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Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Of Quilt Tops & Pieced Backings!



It was a weekend of "extra width"

I was a woman on a mission - so close to the finish that I couldn't stop myself from making the "one row extra" so I had enough drop on the sides of my king sized Snail's Trail quilt.

It set me back a bit - I was so eager to get this done that I nearly felt deflated at the realization that the extra row was 360 pieces in total.  AUUGH!

But then - realizing that another 360 scrap pieces would find a place to live instead of being stuffed into bins, bags and buckets - again, it's all how you look at it!


Extra row being sewn on.

If only these scraps could talk!

Or maybe - they shouldn't.


Stay stitching around the edge to hold the seams together and stop the stretch.

Mrs. Potato head - so much fun to include you!


And just like scraps tend to do -

They find themselves too close to each other!

Those two purple triangles with yellow polka dots are definitely eye catchers - and of course they would be in line with each other and not separated by a few rows and a bit of  horizontal distance?

It stays.


It's a good thing I have a 14' long longarm table!

Here it is.  All 6,800 pieces.

And I love it.


As does the Lola girl!

Yesterday's job was to set in with backing making.

I wanted to do the same thing with the bin of florals as I had done with the boxes of random triangles and short pieces. ANNIHILATION!


Huge tub going down!

Big florals are hard for me to use in a quilt top, unless I'm using them for borders.

I love big splashy prints for backs, but the pieces were not big enough to do the whole back with one fabric - I needed about 9 yards to cover this much quilt.

More if I am sewing smaller pieces together.

My goal was to tackle the smaller chunks - anything from Fat Quarter to half-yard.


This is making it hard, Lola!!

The sunny spot is her domain, and yesterday morning that sun was perfect - for HER! Not for me!


Can I have these strips please??

The easiest way for me to tackle this was to cut the strips 10 1/2'' wide so they'd finish at 10''.  The length varies by whatever I could get out of the piece, but the widths are all the same.


Holding down the piles!


Ready to sew it all up!


And here we are. 

It's MONSTROUS.

And it just may be my newest favorite backing EVER.

Loading and quilting likely won't begin until tomorrow as I am rushing out the door in about 45 minutes to head down to Jonesville where Jeff, Ashlyn & Casden are ready to move into their new house today.

That means that Casden gets his denim quilt!

It's a big day for them - Moving is so stressful.  Moving in the rain is going to be a challenge.  But we are all here to help them get it done in record time.

Yesterday's IG Quiltfest day 30 prompt: 

(I shared the photos I took of Lola above as the prompt while making the backing, so not embedding it again here to avoid redundancy)

"Do you have a quilting bucket list? We want to know the quilt that you must make or the event that you are holding out for, and if you have plans for either in the next year, so we can join in the fun!"

This question is LOADED!! I don't know where to start, seriously

The first big thing is letting you know about my 2021 Leader & Ender challenge that starts in July.  It's all about making UNITS which become blocks in between the lines of other stitching instead of sewing over a folded scrap of trash fabric to keep your chain piecing continuous.

Watch for more to come about that around the 1st of July. It's the kind of fun that lasts all year long.

Our Current Leader & Ender Challenge is still in full swing - click the free patterns tab on my blog and scroll down to Easy Breezy.

Our Quiltville Winter Mystery is tons of fun and I am already pulling fabrics and testing blocks for that - usually by June I know what I am doing so I can have yardage/colors/background info ready for you by HALLOWEEN.  So join in this year and sew along with us. 

Other things I am looking forward to SO MUCH! 

I am excited to resume traveling through Craftours.com when given the go ahead and we have MANY exciting destinations ahead of us. 

Poland, Viet Nam, Japan, Ireland, Italy, Egypt and Morocco are ALL on the books!  Find out more information by clicking the tour tabs at top of my blog. Come travel the world with me!

Tap the blog icon in my highlights and you are there. (Best viewed on a real computer where tabs are visible.)

I dusted off my passport last night just to be sure it was still there and not expired.  I will be ready to go when it is safe to go.  Really, think of coming with me!

Other things to remember - Yesterday was our March Quilty Box gift-away post, and it is an AWESOME box!!  Did you enter to win ON THAT POST?

Our drawing will happen MONDAY.

And this is it, folks - the LAST DAY!


The printable PDF pattern for Tulip Time is currently marked 25% off in the in the Quiltville Store, no coupon required. 

This sale is good through TODAY, Wednesday, March 31st, 2021.  The pattern will revert back to full price TOMORROW morning my time, Thursday, April 1st, 2021.

Okay - I'm off to go play the moving game with my son!

(And yes, the commode is now gone from in front of Quiltville Inn! It was a great "Put it Out!" season!)


Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Vintage quilt found in La Salle, IL.

If it's all you can think about, find a way to make it happen.

Even baby steps can move you forward!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!


 

29 comments:

  1. I’m in love with your backing!! I think I made a skirt from the large, loud (bright yellow, fluorescent green, hot pink) fabric in 1972!!

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  2. So glad to hear you will begin to travel once again. Hopefully teaching workshops isn't far behind. So sorry that I had to cancel the Poland trip as the new date did not work with my family's schedule. There's no way I will chance missing my son's wedding!

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  3. Your quilt is gorgeous!! I love the backing. I often make double sided quilts so that that there's patterns on both sides. I hope Casden loves his new quilt.

