Design Wall Monday: Another Project Re-Joins the Design Wall!

Last week's "Design Wall Monday" post was chock-a-block with projects and the wall hasn't had a chance to cool off since!  

More On Continuing Long-Term Projects

In follow-up to the reporting in the last post,  I have completed sewing the rows together for the center of  the "Alaska BOM" top!

Once again, this work got done courtesy of some more leader/ender work!  This time it was when I began sewing the blocks for the "back-to-the-wall project" to be discussed later.  

I should note that this process didn't go perfectly smoothly.  You see the last three blocks on the end of the second row?  When I laid this out to view the finished piecing, those three blocks -- which had been sewn together as a section when assembling the row -- had wound up being sewn in flipped around when I added them to the rest of the row.   

So I had to go back and "un-sew" that section, turn it around and sew it back in.  Depsite that one snafu, I was really pleased with how easily and quickly this center got sewn together, all while also working on another project.  This is why I love, love, love "leader/ender" sewing!

As noted in a prior post, I still need to piece even more blocks to make a pieced border that will enlarge the design.  Because we will be going away twice in the coming weeks, progress on this project will be interrupted while we are away.  So I will continue working on this but not until October!

New Backing Fabric for the Gift Quilt

I had also discussed in the last post that I was making a quilt to gift to my HSBFF:

My original plan was to back it with this wide back fabric I had purchased during a Keepsake Quilting clearance sale and had already cut the piece from it that I planned to use.

I had even used that fabric when doing a stitching and thread sample for the project.

However, I admit I liked the fabric more because it was purple, pretty and already in house than I did as something that went with the look of the top of the quilt.  I figured "it's just the back" so could settle for using it.  

However, when I went to look up links for the last post, I saw another fabric in (famous longarmer) Angela Walter's "Quilting Is My Therapy" online store that I really thought would look sooo much better with the quilt top!  It has since arrived and yes, I do like it better.   

At 118" x 49",  the remnant piece as sent isn't totally wide enough to span the top (and allow extra on the sides for quilting take up) so would need to be pieced a bit to make a suitable backing.  

However that presents a new opportunity:  I had planned to make up a special label for this and print it on fabric.  With the original wide-back print I had planned to use already cut to size, I expected to hand stitch the label on after quilting this.  Since the new backing fabric will need to be pieced together,  now once I've made the label I can piece it into the backing which will save me from having to do the hand work and will be securely stitched in when the quilting is done.  Score!    

Halloween in August Continues

I'm pleased to say that the layout of the top for the fun Halloween banner is now completed:

Finished banner layout and pieced backing on the left.

The Star appliques I needed to apply have been added and everything is fused down.  What was good about having waited all this time to get back to this project is that working on this now, I could use my Accuquilt die cutter for the appliques.  I have their Star die and the sizes on it were exactly the size of the patterned stars.  

Ironically, I had already traced out the stars onto the fusible when I worked on this originally but when I pulled them out, I realized that I had done the tracing on the fusible web side not on the paper side.  Okay, why?!?  I don't remember but now that I could die cut them, it didn't matter, LOL!!  At this point I still have to satin stitch down all the appliques to fully complete the top. 

Oh and I learned my lesson: I'm storing this until I get to the satin stitching rolled up around a cardboard tube not folded!

In the picture of the top you can also see the backing that I've made for this.  I love that Moon fabric and had purchased it thinking I would make the whole back out of it.  However it is a directional print and I only purchased a half yard which would have been fine if the print ran vertically and not horizontally.  As such I could only cover about half the banner with it so added the Stars (for the label area) and the Candy fabrics from my stash to fill out the rest.  In fact, you'll see that Candy fabric again next!     

In more Halloween project news:  the Halloween "9 FQ Disappearing Nine Patch" top is also done courtesy of the new fabrics coming in that I ordered to add to the five piece FQ bundle that started this off and the two fabrics from my stash that I added to them.     

From a simple Nine Patch.....

...to a more fun top!

I already have backing fabrics from my Halloween stash picked out and will make it up this week.  As noted on my last post about this project, I already have a fun stitching method that I want to try on this quilt courtesy of something learned at the recent Free-Motion Quilting Summit so am looking forward to getting to sit down and work on quilting this.

"Back To the Wall" For Upcoming Trip Preparation

So the project that has come back to the wall for me to revisit/continue is this one:  

These are two new blocks I've pieced up for my "Sparkle & Shine" Log Cabin project and was the primary project for the "Alaska BOM" leader/ender work.  

I went back to this in the hopes of completing this one (both top and quilting) before we head to my MIL's in two weeks.  The last time I worked on this I had made these blocks:

So as of today, I have six of the nine blocks I need for this project.  The plan for the rest of the week is to sew up the last three.  The next step after that will be to lay out the blocks to decide their final placement in the top, add sashing between the blocks and then vertical sashing between the columns to finish the top.  

I am hoping to then get it layered and quickly quilted to take with me on the September trip to North Carolina.  My MIL's guild which I belong to as a long distance member had run a "Log Cabin Quilt Challenge" with finished projects presented at their June meeting.  I had finished mine in what I thought was enough time to make it there for that but mail delays meant it didn't get presented until the July meeting and my MIL had to do that for me.  

Since I will "be in town" for the next meeting, I'd love to have this ready to personally present it for "Show & Tell" this time around.  I am also considering taking and presenting my "Lidia" mini quilt that I made during the pandemic as yet another example of the versatility of the Log Cabin block.  

I had wanted to start many other desired LC projects for the challenge but this was the only one that I had actually was able to get underway.  Who knows, maybe I can get another one started and completed by the end of the year?  We'll be back to visit my MIL early next year so I'd love to be able to present another one on that future trip too.

The design wall should cool off a bit in the comng days as I focus on making up backings and setting up things for quilting.  At this point, I think it'll need the break!