This has been an interesting week. We've been having 90° temps here and are in a drought, so Tuesday afternoon a storm came through. We got about 3/4" of rain and last night it was 47°! Welcome to the midwest! Today was cloudy and a little bit of rain -- great day for quilting!
Yesterday, after I ran my weekly errands, a quilty friend and I went to a nearby town to the quilt store to pick up our first "Buck a Block" block. This is a bom using Thangles™. The blocks are only 8" unfinished, so we'll be adding 2½" sashing strips to finish them. We have a choice of making a small, medium or large quilt, but I'm only going to make the small one -- I think it's 50 x 60. I picked up the block and the Thangles™, 1 yard of fabric for the sashing -- using my own stash for the cornerstones and haven't decided on borders, because she didn't have the fabric for the borders I want. Also bought a cone of thread. I spent about $29 - $12.98 of which was for thread! What I'm finally getting to........my friend bought her block, the Thangles™, some fabric for sashing, some fabric for cornerstones, and the border fabric and then bought a couple of extra yards of the border fabric for her backing! I almost had a cow right there in the store! She has tons and tons, and tons of fabric at home - plenty of which she could use to make a backing for any quilt! She "justified" it to me by saying she'll give the quilt to her DS and DDIL as a gift and she wanted the backing to match! She spent about $55! I've been thinking about this all day and I guess I'll have to accept the fact that I cannot convert every quilter I know to using stash and scraps! I know that I'm going on a fabric diet from now until at least the first of the year and I'm going to shame my friend into doing it too! vbg
Today I spent the entire day playing in the sewing room! Did my Buck a Block block, also did a second one with fabrics from my stash for another quilt -- both of these quilts are being done with Christmas fabrics -- everyone needs a Christmas quilt or two! The second one I made using "Triangles on a Roll™" that I've had in my sewing stuff for years -- made up umpteen of the HST with them, so shouldn't have to make many, if any, more over the next 12 months!
Oh, and yes, cut the leftover fabric strips into 2½" squares for the scrap bins!
Then, I pinned two quilts -- both wall hangings to machine quilt; started on one, hope to have it done tomorrow and start on the second one. Think I'll be in finishing mode for awhile -- I have a few tablerunners and covers and wall hangings that are piling up just waiting to be quilted, so I need to spend some time getting them finished. Oh -- and I used old fabric sitting around here waiting to be used for the backings. I have a whole stack of fabrics I pulled from my stash sitting on the bottom shelf of the cabinet just waiting to be backings -- and I like to piece my backings from that stash, too!
Okay, off my rant on the backings issue now! Guess I haven't quite accepted the fact that my friends can't do scrappy or not match their backings to the fronts!
3 comments :
Welcome to the Quilt Mavericks, Joanne! A log home is my dream home...and those quilts your making make it all the more special, I"m sure. :o)
I am, *usually* one of those guilty for purchasing those expensive backings (wide widths). But let me explain....LOL! One, I have a very very small 'stash'. Even after 14 years of quilting, it is pitiful looking. I am one of those that buy what I need for a specific project. I find it so difficult to buy fabric withOUT a project in mind.
Second...I hand quilt. With a pieced backing, all of those extra seams make it much more difficult to quilt thru compared to all one piece. I guess, to each his own, eh? :o)
Again....welcome! I enjoy reading your posts.
Thanks, Tracey!
I understand buying the wide width backings for a large quilt, and if you have a small stash. However, I know this friend has buckets and buckets and more buckets of fabric that she could use for backings -- without piecing anything even! She's been known to buy fabrics for large quilts, including the backing, and they have not been made into quilts in years! In fact, I asked her about a quilt she bought fabric for last year that was going to her kids and she hasn't even started it! Oh well -- I guess each of us has our own quirks and I probably drive her crazy, too! LOL
The log home is our dream home, too! And it was why I started quilting -- just to fill it with quilts!
Joanne
Morning Joanne..I'm back *VBG* Still abit dizzy from those tea cups.
Just wanted you to know you are NOT alone in the "friend must use a matching backing" departement. My friends are split about 50/50 on that. I have two close friends that I recently (3 yrs) taught to piece and quilt. They have gone OPPOSITE directions, which is a stitch !!!!*G*G* One can and will use ANYTHING front or back, and loves it, the other wandered into batiks and a semi-sophicated quilt group in the town where she works. EVERYTHING has to matchy-match. Her quilts are nice but not very interesting.
I told her one day, as she was preaching to me (LOL)..that working with scrap is A LOT harder than making a planned quilt. I'm sure you know what I mean. It's risky business to say what you really want to with fabric.
It seems like some of the gals are afraid some snooty psuedo quilter will scoff at them..LOL.if that is the worst that ever happens for being an individual, they'll live for sure.
My opinion is that we should make our OWN quilts, however we preceive them to be..front and back..AMEN ! Hugs, Finn
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