Thursday, February 23, 2017

A Little of This, A Little of That, Some Big and Little Baskets

My week so far has been about as crazy and disjointed as that blog post title!   The week began innocently enough with plans to finish sashing the upper halves of each little Quilty 365 block, and here they are ...
well, 313 of them anyway, as that is what I've calculated are needed to bring the quilt to the ginormous size I want it, setting the blocks on-point with at least one narrow and one wide border added beyond the setting triangles.   After considering whether to sort the blocks into piles of light, medium and dark background squares, I finally decided that a random setting might work best. But, there is no surface large enough in this house to lay out the entire top.  So, with 313 squares, what are the chances that a completely random setting will result in two or more identical background blocks showing up right next to each other?  Hmm, knowing me the odds are pretty good actually!  So, hopefully on Friday there will be time to head down to the church and push several large tables together so I can lay this out and then tag each row.   Sooo looking forward to seeing this beast finally stitched together into a finished top!

Yesterday the first hand quilted stitches were added to the big basket top pieced last year, or was it two years ago now? It has waited a long time to begin looking like a finish might happen this year. Time will tell ...

And the little baskets are progressing ever so slowly, only seven done at this point.  Though I'm loving the Old Plum Calicoes for this quilt I'm thinking a few more lighter purple shades will need to mix in to keep the quilt from turning out darker than I'd like.  Though in truth I've only cut into two of the actual plum fabrics so far, and the two lighter baskets came from scrap bin pieces. Definitely going to be a lifetime project this one ...

Oh yes, another 'squirrel' opportunity arrived on my doorstep this week, but I'll save that for the next post.


10 comments:

Debbie said...

The baskets are a delight! Yes a few lighter ones will be good to include.
Circles! Wow, you have been going to town on the sashings. The chance of random setting producing neighboring squares of background is high!!! Probably 1 in 10...lol. I have begun quilting my second one, and guess what I found. 2 of the same fabric circles almost touching corners......I never noticed until now. But as quilting stitching is being done they will stay neighbors. With over 300 I fear you will get frustrated laying them out, so let things fall where they may in random. It might turn out wonderful any way.

Chantal said...

I too prefer to add the sashing to each block instead of long pieces. It is more manageable that way. Great work on getting it to the final stages. Cute little baskets too. ;^)

Janet O. said...

Your circle blocks appear so organized--impressive. I have never attached the sashing in that manner. It is fascinating to me to see how it works.
Such beautiful hand quilting on the basket block.
Did you purchase all of the purples in the Old Plum line? there are a few lighter ones. I collect purples and know they can be hard to find. I can send some pieces of lighter ones your way if you'd like.

audrey said...

I had the same problem with my circles. All those seam allowances made it so I had to basically slide two rows under the couch in order to have it all laid out. Oh well! It all worked out fine, only had to switch one block in the end so I'm sure yours will work too! Fingers crossed for you. lol Love those baskets. There can never be enough of those!

Kyle said...

You have three long term projects to work on and enjoy. A little bit of progress each day will have you finished before you know it. Don't get too worried about how those gazillion circles get laid out. It's going to look great.

Rebecca in AK said...

I am so looking forward to see your Quilty 365 blocks laid out. I have decided my little baskets are definitely a lifetime project too.

Susan said...

Ooh those little baskets are adorable. Can you tell me where the pattern is from?

Ruth said...

The circle blocks are looking good. That's how I'm sashing my DJ quilt - though it's put away now for a while. I love the baskets! big and little. The little ones are adorable - more power to you!

Ann said...

Love the large basket you're quilting. And thanks for the reminder. I need to get busy with my Quilty365 blocks. They are tucked in a ziplock for now. I think the sashing on two sides will be a good variation. Hope to see more soon.

Лёка said...

how I love baskets! I dream to make a quilt with baskets.