I worked on this year's Buck a Block yesterday and finished the two blocks. We only receive the center portion each month and that makes two blocks but I decided to go ahead and put the rest of it together so I can finish it all at once and not have to go back and make the star points. I wasn't going to even participate but saw one of the store's color combinations and fell in love instantly. It's call surf and sand. It's hard to see the friendship star in the middle but it's there! The other block is the opposite with the background fabric as the friendship star. I started sewing on my sashing, too. I think this is going to be one of my favorites.
I also need to finish last year's block of the month. Many times I like challenging myself to come up with a different layout or use my own fabric selections to finish the quilt rather than buy a finishing kit - unless the fabric is very specific and would be hard to find on my own.
The pattern above is called The Queen and Her Court by Wing and a Prayer Designs. It truly is lovely. I thought the directions were easy to follow. I decided to go with a plain background vs the pieced background and decided I wanted purple flowers rather than pink since there was already a lot of pink in the blocks. I wouldn't mind having some custom quilting done in the corners to make up for the lack of design there. Whether or not I tackle it myself when I'm more confident or decide to quilt this one by hand is something I'll think about later. Right now I just want to complete the top! Below is the center block. Once I finish adding on the purple outer border, I'll be able to lay out the top, sew it together and start appliqueing the vines and flowers.
I also started working on my next class sample. I had originally thought of having this pattern as my next Midnight Madness class this summer but as I'm working on it I have a feeling I'll get a lot of complaints on this one. I already used one pattern that turned out to be too intricate for another Midnight Madness class. It has affectionately become known as "Psycho Quilt". No lie, I'll never live this class down.
The pattern, Milky Way by Cozy Quilt Designs, is lovely but the complaint was it had too many small pieces. Oh well, can't win them all, but I'm sure you can appreciate my apprehension!
As you can see, I've already finished two of the blocks. Love the pattern, all the blocks are assembled the same so that works in my favor. So far I'm OK with the fabrics I picked out, but I have to decide if people will want to deal with this particular technique or if they're happier with a pattern that wouldn't make them think as much.
I like to keep my Midnight Madness as a night that's all about food and fun and oh yeah, and we got to sew too! I usually wear my slippers and if it's not too cold, I'll even wear my jammies! This class is fun! I've actually had people ask me if we could have wrist bands (you know, like they used to have back in the 80's & 90's for concert tickets?) so they can be sure to get in the class. It really doesn't matter what the pattern is, they just want in. The store provides dinner and I always bake. This semester's class sold out in 20 minutes. Personally, I like to think it's for my baking and the class just happens to be a bonus. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
which led to knitting mills and the guild hand-knitter wasn't so important anymore. glittergarn
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