Just Takes 2 - Revisited

This on going project has been on life support for a few years. I've taken it out, put it on the design wall, and packed it up.....several times. I've helped others get started on the pattern, I've helped someone finish her top and have quilted a few of these. Mine, not so much.  It was retreat time again, so I packed up this box of blocks, fabric and an odd assortment of pages that remain from the pattern. This is what I had to put up on the wall in some manner of organization.  Yes, there are 2 feathered stars, along with two pineapple blocks that were not part of the pattern.

 These below blocks are stragglers that I couldn't seem to fit into the above layout. Trust me, I'm not even close to having a working pattern anymore. It's digital somewhere, maybe on that pc that was two devices ago.  Or maybe on a thumb drive.  I'd have to search through a bowl of those!   What you can't see in this picture is that the bottom block, Goose in the Pond is 11" unfinished.  It's supposed to be 12 1/2" unfinished.  It's been foundation paper pieced and I still remember taking over 2 hours to make this block on a sew day a few years ago.  I kept asking myself, "why would one make a 5 patch block into a 12" finished block?"  Why not rotary cut and piece it into a 15" block? 

Once I had listed all the blocks that were made, I came home and started cutting them up on graph paper.  That seemed to be a design nightmare for me.  I went to Sentimental Stitches, where the pattern came from.  (btw, it's still available for purchase and it's on sale).   I found this spread sheet listed on Gay's site; I hit the motherlode.  All I had to do was figure out how many blocks of what size I had already made and then make more blocks in the remaining sizes.  Then I could put the quilt together in the same order, by block size, that the original pattern showed.

I needed one more 15" block.  That Goose in the Pond?  A perfect candidate for a block that size. I quickly drafted out the measurements, and got to piecing it. Super easy, every seam nests together when it's not FPP, no paper to tear out and no hair to pull out!

In the few pages of patterns that remain, I saw these three circles, so super cute and fast and easy to make. I did reverse applique for the white circle and hand appliqued the red ones.  Stitched together they look darling!

I pulled out my Red and White Bible book of quilts, listed a plethora of pages for block ideas and I now have a workable plan to finish this quilt top. My blocks won't be the same pattern as the original pattern and I'm ok with that.  It will be MY quilt, inspired by Just Takes 2 (much time) and at this point, I am confident this plan will result into a finished quilt top. 

There is a Drunkards Path block on one of the pattern sheets.  This one is supposed to finish at 9" and it's a 4 patch.  The method used in the pattern was applique.  I've made this block before, it's included in my very first sampler quilt.  I pulled out my trustly first quilt book, found my bag of templates, and marked out the sections for a 12" finished block.  I got 14 sections hand stitched last night.

This will definitely become a quilt top.
It won't happen soon, but it will happen.  Maybe on my next retreat I'll get a few more blocks picked out and sewn together.  Maybe I'll already have the blocks stitched (doubtful).   The Red & White  show continues to inspire me and flipping through the book brought so many 'good' quilt designs back in front of me.

The moral of this post? If you love the project, you will finish it.  It might take longer than expected, it might not look like the original piece you started to make, but you can re engage.  It just has to be the right time with the right circumstances.

What project do you want to bring back to the sewing table?
Keep stitching,
Sharon

Third Finish this Week

Wow, I really feel like I made some tangible progress this week, as this is the 3rd finish for me.  I have finally got the binding sewn and the label attached.  This sampler is made up of 9" blocks that have been hand pieced and/or appliqued.  I made this, hmmm, let me think, probably back in 2006. Oregon was my home at the time and I wanted to have a hand stitching project. 

 

I love this little block, I think it's called Honey Bee.  Just the right amount of applique to dress up the patchwork.

And who doesn't like star blocks, this one is sweet, but the Lemoyne star has to be my favorite star.  Do you have a favorite star block?

After I finished the quilting this past month, it was on to the binding right away.  I always make binding when I finish a top and I do that for several reasons. However, when I looked for this quilts binding, it was nowhere to be found.  Did I not make it? What will I bind it with? Do I have any of these fabrics left in my stash resource room?

The quilting goddess was looking out for me, I had ONE fabric left and just enough to get the binding strips. Whew!  And it was the perfect fabric to have available.

I managed to use up some crazy fabrics on the back of this piece.  I bought them thinking I was going to make a black and white quilt, then I look at these and wonder, are they black or are they white?  The backing is the perfect place for them.

A few details about this quilt.  Blocks are 9" and have been hand stitched.  I do machine stitch blocks together along with the strips in the sashing.  Patterns are traditional blocks and are from a book I got in my first quilting workshop. Sashing has a center strip that finishes at 1/4".  This detail really adds to the overall look of the quilt. 

Now that I have pictures and details of this piece it's all ready to get gifted.  My niece will be the caretaker of this one and that leaves me with one more nephew who needs a quilt.  It's in the works, but I don't see a finish on that one until 2015!

Enjoy the weekend,
Sharon