Photo update 2

Today is the day!

Happy Birthday, Kira!!!

I'm too tired to think, so writing about what made this weekend cray-cray is out, but I will let you know that there were some fun parts, some not-so-fun parts, and tons of squats... It was absolutely exhausting! And the madness isn't over yet—I still need to finish up the remaining straight stitches (approx. 8 passes through the machine) and add the binding.

If all goes well, I'll complete the quilt at lunch.

If not... well, I guess Kira will still love me regardless!

Here are some photos from the madness that was this weekend:

Completed quilt top

Completed quilt back

Close-up shot of basting
(this was so much harder than I thought it would be)

Basted quilt (top/batting/back)

Close-up of the straight stitch quilting in process

I had to maneuver the whole quilt through my machine, btw

So this was my view for most of last night

Due to the limited space, my straight stitching isn't that "straight"

I'll try and take some more photos at lunch, once I'm done with the binding, of course.

All in all, I'm really happy with how it's turning out!

I'll never...

...wait this long to start the quilting process!

me = sleep deprived

posting pictures tomorrow

Short and sweet

I have family in town, so I haven't been slaving away at the machine like I should be... but the quilt is coming together—slowly but surely!

Here's the update:
-I have all 63 of the top blocks sewn together
-I created the strip for the back of the quilt

Currently working on:
-cutting out and sewing the panels together for the back of the quilt

Hoping to finsih tonight:
-basting the quilt (top/batting/bottom)

Once that's done—if it's not too too late—I'd really like to start the straight stitch quilting tonight! We shall see...

TGIF!!!

I guess that's a good thing and a bad thing...

Pros:
-My office closes at noon on Fridays [lucky me!]
-I have the whole afternoon to work on the quilt
-Tomorrow is Saturday, which means I can sleep in [on the condition that I accomplish a good amount of work on the quilt today, of course]

Cons:
-Because it's Friday, this means that my apartment has been neglected for a week, and is therefore a disaster zone, so it's definitely not the best working environment right now
-I have no desire to fix the aforementioned problem
-And, of course, Kira's birthday is now 3 days away!!!

OMG!!!

Note: As most of you know, I'm a procrastinator through and through, and I've definitely held true to that character flaw this time around... In addition to that, I also tend to be a very positive person, and I try to see the good in everything—even when the odds are not in my favor—'the glass is absolutely half full' sort of thing. So the rest of this update will most likely sound upbeat, with no sign of panic. Do not be fooled by this. I am freaking out. BUT I have a pretty good track record of pulling through at the last minute! (and there I go again...)

I have 9 more blocks to go and then I'm done with the top! Woot Woot! That means that I'm about to try my hand at machine quilting (for the first time ever) this afternoon! In the past, I've just used a quick and easy quilt tying technique, so this will be interesting. A couple weeks back I decided to go with the straight stitch quilting, so at least I have that much figured out.

I picked up some batting at JoAnn's on Wednesday, along with some cream colored thread that is specifically made for machine quilting. Both are 100% cotton, like the fabric I selected for the project. I also purchased some pre-made double fold bias tape for the quilt binding—thought I'd save myself some time and energy... In case you don't remember my attempt at DIY bias tape... here's the rant.

Looks like I have everything that I need to start my crafty afternoon! While I still haven't decided if I'm going to quilt by the block or the column or just sew the whole thing together—top/batting/back—and go for it, I'm super excited about how the colors are all coming together! Even the pre-made bias tape looks great with the fabric I already have!

I'll post tomorrow to let y'all know how the quilting goes!

Wish me luck!