Sunday, April 3, 2016

OMG?


OMG.  One monthly goal.  Did I have a goal for last month?  Oh yeah, I did have one goal and that was to get my Labyrinth quilt quilted and bound.  Well it almost happened, but not quite.  I just ran out of time.  So here is a peak from the backside of the quilt.  I'm hoping like crazy to have this finished by the weekend, but right now I'm not going to hold my breath.  After my needle broke this morning, I decided it was time to walk away and try something else for a while.  Maybe catch up on some of the BOM/mystery quilts I have going on.

But let me tell you, the thought of changing feet and undoing my supreme slider to go into piecing mode didn't sound appealing either.  Then I remembered.  Hello, you have another machine.  So things got a bit serious, I broke out my Viking H-Class machine.  Two machines out at once.  This is the perfect portable little machine.  My mother surprised me at Christmas time by getting me the little extension table, so it seems right that I give it a try.


I started out by constructing the Secrete Garden BOM by Pat Sloan for April.  I will mention that I did find a small typo in the pattern.  In the diagram showing how to put the block together, for the center square the rectangles marked 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" should actually be 2 1/2" x 8 1/2."  So why do I bring this up?  I didn't print out all of the instructions before I began.  I figured all I needed was the diagram.  So the lesson I learned is stop short cutting it.  Had I read all the instructions first I would have cut the correct rectangles.  But after a quick cutting of two more rectangles I had my fourth finished block.

Oops the new block is the one on the bottom.  It has not been an A-game weekend.
Next on the list, is to catch up on the Beguiling Mystery Quilt over at Cora's Quilts.  I was two weeks behind and did not want to fall further behind.  After tomorrow I should be completely caught up.  I need to turn that stack of rectangles to the left of my rotary cutter into half rectangle triangles.  But I decided to call it a night.   I'll pick that up tomorrow.


As I worked on these quilts I pondered the process of constructing mystery quilts.  The hardest and, I'm guessing, the most feared step in the process is picking out the fabrics.  I'll admit, it seems a bit crazy, the idea of picking out fabric when you have no idea what the heck you are even creating.  (Even better try explaining the process to a non-quilter)  Buying fabric is a huge commitment and what if you find out the relationship isn't what you thought it was??  But picking out fabric doesn't really have to be scary, you just have to trust yourself.  

With a few new mystery quilt alongs coming this summer, I'm toying around with the idea of writing a few posts about how I pick out fabrics for a mystery quilt.  Maybe walking through the process could take the fear of trying a project of this type away for someone.  

And on that note, it's time to wrap this crazy weekend up and watch The Walking Dead.  One of my favorite parts?  Seeing quilts used as props.  Even during the zombie apocalypse, a quilter's hard work will live on.

Today I'm linking up with Main Crush Monday.

11 comments:

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

How handy to have another machine to pull out and use. I hope it was a good break and distraction from quilting and helps you come back to the Labyrinth quilt with more enthusiasm. I agree that picking fabrics for a mystery quilt does seem like the hardest part. Once I do that I feel committed, LOL.

Michelle in Scotland said...

Yes please Tish to 'how you choose fabrics for a mystery quilt'. I quite like doing mystery quilts (I've done two!) because I don't get frustrated when I can't get the fabric that the quilt pattern has (hope that makes sense I *know* what I mean lol)

Nancy J said...

For a mystery quilt, picking my fabrics was OK, but deciding which ones to use where was the hardest, and in the last one, with Cheryl, I wished I had used some of them in other places. However, at the end. I was happy with it, extremely so as it was the largest and most difficult I had ever attempted. I do like your reverse side quilting.

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

You may not have finished the quilt, but you got a lot done on it. That's success in my mind. And it is hard to pick out fabrics for mystery quilts. I prefer ones where the host provides good suggestions/hints on how to choose fabrics.

Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts said...

That is exactly why I'm not good at committing to mystery quilts. I still don't have the one pieced that Cheryl just finished and I absolutely love the design. So one day I will get back to work on it. It's wonderful you had another machine to pull out and use. It looks like you were very productive! Have a great week!!

Stitchin At Home said...

I did one mystery and swore never again, I really do not like the quilt at all. Your quilt looks great so far, I'm sure you'll have it done in no time.

Lisa J. said...

I hate picking the fabrics for a mystery quilt as well...although I do like my finished Midnight Mystery. You did a remarkable amount of work on your goal for March it looks great. I broke a needle when quilting my daughters quilt....I ran over a pin. The machine and I survived.

Joy said...

I think you've hit on a great topic. I have never even considered joining in on a mystery quilt because of all the reasons you have noted. Maybe after reading your blog posts, I might feel more comfortable to try one.

Vicki in MN said...

I am looking forward to hearing about your process of picking for a mystery quilt. I have only done 2 and not sure I really like it. I like to control where I put my fabrics. Maybe you can change my mind.

Sandra Walker said...

What Vicki said! That part always worries me too, and like Vicki, I like to control where I put my fabrics. Wow, you have a ton on the go here, and although having a second machine is a huge bonus, I don't know how you get so much done with working full-time and a teenager, not to mention all your fur kids, oh ya and hubby fits in there sometimes too I hear! I sitll have to catch up, er start the BOM...and the Stepping Stones QAL...and a week is GONE in April already! whut? how?

Brianna said...

That's a lot on the go! It would be nice to have another machine to have two projects going at once, but too much work for me, I think.

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