Gone Quiltin' Bee - Granny Squares Squared

I have been making a few Granny Square blocks for Bee Mates.  This one was for Gone Quiltin' Bee April.  

These were for the same Bee, different Queen.  And in making these, I decided, that, hey, I just might love this block.  

Now it is my month in the same Bee, I'm going for the same block, but I have a little extra to finish off the block.  I suggested we might change our name to the 'Granny Square Bee'.   These are my fabric pulls.  More Kaffe Fassett from the KF store that is in my closet.  

Shelley (Brookquilt) thought these blocks could use a triangle on the end of the rows for finishing, instead of cutting the blocks off.  GREAT IDEA!  I used the Easy Angle to cut the triangles.  Those of you that don't own an Easy Angle, it is a great tool for cutting these triangles.  You don't have to use that friggin quilters math to make a square some odd measurement of 5 and whatevers to cut in half.  You cut your strip the size you need, in my case 2 1/2", and use the Easy Angle ruler to cut the triangles.  They are now the perfect size for your row.  

This is the layout for the original block, I am using a solid purple Kona for the center.  

Here is the layout adding the triangles on each end of rows for finishing.  

I found when sewing the rows to each other, it was best to pin to keep the seams lined up.  

Leave these 2 corner triangles off until you have all rows sewn together.  

Viola!  Finished block.  I believe this block should be 12" unfinished.  I was a little off on one side, nothing that a little creative sewing can't take care of.  After completing this block, I decided to eliminate the grey Aboriginal Dot, and the dark reds, the grey blended with the Ash Kona background and the reds didn't allow the purple center to stand out.  

This second sample is using the new colors, I was a little more careful with my seams and this one came out closer to the desired 12" unfinished.  I may still eliminate the pink Aboriginal Dot, as it stands out the most, but I might leave it.  It's still in the running.  

Even though I'm not using these colors in the top block, I still may use it as a pillow or a piece of the back, like ice cream, there is always room for more.  

A Wedding and A Finish

Wedding, check.  Fabulous day, check.  Sanity in tact, check.  And my hair was perfect, thank you very much.

On a different note, I finished this shirt quilt for my Aunt and Uncle who lost their son last year.  They were here for the wedding so I wanted them to take it home.  I had to sew like a fiend the day after the wedding to get it quilted.  

The back had more shirt pieces and also the car fabric.  I didn't have time for more photos, but it is in it's happy home, which is more important than photos.  

Not panicking, not at all

Uggh, I dislike washing my fabrics before using them.  However, I read somewhere that washing fabrics first for siggy blocks was a good idea.  I like good ideas more than I dislike pre-washing fabrics, so washing it is.  

More of what the dryer spits out.  I think this may be the first time I have ever pre-washed fabrics.  Not fond of the extra steps.  Especially the washing.  And the ironing, gadz, pressing fabric, the worst!  Ok, it isn't really that bad, the pressing I mean, the washing is still pretty bad, ranks right of there with not being able to sew.

I had a BRILLIANT idea, I am making a signature quilt for my son and my new daughter in law to be for their wedding.  This brilliant idea occurred and was uttered before they moved their wedding date to only 3 weeks from the date we began talking about a wedding at all.  Brilliant.  Also I had almost none of her preferred colors of teal and orange.  I do, on the other hand, like to fabric shop, and any excuse to do that, well, I'm free all day, so it was sort of OMG/YAY kind of feeling.

I, who never says 'no' to any bee, hemming emergency, patch sewing on, or child, am up to the challenge of getting all these siggy blocks ready for the reception.  

No panic going on here, all the way up until the guest list swelled to over 120.  Only 70 more siggy blocks to go and 3 days until wedding.  Lallallaaa, I am not panicking.

I even finished some Granny Squares for a Bee.  I will be right back, I promise.  

One Minute to Show you a Quilt

Really, I have just one minute to post this for you to see (because I'm planning a wedding for my son in just under 3 weeks and there will be 120 people at my house in about a week, and if you have anything that will counteract all the coffee, please feel free to send it my way, and I still wanted to get this quilt done, and Ellen better read this and appreciate this quilt even more).  I used the Michael Miller fabric collection Going Coastal for my friend, Ellen.  She loves the coast and Ocean City, and she loves to crab.  I pieced the back using extra blocks and fabric from the collection I had left after piecing the top.

When I saw the fabric collection I immediately thought of her, you know how that is.  I do like it when I come across fabric that speaks to me about someone in my life.  I don't always get to the quilt right away, but I will usually purchase the fabric, and that friends, is how several on line shops stay in business.  

I prefer to quilt in the name of the quilt and who it is for, rather than a label on the back.  This is sheer laziness for not wanting to create labels that I have to add after I think I'm all done.  I mean when the binding is on and the quilting is done, you think, YAY I'm done.  But then, oh, wait, I have to add a label now.  Well, I'm done when I'm done.  

I machine stitch down the binding.  This could be considered laziness, but is actually because if I hand sew my hands lock up.  And after having to take a year off ALL SEWING (pure torture) to get my hands in order, I do not hand sew. I know quilters who consider hand sewing down the binding as quilt bonding - me, when I'm done piecing, pinning, making a back, quilting and binding, I've seen enough of this quilt and we are through with the bonding, and I'm ready for the quilt to fly the nest.   

I thought I took more photos, but these are pretty much it.  Ellen's birthday was on 5/7 and this quilt was completed on 5/11 - pretty good for me!  

Some of the blocks were made by my Bee Mates in Sew2Speak and some from a LQG, I had 3 extra that I used in the back.  It's fun to actually get one of these bee quilts put together.  I'm attempting to add more quilting to my quilt blog, and not just piecing.  

My daughter is holding this up, and I was going for one of those 'walking quilt zombie' photos, but she's too short and her arms won't stretch up higher than the quilt.

I think the back turned out pretty good too.  I like using up the fabrics in a collection, because I'm not going to put them together again and then they are scraps that hang around gathering lint, looking at you all fabric scrappy, whining 'why won't you use me, you used all my sisters'.  So, now, gone.  Finito.  And Ellen has Going Coastal on her sofa to cuddle under while she reads or watches TV, all is right in the world.