Monday, August 21, 2017

Finish #3 for the Quarter!!

Over the past week, I've been steadily quilting this scrappy trip around the world lap robe.
A simple grid of (mostly) straight lines 1/4" on each side of all the seams was just right.
Not much thinking required, no threads to bury!!
I used orange thread (Aurifil 50wt/2ply) to highlight the orange in the plaid of the backing fabric.
I cut it close on the binding, but I made it!! 
My daughter graciously held it up for me on the front porch this morning before she left for work.
Close-up!
And one more shot because Willie showed up for his cameo.
Now I've reached the halfway point on my third quarter Finish-A-Long 2017 list!!

I spent the afternoon checking out the eclipse -- Northeast Ohio was in the 70% zone.  My science teacher daughter secured the correct eye gear and so I stayed outside most of the afternoon checking the status every 15 minutes and creating this page in my Haiku journal.
Apparently, I have no memories of past eclipses even though folks tell me I have experienced them.
Probably wasn't impressed because there were no birds involved?
The birds and animals didn't seem effected by the event.
This female/immature ruby-throated hummingbird spent 5 minutes scouring every flower in the patio pots for nectar.
I also added another species to the list of neighborhood animals that eat from Willie's outside dinner bowl -- a little short-tailed shrew -- lives under the back steps and darts out and grabs bits of dry food from the dish!?!

Several readers asked so I'm working on a post for Friday showing how I layer my quilts on a single table without a helper.  

Hope the week is off to a good start!!

Mary

9/26/2017 -- linking up to the 3rd quarter 2017 Finish A Long!!







5 comments:

  1. if I am machine quilting a quilt I like to do it like that also but I usually end up with a few puckers here and there where the seams cross - how do you keep yours from doing that? I am mainly a hand quilter and only do a few machine quilting here and there

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    1. This time I tried starting by doing a set of lines about 12" apart and alternating between the horizontal and the vertical to anchor things down more than the basting.  Then I went back and did the lines on both sides of the seams.  I also alternated doing some lines horizontal and then some vertical and back and forth that way.  Found one spot where I got a small pleat in the backing and it was uniform across the quilt so think my basting was a bit off right there.  

      Also during the basting process, I keep tugging the backing only as I work to be sure it stays smooth and flat.  Hopefully my post on Friday will make that clearer!!

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  2. the red sure made it zing. really nice

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  3. Willie looks like the cat I had as a teenager, Snookums!

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  4. Phew, your binding was just perfect, wasn't it? Love it when it works out that way, not so much when it's 4" short! Your scrappy trip quilt is perfectly cosy looking as autumn approaches. Lots of fun and a great scrap buster, too. On behalf of the 2017 global FAL hosts, thank you for participating in this quarter's FAL.

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