Before Bonnie left for Bali, she announced the new Leader/Ender challenge.  Three inch spools.  I didn’t participate in last year’s bowties.  I’m not sure what I was working on at the time — maybe the log cabin blocks?  Anyway, yesterday I pulled out my 1 1/2″ strip boxes and cut the needed pieces for 8 blocks.  So far I’ve finished three working on the backing for Carolina Christmas.

Originally, I planned to use a blue and white 30’s print, but I needed at least another 1/2 yard.  I’m sure I could have stretched it enough to loaded the quilt top to bottom, but I want to load it sideways.

I dug through my orphan block box and found 7 leftover Carolina Christmas blocks.  Then I dug through the stash I found these four fabrics plus one more not shown.    I think it’s going to be a cute backing — once I fix the pink strips.

Today, there’s nothing on the wall.  I put away my JT2 blocks Saturday night and I finished my Tetris-Quilt-A-Long block #5.

Saturday morning I quilted Fun With Bricks and got it trimmed.

Sunday evening I attached the binding to the KTQ 1600.  Now it just needs the threads hidden.  Then I started the binding on Fun With Bricks.  Ran out of bobbin thread — about a mile before I discovered it — so I called it a night.

I’m linked up with Judy for Design Wall Monday and Melissa for the  Tetris block.  Be sure to check out both for some great inspiration.

This past week I wandered into a couple of quilt shops.  The floral was a planned purchase.  At least planned in that I was looking for fabric to use for the border on French Cottage Garden Quilt that I plan to make.  The idea was to find something in a softer color palate.  I think this works well.

The music fabric.  Well, it’s music fabric.  There are several pieces in the line, including a black, grey and red zigzag fabric.  My DH and I walked into the store via the back door and the display is what we both first saw.  I have no idea what I’m going to do with these two pieces — other than put them into the drawers with the rest of the music fabric.

I did use a bit of fabric this week.  Finished two Tetris blocks and 9 JT2 blocks.  But it’s not enough to off set what I purchased.  Oh, well.

Fabric Added Since Last Report: 3.667 yards
Fabric Added to Date:  89.552 yards

Fabric Used Since Last Report: 0.748 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 64.083 yards

Net Used for the year -25.469 yards

Hop over to Judy’s to see how others are doing with their stash.

The last three of my precut JT2 blocks all need geese.  When I need 4 matching geese, I use my Quilt-in-a-Day flying geese ruler.  I needed two different sized of geese, but I have three sizes here.  Yep, I made papa, mama and baby geese and I only needed papa and mama geese.  Oh, well.

Here are the blocks I finished tonight.

So, now I have Section A completed:

and these blocks:

Still 24 blocks behind, but I’ll get there eventually.

In theory I could stay up another hour and at least knock out the flying geese for the rest of the blocks I pre-cut the other day, but I think I’ll quit while I’m a head.  No reverse sewing and I caught my empty bobbin after about 6″.  I’ve been known to sew much further on an empty bobbin.

Yesterday I had great plans to power piece my stack of pre-cut JT2 blocks.  Surely I could make significant progress on the stack of blocks in a couple of hours.

Ha!  After about 30 minutes of piecing HSTs and strips together I realized everything I had stitched had to be ripped out due to tension issues.  Fortunately those tension issues allow the ripping to be done rather quickly.

At the end of the day I only completed three blocks:

But all the HST are done.

I wonder how much progress I’ll make this evening?

I’m so far behind on my Just Takes Two quilt it’s not funny.  And I just realized new blocks were released today.  So, I’m further behind than I thought.

My sewing machine still won’t do a zigzag, blind hem or any basic stitch other than a straight stitch so I can’t work on Eeyore.  I suppose I could bind the KTS 1600 quilt.  The binding has been ready for a few days, but since I’m scheduled to quilt Fun with Bricks on Saturday morning, I’ll bind both over the weekend.  Have to have something finished for Show ‘n Tell at the Guild meeting Monday night.

Anyway, last night I prepped pieces for 8 Just Takes Two blocks.  I’ve taken them out-of-order and I’m going for mindless piecing.  I’ve also cut my pieces for this week’s Tetris-Quilt-A-Long block to use as my leader/ender. Those pieces are 1 1/4″ square.

I wonder how long it will take to get these blocks done?  I guess I need to look at today’s release to see if there are any mindless blocks I can add to my stack as well.

Not much.  I finally finished the Tetris blocks for the past two weeks.

July 31st

August 7th

There are two more blocks and then I’ll have to decide how to finish them.  I can’t decide between a white sashing or a black sashing.

The other thing I got done this weekend was prepping Fun With Bricks to quilt.  The zippers are on (the top has the pink border the section on top is the backing) and I just need to cut a length of batting and make the appointment.

Finally, I made the binding for my KTS 1600 Jelly Roll quilt.  Now now to get it put on the quilt.

Check out others’ design walls by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

I’m also linking up to the Tetris-Quilt-a-Long for July 31st and August 7th.

Finally got my machine back Friday afternoon.  I still need a new A1 Stitch card to be able to do zigzag or any other basic stitch besides a straight stitch,  but I can do straight stitching and all the other stitches on my other cards.  Needless to say, I didn’t get a whole lot of piecing done.

Friday night I went to stitch and chat and ended up doing more chatting that stitching.  But I did get a backing pieced together for my Fun with Bricks quilt which I’ll quilt as soon as I get an appointment setup.

No new fabric came into the house — so I’m good on that score.

Fabric Added Since Last Report: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date:  85.885 yards

Fabric Used Since Last Report: 4.604 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 63.335 yards

Net Used for the year -22.55 yards

Hop over to Judy’s to see how others are doing with their stash.

I finally trimmed my KTQ 1600 quilt, but it’s hard to show that.  It still needs binding.  Perhaps later this week.

What you see above is what my young friend has done.  I’m not sure the “right way” to teach quilting to a 12 year old, but I was pretty certain that if I made her rip everything that wasn’t to my standard she wasn’t going to enjoy the process.  A serious pressing got the top section flat and I don’t think anything will pull out.

Yesterday she worked on the next section, but when she went to sew two rows together she  came to me and said “I don’t like quilting any more.” — the sections weren’t lining up.   — Her quarter-inch seam wasn’t consistent and then when the pieces were to wide, she had trimmed them — with scissors — I told her she can’t use the rotary cutter.

Anyway, at that point we had another lesson on the quarter inch seam, why it’s so important and the math that makes it work.  She started over with more 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 rectangles from my box and made the three blocks on the bottom.

I am impressed.  I think I’ve lost my box of rectangles (but I can cut more!) and my backup sewing machine.

Check out other what others are up to by following the links over at Patchwork Times.