Unscrambling my brain to get back to quilting

With all those starts & finishes in February, I decided I wanted to start a new project for the 2013 NewFO Challenge on March 1! How exciting!!! Not that my closet and all those tubs aren't already full of UFO's that shall remain countless. LOL!

But wait, it's already March 9 and I haven't posted in what feels like ages! Well, blame that danged sinus infection that kept my brain scrambled for a week, plus Jacob's ear infection. No complaints here--we snuggled more and I sewed less for a week. Gee, sometimes I'm amazed at my life. So, now I'm back to it and after a fabulous day yesterday exploring quilt shops in SE Kansas and SW Missouri (more on that later), I have spent the whole day so far behind the sewing machine nearly finishing up another top.

Before I left California I bought this beautiful jelly roll by Blank Quilting called Skidoodle Jewel and it's been calling to me. After signing up for Eleanor Burns' 2013 Pattern Party, and seeing all the variations of her Zig-a-Zag pattern, I knew that this particular jelly roll was meant to become something bright and lively to add to my quilt collection.What a fabulous array of colors! Yep, it's time to open this baby up and start putting strips up on the design board!

I have followed EB's instructions and am coming up with a fun design, but not what I expected. Not having repeats of any fabrics, it is coming out somewhat different from her example; although, I like the way it's turning out, which is all that matters, right? I've ordered the strips in a descending rainbow of colors and love the transitions from color to color.

Interesting, but not what I expected... Hmmm....

Oh the things you see with a fresh perspective in the morning! Blame it on my sinus-infection-scrambled-brain. I re-read the instructions (Oh, you mean I'm supposed to READ that booklet?!?) and I'd put the blocks up on the board wrong. Well, right, but not tilted quite far enough! And, I also discovered that although I don't have fabric repeats, I do have print repeats in different colors that will give me a couple of zig-a-zags that EB showcases in her pattern. So, I realigned the blocks so far and am getting ready to add the yellow row. Oh, and I got to go frogging (rip-it rip-it) as I decided to change how the next row of blocks were assembled. All back together and ready to sew again! Yay!

My brain scrambled again with the sinus infection, so after several days break looking at the progress on the board, today (Saturday) I finally got back to sewing. And in just a few hours have completed the basic top including the setting triangles. Wow! I'm loving this quilt!

I found in my stash a 16" x WOF piece of lovely purple fabric that was exactly the right size to make all of those triangles. Although the pattern called for a half yard (just a few more inches), this piece was perfect as the blocks were only 7-1/2" wide, so two strips, cut into 10 blocks and one 4-1/2" block out of the remnants, and I had enough to continue sewing and actually assemble the top. And the fun part is the triangles extend over far enough I can float the body of the Zig-a-Zag top and have the triangles transition into a narrow border before I add the final borders.

Yesterday, as I said, I went on an adventure. My young friend Lizzie is only 2 weeks out from her due date, so it was time to deliver my family heirloom cradle (which she slept in as a baby) and her new baby quilt to her before her little guy arrives. Being a crazy road-trip kind of gal, I did a turn-around trip (4 hours one way without stops), leaving at 10:30am and getting home last night at about 11:15pm. Whew!!! The best part (well, other than getting to visit with her and her family for a couple of hours over dinner) was that Lizzie had to work, so I had until 5pm to get to Springfield, MO, and planned my route with lots of shopping on the way. I had fun stops at Itchin' to Stitch in Severy, KS, Bittersweet Quilts just south of Joplin, MO, Country Store Quilt Shop (which I spotted from the highway with 4 foot high letters reading "QUILT SHOP" on the end of the building) in Carthage, MO, and Merrily We Quilt Along in Springfield, MO. As usual my restraint went out the window and I came home with some wonderful books, notions, and fabrics. And I missed several shops with my time limits, so plan to go back and explore further soon!

Included in my finds were two pieces of fabric that will be additional borders and binding for the Zig-a-Zag quilt top. Those will be cut and sewn on maybe tomorrow. I'm thinking about using the gold weave and cutting it so that there is a gold zig-zag that goes around the quilt to compliment the overall zig-zag design and then the doodle purple for the outside border and binding.

It's been a perfect day to sew. It's not especially cold outside, but it has been raining all day long! The Weather Channel says we've gotten about 3/4" with more coming. The area that was covered with several inches of snow just a couple of days ago is now flooded with puddles behind my apartment. The wonderful sound of thunder, a great Beatles/Rock mix on Pandora to keep me company, and the hum of the machine made for a great Saturday! I also had the game tracker up so I could watch the score of the KSU/OSU game and unfortunately, OSU came out on top after a very close game.

Now it's off to watch my KU Jayhawks play Baylor. Here's hoping that the Jayhawks win and take their 9th straight Big XII Title. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!

More snippets from the sewing room soon,
Liz