I’ve spent the last week cutting fabric, working on the bag and piecing flying geese, but there wasn’t anything on my design wall. So, I sat down and pieced 6 more Scrappy Trips blocks on my treadle. There is no deadline on this quilt so I’m not rushing the process.

I’ve finished 100 of the 178 flying geese blocks used for the sashing in the new quilt I started from the Kansas Troubles scraps. The other 78 geese have one sky piece.  Doesn’t everyone start with pieced sashing when making a quilt?

10 more spool blocks were completed, but now I’ve decided I need 30 more than what I have cut. I’ll worry about cutting the last 30 when I get some of these off my sewing table.

Check out the links over at Patchwork Times to see what others are working on.

Since I didn’t get my report written last week, the totals this week are for 2 weeks.   There was the 2nd set of “scraps” in the first week and this past week I finally finished the Black and Bright top.  Although I’ve cut fabric for my l/e projects and a new quilt, that won’t be counted until it makes it into the top.

Fabric Added Since Last Report: 19.44 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 100.169 yards

Fabric Used Since Last Report:  66.99 6.699 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 29.84 yards

Net Used for the year -70.329 yards

To see how others are doing check out the links over at Patchwork Times.

Do you do leader and enders?  Bonnie Hunter has a great explanation on her website HERE.  I love the concept and have made a couple of quilts completely using this technique and many others were started that way.

I currently have two L/E projects.  One is my postage stamp quilt.  I’ve got a note that says I need 4520 1 1/2″ squares.  With the exception of 8 4-patches to be sewn into 4 pairs everything I’ve cut for that quilt is shown above.  I have a way to go. That’s 540 1 1/2″ squares, so I need to cut some more.

The second L/E project is the 3″ Spool Block.  Since each stack is 20 blocks, I only have 140 made (and no more cut)  and I need a minimum of 288 if I set them on point with a 1″ sashing which I’m considering.  Needless to say I needed to cut some more spools.

So, tonight I pulled out my 1 1/2″ strip box (another one of Bonnie’s great hints – Scrap User’s System) and started cutting spool blocks and if there was 1 1/2″ left over from my strip I cut a square for the postage stamp quilt.

A few hours later,  I now have 90 spool blocks cut and 64 squares for the postage stamp quilt.  My 1 1/2″ strip box is pretty much a 1 1/2″ scrap box now. I’m thinking there may be a lego quilt in my future.

Now that I’ve spent the evening cutting fabric, I’m ready to start sewing.  Wait, I really need to get those gromment in the bag which was supposed to be a Christmas 2011 gift.

April 24th

April 29th

Yes, the Black and Bright Swap blocks are now a quilt top.  Although it was a sunny day, the wind was blowing.  The colors are still not right, but I’m not going to worry about it right now.

But this was not the only UFO I worked on this past week.  I pulled out the Bellanca Bag.  I’m not sure when I worked on this last, but here it is as of April 15th.

I’ve made the holes for the 16 grommets (this is what stalled the project!) and have 7 of them installed.

Silly me.  I love the look of the screw in grommets and the fact they are silver, but what a pain.  If I’m not dropping the tiny screw, the grommet is slipping so the raw edge of the fabric is showing.  After the grommets are put into the purse all that will be left is the drawstring and shoulder straps.  Oh, and figuring out what to do about the label.

To see how other fared this week on their UFOs check out the links over at Patchwork Times.

E is for Easy Partial Seam Block – the fourth block of Dorothy Young’s alphabet block-of-the-month.  It’s hard to see, but there is orange in the dark green plaid, which is why I selected it.  That fabric may get replaced before it goes into the quilt.  But since this is a 26 month project I’m not going to rush in to it.

If you wish to quilt along, join the group by clicking on the “Join Now!” button.

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Well, apparently I’m rushing into replacing the fabric.  Since I wrote this post, but before it “went live”, I pulled out another green w/orange plaid.  The fabric is just laying on top of the dark green.  I’m not sure it’s right either.  What do you think?  Do I keep digging?

How about a third choice?

Monday night I finished the Black and Bright Swap quilt top.  This is a big top — about 103″ square so there’s no place in the house where I can get a good picture of it.  If the weather cooperates this afternoon I’ll hang it outside and see if natural light will capture the colors correctly.

A week later and the Black and Bright quilt is still not finished.  However, the 4 corner blocks are made, I’ve pieced the 8 sections of border needed and I’ve got the outer green sashing on two of the sides.  So, progress has been made.

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

Last month my brother asked me to make a photography backdrop. He ordered the fabric and had it shipped to me. I just had to put in one seam, hem it and make a hanging pocket. Spent an afternoon putting it together.

This weekend was the regional derby.  Here’s the backdrop as it was intended to be used.

The cars were photographed:

The the kids/parents could get their pictures taken with their cars. This is my brother, his wife and my nephew with their cars.

Last night I was supposed to work on the outer borders of the Black and Bright Swap block quilt.  The hard part is done — making those 4 corner blocks.  So what did I do instead?  Played in the Kansas Troubles fabrics.

My goal is to make the new quilt completely from stash.  Originally I pulled all the tone on tone tans to make the star points, but I decided that the rest of the fabrics I pulled were too close in color and I needed to pull the tan prints.   If I remember correctly, I need 187 of the almost flying geese.  Obviously I need to cut a few more rectangles and squares before I’ll have enough.

I think I’ve gotten excited about this quilt which is why I’ve let the Black and Bright slide.  If I don’t get on the ball, it will fall back into a non-worked on UFO.

Earlier this month I wondered if I had started a new quilt. The muslin I found in my stash does not match the geese I made, so since I really didn’t need to start or necessarily want to start a new quilt, the geese were declared orphan blocks.

I still don’t NEED to start a new quilt, but with the new fabric which I’ve accumulated this month, I WANT to start a new quilt.

Those half geese (or are they?) on the wall are the start of Sew Scrappy a quilt from 40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts by Evelyn Sloppy. I’m still cutting squares and rectangles which is why there is only one red triangle on each rectangle.

The Progress part of the title?  I finally finished the outer corner blocks for the black and bright quilt.  Tomorrow I’ll clear off the cutting board to cut the rest of the fabric for the borders.  I really want to finish the top this week.