The quilt top and backing are done!

Now I just need to quilt it...

I have had plenty of time the last couple of days to work on my quilt. Sunday I put in a couple of longer sessions, I even rigged up a special Lycra sleeve to hold an ice pack on my knee while I sew. That gave me plenty of extra sewing time :)

Yesterday and today I have had some lengthy programs running on my laptop for work so that left me several large blocks of time and I guess I was just on that creative roll!

These pictures are not quite the best, I would have liked to have gotten up on a stool to get them at a better angle, but my leg, a cane and a camera trying to get up on a stool probably would have been a bad idea. LOL! 

The quilt is a lap/couch cuddle quilt. For reference the bed it is lying on in the pictures is queen size. When finished it will measure approx 50"X56" and the colors match my front room perfectly. So I guess, I am keeping this one :)

I still need to figure out how I am going to sandwich and pin the quilt. It is to big for any tables and will need to be spread on the floor but I am not so mobile yet as to be getting down on the floor to pin a quilt sandwich for machine quilting. I am sure I'll think of something.

The full quilt top

7 'fractured' blocks

4 of these variation on nine patch blocks

 

1- 4 patch block

1 long strip pieced then cut apart with green strips inserted block

The backing... also pieced together. Currently about 5 inches larger then the top and will get trimmed before binding.

My dressform has died!

As I was happily sewing away yesterday afternoon I heard this mysterious 'sproing!" noise. Uh-oh... What was that?

I looked over towards where the noise came from and my eyes fell upon my dressform, EVERLAST. Named after the 1980's one piece exercise jumper with the big bold letters EVERLAST across the chest that I had her covered in. Sure enough, she looked a little wonky, I peeled off the cover and along with it my strategically placed padded areas and she was broken.

Oh bummer... the springs finally gave out. I suppose that I can't complain. I got her for free from a friend about 10 years ago and she has been most helpful. I have been wanting to get a nice dress form for several years now but could not really justify the expense while EVERLAST was happily standing in the corner. 

Now, I have to figure out what to replace her with! There are many options as well as many price ranges. I do know that I want to upgrade my model to something better, possibly something that is semi-custom. I would love a custom made dressform but the cost is prohibitive for me and I am not into wrapping myself up in duct tape to make my own. At least not without the guidance of either a professional or someone that has experience making them. I think it could be a massive waste of time, money and duct tape if I were to try it on my own.

The dead dress form... you can see how wonky the waist is and one of the springs in the bottom has also sprung... really is time for an upgrade.

Time to do some research. If anyone has any recommendations on dressforms I would love to hear it!

More quilt work and my fancy cane

I have been getting more 'work' done in my sewing room. Playing with the quilt blocks and designing my own quilt has been a lot of fun and also quite refreshing. It has let my creative mojo start flowing again and I have had inspiration after inspiration running through my head.

I have decided to just give you a couple more sneak peaks at part of the quilt and save the rest as a surprise.

Since I have been home recuperating my constant companions have not left my side! They are going to be so sad when I start traveling again. Part of me wishes to win the lottery... I really like this staying home thing :) The other part of me can't wait to get back on a plane and get moving!

Blue

Chloe

The girls are happy about about the crutches being gone. Chloe was especially fearful of them, I think they fell over on top of her one too many times. I am now the proud owner of a fancy, schmancy, super stylish cane. Go me!!

Long time... no post

I have been getting some things done in the sewing room, it's just that it has been moving at a snails pace!

a teaser photo, a portion of one of the blocks of new 'fractured' quilt I am working on.

Part of it is that I am just now getting to the point where I can stand at my cutting table without crutches so cutting out any new projects has had to be put on hold! Hopefully I will feel confident enough on my own 2 feet and with a rotary cutter soon! After all I did get in the car and drive today :) Yippee!!
The other thing keeping me out of the sewing room is the sheer amount of rehabilitation that I am doing. I must spend a solid 5 hours a day doing rehab exercises and stretches and electrical stimulation... etc... It can be a bit exhausting some days.

So, what I have been working on or maybe more like playing with is a quilt with the rest of my 2 1/2 inch bali strips. This only required a small amount of cutting with not much reaching that I could do on a stool. 

The leftover strips from the Bali collection I had used in the bargello quilt earlier this year.

I say 'playing' because that is exactly what I am doing! I am sewing things together and then cutting them up in new ways and then cutting again and sewing again. trying out a bunch of different techniques and ideas that I have had in mind. I am going to call the finished project Fractured. I figure it is a good name after my broken leg as well as some of the design elements. I am not thinking of it as an art quilt, just more of a lets have fun and see what happens quilt. :)

New toys :)  A new ruler and hand grip. I had a 3 x 24 inch ruler that somehow got snapped in half a long time ago, so I thought it was time to replace it. I got both items for 40% off!