Stories from the Sewing Room

I have very little to show this week. I've been quite busy trying to get the binding sewn on to my Grassy Creek so that I can enter it in the show. Last week I was panicking a bit because the piece of Moda Grunge in fabric in the Calypso color way that I'd ordered on eBay (seller from TX) that said it should be delivered by 22 Monday did not show up until 26 Friday. I ordered another piece from Fat Quarter Shop (which I should have done in the first place because the angst wasn't worth saving a few dollars) on Monday and it showed up on Saturday. 

Midweek I was debating cutting up the piece I did have, which would have been about four strips too short. I thought maybe I could start sewing down what I had, then add the extra strips once one of the fabrics arrived. {Big thanks to a couple of you out there for listening to me whine about it via email.} I was planning to cut and sew on Thursday, but my day got away from me while working on someone's quilt. Friday morning my initial order showed up, so I washed that and got to work. Saturday the FQS order, ordered a week after the original piece, showed up.

When I was considering using the Grunge I already had and adding extra to it later, I assumed that the color would be very similar and you wouldn't be able to tell. I assumed wrong. Nancy asked me if the pieces matched, and the short answer is NO. I think the fabric is busy enough that it wouldn't have been super noticeable, but they are very different.

The original piece must have been purchased in late 2020 when I started working on the quilt. It is the smallest piece, on the top of the picture. The piece from eBay that I ended up using is in the middle, and the FQS piece is on the bottom. All have been washed and dried. I didn't iron the piece from FQS for the photos. 

Another difference on the newer pieces is the size of the selvedge. That one really surprised me, far more than the color variations. I don't have the selvedge from the original piece available.

The difference is most visible on the back. Look at how different they are! 

I've been binding like crazy in the evenings and my hands are sore. Right now I'm 3/4 of the way done, so I'm in pretty good shape. I have until the 5th to register my quilt. I think I should be able to finish up the binding tonight, or tomorrow night at the latest. I have the hanging sleeve and the label made and those will need to be attached before the drop of day of February 24. Actually, they'll need to be done before I leave for Quilt Con, so before the 21st, but I can always safety pin on the hanging sleeve if I run out of time.

Meanwhile, I've worked on a few quilts. I had to do some thinking and creative piecing on Mary Ann's quilt. This was a big quilt, 109" x 129", and her wideback ombre fabric didn't quite cover her quilt. She gave me more of a different wideback since the original one was unavailable. I put strips of the second fabric at top and bottom and attempted to center her quilt, but like I always tell people, don't plan on it being perfect. I had everything measured, pinned, and marked, but the quilt shrunk up quite a bit during quilting, so the strips at the top and bottom didn't end up being equal like I'd planned. It took me a day to piece the backing and get everything loaded and set up and two days to quilt it with the Paw Prints design she picked. I chose purple thread, Glide Lilac, for the top thread.

I also quilted another of Margaret's scrap quilts. She decided on String of Hearts for the quilting. My daughter and I selected Glide Sand for the thread color.

I started Shirley's quilt. This one is fully pieced front and back. She requested small scale Stipple. I'll finish this one this afternoon after I get home from my haircut.

Besides the binding, we are gearing up for the first of our two February robotics tournaments. They need volunteers again this weekend, so I'm sort of considering it. I had fun at the last one, but I didn't get to see our team compete. Oh, and 40% of our team has to attend a school band event, so they will miss the tourney. 😬

Henry the rooster has a sore on his foot. We think it might be bumble foot. My daughter and husband gave him an Epsom salt soak, followed by applying medicine and wrapping the injury, over the weekend. The wrap is still on and he's still able to get in and out of the coop, so we'll have to see how it goes. 

My month of jury duty starts tomorrow. I have to call in tonight to see if I need to report. Let's hope I don't, because I don't want to make time to sit on a jury and I really don't feel comfortable judging someone.

A few odds and ends of sewing: the next Malted Mystery quilt clue comes out tomorrow. Will this be the final month? Here is my PHD progress so far. I'm hoping to be able to update that chart soon!