It’s been a long and busy week around here.  It started off with a road trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, home to the International Quilt Study Center and Museum and The Quilted Kitty.  The trip was so I could attended a Colurque Class taught by Helen Stubbings from Hugs & Kisses.  My friend T and I drove up a day early to visit the Museum.   So that was Sunday and Monday.

Tuesday the evening was spent assisting my husband in preparing for the 6th grade band and string concert.  Certificates to print and t-shirts to wash.  Oh, there was that quick trip to Hobby Lobby which set me back a few yards.

Wednesday was a quilty type day.  I went to the Machine Quilter’s Showcase.  Breath taking quilting and vendors to visit.  A few notions came home with me, but no fabric.

Thursday was the big concert.  Afterwards I helped to clear the stage and fell into bed when I got home.

Friday I collapsed after work.  Imagine that!  I woke up in time to make a quick dash to Jo-Ann’s for a couple of pieces a fabric for the Eeyore quilt and thread.

Saturday morning was more dashing around. First up was driver’s license renewal.  Then I spotted a sign that said “quilt exhibit”.  The Raytown Historical Society has a small quilt exhibit that I stopped in to see.  When I got home there as a little bit of house cleaning and straighten my sewing room. Then it was off to Sedalia, Missouri to see my niece graduate from high school.    She loved the quilt, so I didn’t get to bring it home.  Again I collapsed into bed when I got home.

This morning, I’m moving slowly, but plan to take in the quilt exhibit at the Kansas City Star, and then maybe, just maybe get a little bit of work done on the Eeyore quilt.  I haven’t looked at my schedule for the rest of the week. I’m afraid to.

If you’ve read this far, here’s the results of my shopping and not stitching.

Fabric Added Last Week: 13.125 yards
Fabric Added to Date:  59.338 yards

Fabric Used Last Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 32.562 yards

Net Used for the year -26.776 yards

Hop over to Judy’s to see if anyone else was able to quilt this past week.

I headed over to Hobby Lobby this evening to pick up more fabric for my Just Takes 2 quilt.  My plan was to pick up 3 yards each.  I ended up only getting two yards as this gorgeous turquoise and lavender paisley jumped into my cart.

I have no idea what I’m going to do with it.  It’s been so long since I bought fabric just because I liked it, I had a hard time deciding how much I needed wanted.   In the end I bought 4 yards of the paisley, 2 yards of the yellow (I’m thinking background), 1 yard of the blue and 1 5/8 yards of the lavender since that was what the cut piece measured.  I hope this gives me enough to make something cool — and if I have to add to it from my stash, that’s alright too.

Now, to get a few other things done so I can work with this new fabric.

No new fabric and none used that I’m counting yet.  So the report did not change.

Fabric Added Last Week: 8.75 yards
Fabric Added to Date:  46.213 yards

Fabric Used Last Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 32.562 yards

Net Used for the year -13.651 yards

Hop over to Patchwork Times to see if more people bought fabric this week or used it.

Friday night was Sew and Chat at Quilted Memories.  Since I didn’t want to drag my big machine out and I didn’t really have anything readily available to work on, I grabbed my red work in progress.  It  is a portion of Winter Wonderland by Crabapple Hill.  It’s another of my many long term projects.  Just three more sections to embroider, but they are the biggest — the top section with the music and the bottom two scenes.

On this week’s Design Wall post I mentioned I had a swap block measuring 1/2″ bigger than the rest of the blocks and I needed a solution to include it in the quilt.

I had a few options

• chop off points big time
• remake the block
• make a new block
• find another solution

I opted to find another solution as each of the other options just weren’t going to work for one reason or another.  Admittedly some of the points got chopped off — but that’s true for several of the blocks in the quilt.   But with this solution I just lost the tips — not 1/2 of the triangle!

This is not the block, but I wanted to show this picture to show how I attach the cornerstones and sashing to the blocks.

By doing it this way, I can work the quilt in sections.

The first thing I did was frame the block with the sashing fabric.

See — some points still cut off, but not really noticable unless you are looking for them.  Next, I trimmed the block to 8 1/2″ square.  This number is the correct size of block + sashing on all sides + seam allowance.

Then I cut 4 cornerstones, turning under the edge on two sides.

These were appliqued (yes, there’s that word) to the corner of the block, matching raw edges.

See how the squares ‘creep’ into the block?  I don’t think this would have worked if the block didn’t have light corners.

I did not trim away the sashing.  I’m not worried about the extra thickness because this will be machine quilted — eventually.

In this detail picture the fix nearly disappears and of course in the picture of the full quilt, I’m not sure you can see it if you didn’t know where to look.

This solution worked for me because of the layout design and the light corners on the block which was too large.

Another solution which would have worked had I realized this BEFORE   I started the alternate blocks would have been to frame ALL the blocks and square them to 7 1/2″ finished and made the alternate blocks 7 1/2″.

I made a set of block several years ago that were supposed to measure 7 1/2″ and they were all over the place size wise.  I framed all those blocks, then squared them ‘wonky’.   Quilt 1 Quilt 2  Although I’m not sure if I would use the same colors today, I don’t think you can tell that the blocks are not the same size.

This is the center of the Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler Swap quilt top.  I still need to add the outer borders, but I thought I’d show you how I fixed my problem block.

But not yet, in the next post.

But in the meantime, feel free to look for it.

I’m still working on the Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler Swap block top.  I really wanted to finish it this weekend, but I also wanted to go to a quilt show.  And there was the trip to the mall and Jo-Ann’s for inspiration and fabrics for the Eeyore quilt.

Having said that, I am on the home stretch.  There was one block in the mix which was 1/2″ bigger than it was supposed to be and too many points around the edge, so simply trimming wasn’t going to work.  Remaking the block really wasn’t the answer.  Making a new block had its own set of issues.  I finally decided on a solution I can live with.

I’ll take pictures of what I did and then after I get the top done, I’ll post how I ‘fixed’ the issue.

Meanwhile, check out other design walls by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Last week I bought some of the fabric for the Eeyore quilt — then changed my mine and bought some different fabric for the Eeyore quilt.  The good news is I think I have everything except for border and backing — and maybe one other element, but hopefully that will come from my stash.

The only sewing I did was assembling the SBS Swap Blocks, so no fabric was used there.  Hopefully I’ll use some of the new fabric this week.

Fabric Added Last Week: 8.75 yards
Fabric Added to Date:  46.213 yards

Fabric Used Last Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 32.562 yards

Net Used for the year -13.651 yards

Hop over to Patchwork Times to see if more people bought fabric this week or used it.

I’ve been enhancing my stash.  I needed fabric in cello, Piglet & Eeyore colors.  Cello was easy.  We have a few stringed instruments in the house that I could use for reference.  I thought I’d be smart and buy a plush Eeyore and Piglet.  They won’t be lonely — I have at least 3 Tiggers, one which always goes to sewing retreats to stand in for Seven and provide “cat approval”.

Anyway, I bought the Eeyore (apparently Baby Eeyore) and matching fabric Friday night. DH thought he was too blue.  I couldn’t find a Piglet.  So, this evening off to the Disney Store we went.   DH thinks this Eeyore is too gray.   I think we saw three different shades of Eeyore.  But I’m going to go with the grey as I’m using the lavender fabric as a background.

Now to figure out how much fabric I bought for tomorrow’s Stash Report and more importantly to figure out the pattern!