QAYG in Blue, DONE

Finished this morning - yeahhhh!  Front and back.  The consistent center strips are a handkerchief blue and white.  I've been trying to use up that handkerchief blue for years, never finding a good spot.  However, cut it narrow enough it looks great as a sashing on the back and binding.  Finished size is about 42" x 56".  This will be a donated Hugs and Stitches quilt, after a Guild Show and Tell.

Hah, you might notice the remains of a NUT on the quilt, dropped from a squirrel who was watching what I was doing!  (No, it's not a you-know-what!)

I am noticing how clever the back looks just as a regular quilt, perhaps using 6 in. squares from my 14 lb. box of novelties from my blogging friend.

(hmmmmm next project, here I come! )

QAYG, in Blue

QAYG = quilt as you go, in case that word is new to you.  It's been a month since I started a QAYG, in PINK.  PINK was delivered to the intended recipient a few days ago, so the last few days, I've been working on this one in BLUE.  Some of these fabrics are mine, some purchased from a Scrap Bag from Hawthorne Fabrics and some backs are from the 14 lb. box of novelties from a blogging friend.  I made half the blocks with white/plain backs and half in novelties/scrappy, and laid it out with alternate blocks.

The only "order" is that white strip and blue handkerchief print laid diagonally down the near center.  My plan is to have 6 x 8 blocks.  (It's turned sideways here).  Top row has the sashing connected.  Attaching the narrow sashing is faster than it looks and so far, all the back stitches are exactly where I wanted them, not sloppily on and off the sashing but  next to it.   Yeahhh!  I did one row of 8 blocks at one sitting of ?? less than an hour.  Fabrics are little horses, horseshoes, deer, a few foxes, dot, plaids, and I added a few turquoises to keep it from getting blah. These blocks are 7.25 in.  My leftover batting scrap supply is greatly diminished.

Kind friends, generous gifts

A blogging friend said she had too many fabrics and asked me if I would help her use them up.  Say what?  Oh yes, I agreed to give them a new home, and I promised to make them up into donated kids quilts and if there were too many pieces, would ask my quilty girlfriends to assist.  I figured I could handle about 7 lbs, the first estimate.  It's so much fun to wait for the mail, look at the box, and not open it right away, but what arrived on a Saturday was not 7 lbs., but a bigger box of 14 lbs.!  Yikes, hold me back, I cannot open it yet, I MUST clear a space, MUST finish this project, etc., and promised the sender I'd have a "reveal" with my friends.  So I just looked at the bulging box, being tempted, but I was strong and resisted.

So - here they are on Thursday evening where we gather for Show and Tell, local news, etc.  This was a small group.  And HERE is the box of goodies!  Are we having fun?  When the evening was over I only brought home half of the fabrics - oh good, these photo'ed gals are all great achievers and those little quilts will be made up and delivered.  Thank you Joan for the fabric - you can see they are all appreciated.  I'm working on my ideas as well - some are getting made into backs of QAYG quilt.  Thank you Alice, Carol, Sue and Jody!

Saturday morning, 9:00 am, one of these gals brought over a finished top, made from some of her pieces - now that's FAST!

Here are several quilts that were shown for the evening Show and Tell.

 Above, a scrappy quilt

 4 Patches and Pinwheels, from Bonnie Hunter's book.  I LOVE this one.

This is an OLD quilt, simple but the fabrics are much prettier than my photo.

Basket Weave, simple backing

This strip of 4 patches fell off the back of the studio door and "accidentally" became the perfect addition to a Basket Weave backing that was just a teensy bit too short.  I was careful to sew it off  center, just for fun.  Nope, it doesn't match, doesn't have same colors, just seemed to be a nice contrast to all the circular motifs in the blue/white fabric.  

This tree was my Birthday Tree, 10 years ago, and barefly fits the camera lens.  No, it's not my birthday, just wanted to get the quilt backing in the photo.  This is a small leaf Linden - it now provides shade for the house and maintains this pretty shape.

#6 and the LAST from that box of scraps

Basket Weave or Basket Strings - thank you Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com.  This is the LAST quilt, #6, from that wonderful box of scraps given to me by my LQS about 9 months ago.  By this time, I had to add a LOT of my own scrappy stash.  

 I like how it turned out.  The light side setting triangles are not quilted - not sure if I'll leave them unquilted or not.  

 It's amazing that the varieties a curvy line can suggest - almost like personalities.  I MQ'd  each block separately, many of them with different kinds of wavy lines.  

This innies and outies is a favorite - looks interesting, almost most masculine, or outdoorsy.  (Next post ... I'll post the back! )

QAYG, Scrap bags

10 days of fun - yep, fabrics arrived on July 27, and today is August 7.  Fun and done!

Front, back, and close up of back squares.  I'll wash it to soften  the sashing strips.  Many of these fabrics came from 2 kids scrap bags ordered from Hawthorne Supply. 

Some of the backing squares were an existing stack of squares, used in random order.  But, holy smoke, they are soooo cute!  I LOVE the variety of sweet little girls.  Wish I had the yardage.

If you wanted more order to the back,  you could lay them all out in the required order on your design wall, or in some "safe" floor where human or pet fabric won't dislodge them, then start sewing the fronts and pick up the specific backing square in a more disciplined manner - oh my gosh, just trying to write that kind of plan is giving me the heebie jeebies!  I'm a random kind of gal, but I realize there are many gals who like to know, ahead of time, what the back will look like, so if that is your style, go for it!  8-))

I made an error in explaining sizes of blocks.  The blocks finish the same as raw/unfinished size because you sew with 1/4 in. seam allowance, but then you ADD another 1/4 inch with the narrow sashing.  So this quilt is 6 x 8, or 42" x 48"  I hemmed and hawed about adding a border, but in the end, it didn't seem to need it.  On YouTube, The Gourmet Quilter does a good job of explaining her method of putting blocks together and a second video on adding borders.  I always check out a number of videos as each one has something to learn.

Can't wait to start another one!

Critter Comforts #3, QAYG

A fast layout - looks almost OK ...better move that turquoise on far left to upper left.  All Day Sew is tomorrow and I plan to sew white sashing strips between the blocks.  I'm not sure about a border yet ... still waiting for the quilt to talk.  Each block is  6 1/2 in. finished.  Most of these strips are from the recent package of scraps I purchased from Hawthorne.  The backing squares are  also a variety of kids prints, chosen in no particular order.