Thursday, February 18, 2021

If they gave out gold medals for procrastination, I'd have a drawerful of them

 I'm two flimsies behind in the Showing Off department.

First - I finished the top for Grassy Creek.  (yay!)


(Disregard those corners on the right - they're flappy and full of mischief)  I'm quite happy with my sashing mods, and I found a perfect border fabric.  

It's a batik with shades of orange and yellow, with tinges of green and red (well, more pinkish I guess, but pink is red-adjacent) and has a leafy vibe that works with the grassy creek theme.  I'm calling it a success, and am now looking forward to this year's Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt.

For flimsy two - against all odds I finally finished all the endless string-pieced borders (at least 92 miles, I swear) and finished up the top for Sand Castles 2.


My poor design wall is nowhere near tall enough, and the bottom foot or so of the top is dragging on the floor...

And thank goodness I read about faking a mitered corner just before I tackled the four corners on this top - trying to do a true miter would have left me gibbering!


(How had I missed that a mitered corner is just a half-square triangle in disguise?  You're never too old to learn a new trick!)

This one is for my grandson, so it gets bumped right to the front of the next-to-be-quilted line.

Of course, now for the hard part - clearing off the big table in the dining room so I can get the basting done.

Not to mention that I'll probably have to chloroform the cats to keep them from 'helping'...


15 comments:

Gretchen Weaver said...

Sand Castles is beautiful, your grandson is going to love this! Grass Creek is pretty. I'm sure it feels good to have it finished. Great tip on the mitered corners, happy stitching!

Sharon Kwilter said...

I love the trick about the HST in the corner; that may come in handy one day. Both quilt flimsies look beautiful.

Quiltdivajulie said...

These are both most excellent. Hooray for faked mitered Corners (I have done that before but didn't realize it was a "thing"). Sandcastles will be perfect for your grandson - and WOOT for your version of Grassy Creek (love that border).

MissPat said...

Hooray for two finishes. Have you gotten over your Sand Castle fetish? I've just seen the HST to miter a border somewhere else. Great solution in this case since the seams blend right in with the piano keys border. Now what comes next?
Pat

Wanderingcatstudio said...

You are amazing. I though the border on grassy creek was pretty fabulous... but then the Sandcastles!!! i can't believe you pieced that border - you are certifiably insane! But it is stunning!

The Joyful Quilter said...

TWO Bonnie Hunter quilt tops for the WIN, Gayle!! I always forget about that slick HST trick for mitered borders. Thanks for pointing it out. Maybe I'll remember it next time... Who am I kidding? I'll probably torture myself with "regular" mitered borders, just like always! Sigh...

Cathy said...

Evidently all good things come to those who procrastinate! And now you give the tip about mitered borders. I rarely border anything but I have a UFO in the hand quilting queue that called for mitered borders. I gave them a try and then I left a whole bunch of fabric there before I cut the mitered corner just in case I couldn't live with my try at mitered corners and wanted to just go unmitered.

Mystic Quilter said...

Congratulations on two gorgeous flimsies! Your grandson is going to love his Sandcastles. Good tip about the mitred corners must remember this one.

Chantal said...

Well, first of all, congratulations! You've just finished two very big quilts, in the sense of how many pieces they have. Bravo! FANtastic!! Second, I am not impressed by Bonnie's grey sashing but I really love your rendition. Grassy Creek is looking great and, yes, that border is PERFECT! Double kudos to you. Now, for the third thing I need to mention here, please, don't chloroform the cats. I'll babysit them ... for free. ᓚᘏᗢ ;^)

Cherie in St Louis said...

Woot, woot! I love the breezy feel of your Grassy Creek quilt with the perfect border fabric! You might need a laser light show in another room for cat distraction ;-) what an epic finish on the Sandcastle II quilt....I can’t believe you’ve made TWO of them!!!!!

Angie said...

Wow - both flimsies look GREAT! Kudos on finishing that string-pieced border on Sand Castles - I would've given up on that one. I like the idea of gold medals for procrastination - I'd have a drawer full, too!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I love those both! Sandcastles in red and gray is really amazing. Congratulations on two flimsies at once!

QuiltGranma said...

Oh, PLEASE do not do that to the kitties! (do you remember seeing I Remember Mama?) Just close them in another room and put in ear plugs to their wails!

Cathy said...

Take a bow! Those two tops are fantastic. I love your sashing modifications to Grassy Creek. Yours is by far my favorite GC finish so far. Love the red sand castles, too!

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

Two quilt tops in one post. Good for you! I love the sand castles. I might have to move that pattern up on my list.