^Only showing the back of this quilt right now. Once it's gifted I'll show the front. I ended up using three different gnome fabrics on the backing, because I ran out of the one I bought to be the backing. They are all from the same line, so I think they blend pretty well. I finished this quilt yesterday, June 1st, so I am now at one finish per month!
^This is my first finish from the floral/cream quilts. I am making two Jacob's Ladder quilts, this being the first finished. I'm working on another of these quilts right now, a Friendship Star, made from the same fabrics. I will have five quilts in total from these same fabrics, but I won't be keeping any of them, and I've busted a bunch of florals, so it's all good. This quilt has a fabric with cottages on the back from stash, but I am hoping to bust more florals on the backings of the other quilts.
I was really skipping around on projects today. I finished another 100 white/black nine patches, but not all are pressed. I finished assembling the center of the Friendship Star quilt, and now I have to figure out borders. I started pressing some block quarters for a Twice Broken Dishes quilt. I have LOTS more to press, then all of those will need the dog ears trimmed before I can sew the quarters into blocks.
I tried pressing some HST's I've been trimming, but the iron I like to use for HST's died, and won't turn on at all. It sounds funny me saying I have different irons for different units, but it is really true. The iron that didn't die gets really hot, and it has a very pointy tip to the sole plate. That pointy tip usually catches on HST's, and I end up with a nasty wrinkled clump. That iron is great for when I'm assembling quilts though, it gets so hot it can easily flatten the intersections when you assemble a top. The iron that died doesn't get as hot, and the tip is very rounded. It does much better for HST's. I went out and bought a new iron tonight, but I couldn't find the same one as I had, so I just looked for one with a rounded tip. I'm hoping it does as well with HST's as the old one did.
Tomorrow I will sew in the morning, likely finishing up a quilt backing I am making out of ten inch squares. It am hoping to pin-baste a quilt in the afternoon/evening after the twins get picked up by their other grandmother. I am not planning to quilt this quilt until after I get back from our California trip (which was just extended a day due to change in plans) I do have one quilt I want to finish before I leave, but its the Friendship Star quilt, and I haven't figured out borders for it yet.
Getting any quilt to the next step is a good thing. I hadn't realized how many projects I actually have going until I reorganized my sewing room, and I now I am REALLY feeling the need to get a few things done. I have five new starts coming up, four wedding quilts and one baby quilt. I'd like to have several quilts off my list by the time I start on those.
As far as stashbusting goes, I see the biggest dent in my stash when I make backings. Whether I am using yardage, or piecing up some misc. fabrics, I see big dents when I make a bunch of backings. I often give in and buy an extra wide backing when I make a queen sized quilt, but I am determined to not do that on the upcoming wedding quilts. I will stick with my stash, and piece as necessary. The backing I am making out of ten inch squares right now, will be for the quilt that is just in block quarters now. I know I am far more likely to use a pieced backing if it's pieced before the quilt top is finished. I know what size quilt I am planning to make, so piecing the backing beforehand is not a problem. I am getting closer to my goal of fitting my fabric in its allotted space, so I must be doing something right! I have decided how large I am comfortable with my stash being, and right now it's over that. I am getting closer, and it is shrinking. I still buy fabrics on occasion, but only for a specific imminent project. I am using much more than I'm buying though, so my stash goals are in sight!
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