Homespun quilt progress

I didn't get much quilting done on the homespun quilt last evening. After an appointment, I did errands. Then I had to haul in the groceries, put them away, and do some laundry. I did run thru one bobbin of thread and I am now 5% done with the quilting. LOL!!! I guess it is better than a stick in the eye!

I am ready for the weekend.

Homespun quilting has begun!

The homespun quilt is pin basted and I even got some quilting done on it. I only had time to run thru one bobbin, but it is a start! I do like the way the raffia colored thread looks on the front and back.

I did spend a little bit of time looking again for the tote bag instructions and drawings, but to no avail. We are getting some much needed rain today. It started around 8:30 last evening and looks like it won't be stopping until around 4 this afternoon. It's one of those good, steady, soaker rains. Maybe it will soften everything up so pulling weeds this weekend will be a bit easier.

Let the pin basting begin!

Everything was layered and smoothed so I could start pin basting the homespun quilt. I got the three bottom rows pin basted so I could untape and trim the backing then drop the table leaf. Now I can reach the center to pin basted.

I have 5 spools of Raffia colored King Tut and that is what I will quilt this with.

I spent some time last evening looking for my measurements and drawings that I used to make the zippered tote bags back in April. Here are three out of the four I made.

I haven't found the measurements and my drawings yet. When I made them back in April, I put tape down on my big table with the size and letter that showed on my drawing where the piece went.  As I cut pieces, I laid them next to the tape so I could keep the pieces organized.

Those help some, but I tried to coordinate those measurements with the actual tote, and some were not making sense. I have one more place to look. Let's hope I find the measurements and drawings in that pile. The good thing was I did get a bit more straightening up done as I was looking. 

Homespun top backing ready

I washed the backing fabric, pressed it, and sewed it together so it is ready. I got this fabric from Hancock's of Paducah for $4.00 a yard with a 20% off coupon. It is nice fabric too!  This is the back of the fabric so the stripe is much bolder.

The batting is cut so all I need to do is sew that final seam on the top and I can start pin basting it together.

I didn't go out and weed whack last evening because of threatening skies. A thunderstorm with lighting moved in and we got a bit of rain.

It will be another 89 degree day with oppressive humidity. According to the forecast it will cool off to the upper 70's on Thursday.

Homespun quilt progress, another show, art in the park, and whacking a tree

I was busy Friday, Saturday and Sunday to the point today will be a struggle. LOL!!! First the quilt. Here is the pile of red homespun sorted. See the pile of strips about halfway in the picture? Those were leftover binding strips from a previous quilt.

It dawned on me that I ought to make the binding first otherwise I might cut up or piece all the reds then not have anything for binding.

I got the forty alternating red blocks up on the design wall.

I had the blue squares and the cream squares for the 9-patch blocks set up next to the sewing machine. I needed 40 9-patch blocks

I spent a lot of time going thru the piles of scraps over and over again piecing together smaller scraps to cut more 3 1/2" squares.

My cutting/pressing area was covered with piles of scraps!

I just couldn't stop working on this and by 6 PM on Sunday I have one seam left to sew. This will finish approximatly 72" x 90"

These are the squares I have left

This is the creams and reds I have left. There are a lot of 2" strips that I think I will sew together to make a rail style block.

I did happen to find two more pieces of homespun. Duh!

Friday the band had a show in Lorain, Ohio. The event's purpose was changed at the last minute from just a fun music evening to a fund raiser for two police officers that got ambushed last week while they were eating their lunch and for another officer that rushed to help. One officer with three little kids was killed, one office got shot in the hand and will have to undergo multilple surgeries, and the officer that came to help is bad shape. The bad guy is dead. Lots of TV news channels were covering the event. The Port Authorty and volunteers walked around with buckets for donations. The weather was good and the place was packed! Michael opened for a Bob Segar tribute band.

There was a beautiful sunset as we were loading out.

Saturday I watched the TDF then headed to a local park where the city was having an art festival. It is a curated show. It was so hot. I walked by all the booths and didn't see anything I needed. There was a table made with a treadle sewing machine base that was interesting. $225.00

I made a quick trip to the grocery store then headed home. I was getting something to eat when my neighbor called and wanted to come over a cut down that tree that had fallen. I really didn't want to tackle that, but he insisted so I headed back outside into the heat and humidity. Thankfully it started to rain about halfway into the cleanup which cooled things down a bit. The tree is gone along with some other logs that were laying in that same area. Everything will be left to breakdown. I got out the weed whacker and started cutting down the overgrowth. I weed whacked again for about 20 minutes on Sunday evening until the batteries ran out. The area is looking much better.

Here is the after

Quilt top sewn and blue homespun scraps

I got the pink and green baby quilt top sewn together last evening. Now to find some backing fabric and get this pin basted.

I laid out all the blue pieces of homespun and devised a plan.

There were a few pieces of fabric I only needed to trim to make 3 1/2" squares. The strips I sewed together to make them wide enough to cut 3 1/2" squares.

I ended up with a nice pile of squares.

I will attack the red scraps next.

Homespun-palooza, pounds of squares, RIP Ozzy

I just had to go thru this box and see what homespun fabric was in there

There was a lot of reds including some bigger pieces, a small bit of blues, and some creams.

Then there was a small pile of other colors.

Months ago I had cut up the homespun fabric to make the red, blue and cream 9 patch quilt I showed yesterday, I had taken the red scraps and pieced them together for my alternating blocks. I hung those up on the design wall to see how many I had. Now that I have more red and bigger pieces, I will make more alternating blocks. I have no real plan right now of how big this quilt will be. I just want to turn these leftover bits into something useful.

I was moving stuff around in the fabric storage room and uncovered another bin with more homespun! Geeze!

There is not as much as that picture makes it look like. There was a bit more red, cream, odds and ends, and one piece of blue. I think this is all the homespun I have.

I received the free motion foot I ordered. Now I have a spare.

Wanda, here is the box of 3 1/2" squares I told you about and that it was heavy when I moved it.

I put it on the scale and look at the weight!  Yes, that is 12.6 pounds!

Inside are 3 1/2" squares and strips   I wonder how many quilts I could make with this?

And finally RIP Ozzy. The man was quite a character and sure lived life his way until he had to clean it up. He put out some great music. Goodbye Prince of Darkness.