Pieced Border

I'm working very slowly to complete these borders. I think making 80 blocks is a daunting task so I seem to be slowing down but I'm still making progress, just very slowly! I have 16 more blocks left to make. I'm hoping I finish this week. We'll be having a Father's Day cookout tomorrow so I'll be busy but I'll get there next week.

This is the fabric I bought for the back of this quilt. Isn't it just purr-fect?!?! As soon as I saw it, I just had to buy it! It's a wideback so no seaming needed. Love that!

Since Jo-ann's is no longer around, I had to change battings. I always used to buy The Warm Company cotton batting. I like batting that's a little thicker. I've been buying this one instead and it's pretty close to what I used to buy. It quilts up very nicely.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Have a great weekend!

 

Cat's Cradle Border

 Now that the blocks have all been sewn together, it's time to get that pieced border done. These cat's cradle blocks measure 4.5". They look different when oriented this way but they do make a nice border. The directions help with making nesting seams so it's easier to join the blocks together.

I put the border on one side. I wasn't sure if it would fit easily but it did! It's always nice when things fit together nicely without much effort.

I made enough blocks for the second border. I love how it looks! I'm halfway done making cat's cradle blocks. I have made 40 blocks with 40 more to go. I know that sounds like a lot but they're quick to make. Using the cat's cradle ruler, you make two at a time. After this border, there is one plain border left and this quilt top will be complete! Phew!!

I Like Thursday #316

It's time once again for Thursday Likes! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up with more participating blogs. Our peonies are just starting to blossom. I cut these 2 and brought them in the house. They're so pretty! I wanted them to be indoors so I could admire them more. And they smell good too!

My daughter-in-law took me to a yarn show back in April and I bought this great hand dyed yarn. I decided to make a shawl for a friend's birthday. This design is from Jen Lucas and is called Juniper. You start off with 349 stitches but I'll be decreasing soon. Thankfully!

I recently changed a quilt on my couch. This is Moondance by Beth Ferrier. This was a free block of the month that I made way back in 2006. It's all hand quilted. I wasn't machine quilting at all at the time. It's full of applique and I love it! It looks great in my family room. The batiks are so pretty. I think I displayed this quilt in a quilt show when I was in a quilt guild. Long ago now!

That's it for me this week! Have a great weekend and stay cool!

Whiskas N Catnip Update

 I've been making great progress on Whiskers N Catnip. At this point, I have all the blocks together, except for the block corners which you will see soon! This piece measures 48" square. It wasn't very difficult to piece together since there weren't a ton of matching seams.

I'm finally using the flying geese strips I've been making as I was working on the blocks. The flying geese finished up at 4.5" X 48.5". What I forgot is that a pieced border can stretch a lot so I had to be very careful adding those 4.5" strips onto each side of the flying geese. I had to start over a few times and pin very carefully!

This is where I added those corner blocks. I think those blocks add so much to the overall look of this quilt. The quilt now measures 72.5" square. I had to orient those corner blocks a few times before I got them correct. I don't think it would have made a huge difference but I wanted to get it right.

The last border makes this quilt top measure 80.5" square, so far! I have to make 80 cat's cradle blocks for the next border. Those will definitely take awhile. But I love working on this quilt and will truly enjoy myself! 

It's getting hot out there so I'm happy to stay in and sew! Stay cool!!!

Two Projects

I had a busy week. I had a few appointments and just never had the time to get much sewing done. Today was much quieter so I finally got to sit at the sewing machine. I sewed the center part of the Whiskers N Catnips quilt. This portion measures 24" X 48". I have to add 6 more blocks so it won't be staying this size for long. The quilt will end up being 97" square. I still have quite a few borders to add!

I enjoyed working on this cute little cross stitch pillow. This was last month's free pattern from Primrose Cottage. I left 1/2" all around the cross stitch but I should have left a little more at the top. I'll have to remember for next time. Otherwise, I like how it came out. It's a cute little addition for my summer decorating!

Have a great weekend! It's been very warm up here but no humidity which I love!

The Last Blocks

 I'm working on the last few blocks of the Whiskers N Catnip quilt. I had made the middle portion of this block earlier. You can see the split cat's cradle that I featured in a previous post. I started with a 12.5" square block that become a 24.5" square block! I really love the colors of these fabrics. The piecing around the center block really transforms the whole look. It will make a great focal point for this quilt. 

These are the 4 corner blocks that each measure 12.5" square. They will be part of a border. This quilt has multiple borders. I hope I have enough fabric to make them all! I did have to recut a few strips so we'll have to see! That's one thing I don't like about kits. They never figure in your mistakes1

I Like Thursday #315

It's Thursday once again and time for things we like. Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up with more participating blogs. I went for a walk in my neighborhood last week and came upon this mallard swimming peacefully in a rather murky pond. He didn't seem to mind! It was a warm spring day and I think he was enjoying himself!

I'm working on 4 corner blocks on the Whiskers N Catnip quilt. They will measure 12.5" square once they're all sewn together. This is just the middle portion. The 4 blocks in the middle of this strip are cat's cradle blocks. They look so different when all sewn together.

I made another crustless custard pie last week. They don't last too long in my house! It was a nice dessert to have on hand over the long weekend.

The conversation starter this week asks us if we ever did anything to our hair that ended up into a disaster. Well, I was home from college way back in the 70's and went out to buy a product called Highlights for Brunettes. My mother got it ready and saturated my hair with it. Unfortunately, I had put a henna rinse in my hair a few weeks earlier so my hair turned orange. I had to go to the drugstore and buy a brown hair dye to cover the awful color orange my hair had become. I had to keep coloring it for months since the orange would show through as my hair grew out. What a mess! Since that time, I have never colored my own hair. My hairdresser does a great job and I'm not orange anymore!

Have a great weekend!