When I was sewing this block, I was mystified by the length of the top and the bottom as it relates to the “thread”. It seemed like the spools should match the thread. But now that I’m done I am the first to admit it looks better this way. Two minutes into a new spool and it looks more like this, so it’s realistic.
The nice thing about this block is I had a chance to get rid of some really small scraps in my bin. I think the width of each of these is roughly quarter of an inch. I cut each strip an inch wide just to make sure I had plenty for the seam allowance but I was able to whip through several smaller pieces in the process which was nice.
I decided to make mine look variegated. It’s not 100% variance in each row in matching dark to light values, but overall I think I achieved the look I was going for. I really like this block! Right now it’s next to the other block I just paper pieced but these two won’t end up together in the final quilt so that each one stands on its own.
That’s 80 down – although I’ve only blogged about 78 if anyone is counting! We were off to a college football game on Saturday all day and then friends came over yesterday afternoon so while I’m caught up on sewing, I’m behind in blogging.
Speaking of caught up on sewing, I was on the final row, final star on the second of two Star Wars quilts. I had two and a half of five points quilted. Each one has the swirl in the middle of the star before I sew back out to complete the final three points.
Bam! Outta bobbin thread. Really? And on the black fabric where it would show up? I think in the end I did a decent job of putting the needle down in the same spot so it isn’t obvious (you can’t see that in this photo). But the big news is I have finished quilting my second quilt and now all I need to do is cut and sew the binding on.
Two quilt tops quilted in two weeks. That’s what I’m talkin’ about! I’m going to be deliberate about spending more time on the next quilt because it’s for an adult who will actually notice the quilting (or at least that’s my guess) and I’m also going to hand bind that one. But a quick finish is one of two reasons I wanted a long-arm; the other being that I really do not enjoy the basting process required for using the sit down mid-arm. 290k stitches for 2 quilts, so just under 150k for each one. That’s quite a bit lower than I typically put into each one on the Sweet Sixteen which also speaks to how I was able to get them done so quickly.
This quilt is going to have such a warm feel, both from the color and the quilter!
Thank you! I’m still thinking about what color to use for the sashing (which is why I haven’t done it yet).
Oh, what delight that long arm must be! When I made my daughter’s king size T shirt quilt, I swore I’d never make another, due to the horrendous difficulty of trying to cram it into a normal short arm. My arms are still aching!!
That spool is so pretty!
PS. I don’t think the adult will notice the stitching any more, except to just admire!!
Ha! You’re probably right that he won’t notice the quilting at all. Wishful thinking on my part!
😀 Maybe he will!!
Neat spool of thread! That block alone would make a cute quilt .
I saw a quilt today – maybe Quiltmaker’s magazine? – that was all spools and it made me think of you after reading this!
I love all of the different blocks.
Thank you!
Sounds like you’re enjoying that long arm. The quilting is really the biggest chore in a quilting project (my opinion, anyway) and now you can enjoy the piecing more and not be dreading manhandling that huge quilt for the finishing part.