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  4. I don’t think I would have noticed the triangles if you hadn’t pointed them out. 😂 I love that backing and the pictures of Lola.

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  5. I think you know but I just have to say it takes a good man to be a father and an extra good man to be a good stepfather..kudos to Jeff.. and as a gram you as well..blended families are difficult but you make it look easy. Enjoy moving day..hope all goes well

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  6. LOL about the commode!!!

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  7. Love the Snails Trail backing! Best wishes for a great moving day.

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  8. I love the way you put the backing together! I just usually put in the chunks, whatever size they are, but like this much better. Thanks for the inspiration! I’m working on my split 9 patch king size quilt. This will be a great idea for backing.

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  9. I knew the commode would go. I bet the hubby is happy about that. Have a great day. Can't wait to hear how your grandson like his quilt!

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  10. I so enjoyed the photos of Lola "protecting" the floral fabrics! Why is it if a piece of fabric is laid out our pets are sure it is for them? So precious.
    Susan

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    1. A cat always sits on the top of everything!

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  11. Love, love, love your backing, and it's the idea I've been waiting for to sew my own backing for a recent finish; thanks for the inspiration!!

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  12. Call me crazy, but if I had pieced all that for my backing I would have decided to use it as another quilt top and gotten a fat back for the first quilt!

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    Replies
    1. But that wouldn't make the fabric in the tubs disappear!!!

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  13. I love your beautiful quilts. I think pieced backs are great, My first quilt was a Hunter's Star in deepfdeep colors on a cream background. I made a cream and green checkerboard for the back in matching square sizes, with a deeper green border. Took me forever but I love it still (lumpy? No matter)
    I am cutting up old jeans for a stained glass style quilt, all pieces are 4, 6, 8, 10". I have an ocean layer cake for the back, with some lovely 10" pieces. It will be a second matching stained glass quilt.
    I creep forward in skills, and will be delighted to have masses of scraps to play with, I am looking forward to learning applique 🙃.

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  14. With the eye-catching purple triangles so close together, the first thing I thought was a fun "find the matching fabrics" game to play with little ones. Can't wait to get home to my machine and scrap triangles!

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  15. Yes, this is my favorite backing too. You have inspired me to make something similar. Thanks for all you do, Bonnie.
    TerryAnn

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  16. I am a huge fan of pieced backs. I LOVE the way you used those big florals. I just got done piecing a back using unusual Christmas fabrics for my Bricks & Stepping Stones quilt. Hopefully it will get loaded on the frame this weekend. Thank you for that free pattern, by the way. I make sure I reference you EVERY time I blog about it. Good luck with moving day. Make fun and memories along the way. Take photos!

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  17. I love, love, love the Snails quilt and its backing! It is so very beautiful! It will be my next quilt.

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  18. I couldn't help but think, "No, Mom, these are mine!!" at the question. HAHA! Oh, Lola...
    That gives me wonderful ideas on piecing backings. I usually use solid pieces or 108" pieces so I don't have to mess with it... but maybe the next scrappy I will do that. As for that bucket list, I guess a double wedding ring is at the top. But I love anything log cabin or pineapple will work. Have a good evening!

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  19. Love the backing on your Snails Trail quilt top. To me, it is a reversible quilt. I am so very partial to florals that I would have fun viewing it just as much as the front...

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  20. Lola's so cute protecting the backing pieces. Cats just love fabric & quilts. I've been piecing backings too. Got three tops put together over the last couple of months. Two short term UFOs and one that dates back more than 20 years. Two of the tops are big so the backings are HUGE, but a lot of fabric I've been hanging onto for years is getting used up. I love the looks of your Snail's Trail quilt, but I know I'm not likely to make one. Paper piecing and my brain just don't work together!! :)

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  21. The next quilt I want to make is Tulip Time! I really like that and love the colors. The next up will be Winter Blues; Garlic Knots also. I really like Grassy Creek in the line-up. But, I am taking Holly Anne's free motion quilting class and she keeps us busy with all the practicing! Besides that, I have 12 quilt tops in the closet waiting to be quilted, including a Quilt of Valor and Cathedral Stars I did with you in California years ago!!!

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  22. "Huge tub going down!" love it. I need a solution like this for my Christmas fabrics. They're going to have to go.....I am looking forward to your pattern for the snails trails. Triangle decimation time is getting closer.

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  23. Just had to laugh! Yesterday, I took my Grandson to a town a few towns away. I went down an unfamiliar road on the way home and lo and behold, beside the roads was a white commode! Seeing it made me think of you and just had to laugh!

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  24. I am 82. My quilt bucket list is Crosses for Christmas, a blue for my bed, and north Carolina Lily. Pain slows me down but that should keep be busy for a while. Thanks for your inspiration.
    Mary Jean Rose

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  25. I LOVE your backing! I am going to copy that for the next quilt I make for MY bed!!

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  26. I truly love the backing! I am finishing Isabelle - granddaughter's twin tomorrow and it goes tp the long armer on Saturday along with her twin, Xavier's quilt. Then on to little brother, Asher, who is only a year and two weeks younger. After that I am going to make a quilt for me. It's finally going to be my turn.

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  27. While I love the front of this new quilt, I love that random floral backing almost as much. Nice work on using up those scraps, Bonnie!!

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