Work in Progress Wednesday!

Posted on 01/30/2013 by Ashley

I’m so excited because today’s WiP Wednesday post is partially a Work Done post! While it’s not quilted, the Herringbone quilt top is done and that counts in my book. Amen? Amen.

I made the Sew Can She deadline (for the Herringbone block challenge) last night 30 minutes before the cut-off for the competition. I like to to live on the edge, people. There were so many great entries for this challenge, and I certainly don’t expect to win, but I did win. I have a quilt. One of those “everybody is a winner” moments. Those never really exist, but they do in the quilting world!

The Herringbone Quilt: By the Numbers

30 blocks
5 ft x 6 ft (unquilted)
3 Jelly Rolls
420 Strips of Cuzco by Kate Spain fabric
11 Days
14 x too many repeats of the Indigo Girls’ CD
3 nights of dirty dishes on the counter

Without further ado, the Herringbone quilt top is done!

Now I have quite a few bags of scrappy triangles to sew together for the back of this quilt from all of the extra cuts offs of each block…

I got all sappy on Instagram last night finishing this quilt …

Yep, I took a photo of the last seam. Yes, I did do that…

So, what next? Why my original first quilt, of course! Now that the Herringbone quilt is done, the Love Lives Here quilt is back up on the design wall.

Only 9 more blocks to go…

And, of course, I’ve started another project. The Sister’s Ten Modern Block of the Month sew-along. Supposedly I should have two blocks done by the end of January. I’m thinking February 1st is just fine!

Work in Progress Wednesday!

Posted on 01/23/2013 by Ashley

I have a feeling I’ll be having a lot of Work In Progress Wednesdays, before I have an actual finished quilt. But, a girl can dream, right? The other Work in Progress posts over at Freshly Pieced are so inspiring, you should go check them out. Come on, you know you want to procrastinate!

I’ve made some progress on the Herringbone quilt. This quilt makes me smile every time I see it on my design wall.

I even started playing with the layout of this quilt, and while I like this, I’m not quite feeling it.

I don’t like how the center of the diamonds are all different fabrics. See:

Gross.

I wish I had planned them better, or had even used a white Jelly Roll, to off-set the zig-zag and give it some uniformity. Next time, friends, next time. And, yes, I’ve already decided to make another one of these – who wants a quilt?!

So, that’s my work in progress so far – but I can’t wait until it’s a work done.

I guess today I should piece these babies together …

… Instead of getting sucked into The Bachelor like I did last night. Whoops.

Happy Wednesday!

Up for the Challenge

Posted on 01/20/2013 by Ashley

My January goal was to complete my Love Lives Here quilt. I’m still making progress – 21 out of 30 blocks done, but then the blog-world threw me a challenge. I landed on Sew Can She’s new year challenge.

Complete a project, using the Herringbone Block, by January 29, 2013. So, of course, I thought this was a great idea. Never mind that I wouldn’t get my fabric until January 18. Being the Queen of Procrastination that I am, (thank you, Enloe High School), I knew a deadline was probably the best thing for me. So, no, I’m not making a pillow, placemat, apron, purse, or something to small to help me out with this fast approaching deadline. I’m making a full blown quilt in 11 days.

Here is the inspiration quilt for this blogging challenge – which I already had on my Pinterest board. Obsessed.

And, here is the tutorial by Bijou Lovely for this amazing Herringbone Block. I’m telling you, this is the easiest quilt and her directions are so clear. (Don’t you like my confident assertion even though I’ve yet to finish a quilt…?) One tip: if you want to make this quilt, which you should, buy Jelly Rolls instead of yardage of your fabric of choice. This cuts your prep load in half, and I’m all about some shortcuts. (Again, thank you, Enloe High School)

Here is my fabric choice – Cuzco by Kate Spain which has been at the top of my fabric choice since I started even looking at quilts.

This fabric is absolutely gorgeous and I am digging the vibrant jewel tone colors.

I had a few other quilts I wanted to make with this fabric, but I knew this quilt was the right choice. I think the choice to go bold is going to pay off in the end. And, who am I kidding, of course I went for obnoxiously bright!

Since I bought the jelly roll, cutting the 2.5 x 11 inch strips was a breeze. I organized the strips by color family so that I could easily disperse the color throughout. (Great use of a TV tray, no?)