I was getting a bit worried about the wedding quilt that I need to have done by mid-November, so I've been assembling blocks for it as I work on the pineapple quilt. I have about 2 dozen blocks for the wedding quilt done now. I have almost all the sub-units done for the wedding quilt, just short a few HST's. By working on both quilts at once, I feel like I am getting closer to both finishes, and I needed to see some progress on something, since the pineapple blocks are taking so long.
...and because I didn't have enough to do...I've been cutting for a new project.
Every year Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville announces a new leader/ender project. I have never joined in, because I usually just use one of my own projects as a leader/ender project. Well, this year she chose tumblers, which are really easy for leader/enders. I've been wanting to make a quilt out of my stash of fabric from men's shirts, and I hadn't been able to work one in. I decided that I'd cut for it now, and sew it up whenever I need some leader/enders.
A lot of people are alternating darks with lights, but I want mine a bit more random than that. I have no idea how many tumblers I've cut, nor do I particularly care. If I sew these up and I don't have enough, I'll cut more, if this is too many for one quilt, I'll make two. I had some 2.5" strips cut from my shirt stash, so I decimated my strips to cut these. I have plenty more shirt fabric, so I don't have to buy anything to make this quilt, even if I were to decide to go king-sized. Sometimes I really need to make something without a firm plan in place. My tumbler quilt will be whatever it becomes, and I'm OK with that. No deadline, no plan, no recipient in mind, just to make it because I want to. Yes, I needed that.
DD#3 and I have been watching the Harry Potter movies, which I had never seen. We still have two left, and now I need to decide what to work on during those. I had been cutting tumblers during the others, but I've used up my pre-cut shirt strips, so I'd like to see how far the ones I've already cut go before I dig out the shirt fabrics to cut more. Hmmm...I never finished drawing lines on the neutral squares I brought on vacation, maybe that. I bet I'm not the only quilter out there that can't just sit and watch a movie. I have to be doing something else too. I like to save some of the easy quilting stuff to do while watching a movie. Cutting is OK if I have a template the exact size, like with the tumblers. I can also use the Accuquilt Go! cutter while watching a movie. Drawing diagonal sewing lines is good, pressing fabrics to be cut later is also a good movie activity. Anything where I need to keep an exact count, or pay close attention to cutting lines on a ruler is a no-go while watching TV. Other people may be able to do that, but I can't. Do any of you have a favorite thing to do while watching TV?
3 comments:
I envy your organization. I'm a fan of Bonnie's and try to do L/E when ever I can. I'm not a big pre-cutter so its a little uphill for me. I've done the usual squares and bowties but not much else. I like the idea of piecing the backing and borders as a L/E and having it done when it's time to use it.
This past spring I had two queen wedding quilts due within 3 weeks. I used L/E while piecing them.
So it sounds like you are making small, small tumblers. 2 1/2 inch will make really small tumblers, but should make a beautiful quilt. Good luck.
As phxquilt said, I also envy your organization. Every time I try to organize, I get side tracked with something new I want to try.... ah such is life.
As for something to do with my hands while watching TV, I knit and, on occasion, crochet. I've tried cutting and that didn't work well for me. I think it was the sitting and odd position from what I'm used to. I have pressed binding while watching TV when I had lots I wanted to have prepared but still tend to grab the yarn and needles...
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