheting gets done, while we chat and chat and chat.

And I started on the Yellow or Gold slab blocks for the RSC18 challenge for April. These are in various stages of completion. My basket of yellow has plenty of pieces still in it.

And I cut the setting squares and triangles for Rick Rack Nines from Bonnie Hunter's book, Adventures in Leaders and Enders. Making scrappy nine patches has been my leader and ender project for the last 2 years. My design wall will not be big enough to hold all the blocks. This is the beginning of 8 rows. there are 15 rows. The quilt will be 102 x 102 with borders!

OOPS  the bottom right has too many scrappy squares!  Glad I took this photo!

I have started to put it together. I have the left bottom corner triangle sewed to the first row and the second diagonal row is added to that.
This could be a problem....already there is an error in the lay out! But at least I noticed it before it is sewn. This quilt is put together on the diagonal as you can see.  Bonnie suggests doing 1/2 to the diagonal middle and then the other half, then joining the long seam at the last. It will be a while. I have made a copy of the layout chart in the book, so I can have it close to me at the machine. There is a pattern.

I will be linking this post to Myra's Finished or Not Friday, at Busy Hands Quilts  and
Amanda Jean's Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

I know all of  these are not finished, but I will be done with the binding before Friday is over.

I have to get groceries today, go to the library and I have a hair appointment . I woke up to 3+ inches of snow AGAIN!  Blaaah!

Stay Busy and Stay Happy