Helpful Quilt Basters

 

Time for some quilt basting, this time the Bohemian Wife quilt! This was last worked on when I finished making the backing in September 2025. I'm using a non-fusible Hobbs 80/20 batting. And one of the studio assistants was instantly on the job even though we were downstairs using our dining table.

She was very curious and helpful in initially holding things down.

She was soon replaced by her co-worker who just really wanted to have a nap in the layers of batting I was trying to separate. Honestly, not too helpful.

The derpiest of derp faces made up for the interruption.

Thankfully the somewhat more helpful studio assistant #1 came back on the job.

One last switcheroo occurred where studio assistant #2 checked the spacing on my safety pins.

I could tell he was satisfied with my work when he laid down. It was so nice to have help and company while I basted this kind of big one. I forgot how long this pin basting process takes, I haven't done one in a while. 

Okay, now onto the quilting. I'm not planning any exciting quilting as it will all get lost in the glorious mess of color and pattern. Probably just some walking foot straight lines.

200 HRTs

 

I was blazing through the trimming of the rest of the HRTs I've been making for the Lupine Mystery quilt (for what seems like months and months now) and I stopped at the very very last one for a picture. I don't think I could have made all of these so easily without the great Bloc_Loc rulers.

Here's the 14 sets of HRTs that were done. I was working on trimming the remaining 11 sets.

I got into the groove and then suddenly all 200 were all trimmed and done, woohoo! I'm so relieved to get this clue done for the mystery quilt.

Final ICAD - part 1 of 2

 Here are somewhat more than half of the remaining ICAD pieces I haven't posted yet. Starting with the EXIT if you're not interested.

I'm splitting this up into two posts as there are quite a lot of them to get through.

I really like this one, as ominous as it is, it's even more dire if you turn it 90°.

All the blues TOGETHER

Not sure where this one came from, but if I had to wear a crown, it would involve purple velvet.

A gifted bottle of Baiju, I did some deconstruction and rearranging.The holographic sticker on the upper right hand side didn't photograph well.

A really WILD mess.

Joy explosions.

FAR may be my favorite of this bunch.

The world as seen from a different view, centering Greenland.

I couldn't help it, Goodnight Moon is such a great color inspiration.

More and more HRT's, now trimmed

 

Now that all the rest of the HRTs for the Lupine Mystery quilt are sewn together, it is time for trimming!

Five more sets trimmed up.

I put them up on the design wall underneath the previous batch. The Bohemian Wife quilt top is on the left for scale. But wait, something's missing!

There we go that's better. It's getting old trimming these, but they're turning out great, and they're almost done. So I'm pushing through, a few more sets at a time until the to-be-trimmed stack is gone.

Saturday and Sunday were my first workouts back at the gym. Here I am looking very pleased with myself for recovering enough to get to go out and do a good workout at the gym with DH. 

August To-Do

Here's how my design wall looks on the first of the new month. It's just busy as per usual. I have the newly ironed Bohemian Wife quilt and back hanging up so that I can get it layered, basted and quilted for the BAMQ UFO Challenge. That's pinned on top of the languishing Patchwork Palooza quilt. Maybe once I get the Bohemian Wife quilt done, I'll be in the finishing mode? There's also the HRT's' for the Lupine Mystery quilt. Up on the upper right is the Bending the Calendar quilt,  pinned up so I can think about how to finish it (one of the UFO's for this year). Underneath that are two finished projects, the QCR Mini Pumpkins and the award-winning (hah1)Ocean Effect quilt. In the front is the finished quilts that need to be put in storage or hung up on the walls of my house on top of some Project Bags. It's a lot on that wall.

Note: the use of 🥏👽  by a project name indicates that it's on the 2026 UFO Finishes challenge list of six projects that I committed to finishing at the beginning of the year (more on that list later). Note, this is not the same list as the UFO Challenge for BAMQ, that UFO will have this next to it on the list:🌀🌐  

QUILTS

Design & Begin

Pantone Project - work on an overall design, either in EQ8 or up on the design wall.

Lupine & Laughter Mystery Quilt - keep making units following the clue instructions

BAMQ BOM - make monthly blocks of varying sizes through the year.

Continue Assembly

Patchwork Palooza - Decide on borders, make backing & binding

Keep working on Sour Grass Grace from Jane Sassaman class.

Old Town Mystery Quilt - make a backing & binding, decide on whether to have it quilted

AG Stamp Quilt - continue to make more blocks using the final group of fussy-cut stamp block centers from Tula Pink fabrics.

Continue the piecing of Selvedge Candy (maybe the name) quilt originally designed for the 2025 MQG challenge.

🥏👽 Sew the last 6 columns and sashing together of the 2023  Temperature Quilt together to make the quilt top.

🌀🌐 David Owen Hastings class piece, make more blocks, assemble into quilt top, quilt, finish🥏👽 

                                      

Quilting

🥏👽 Bohemian Wife -  Sandwich this and start quilting it🌀🌐 

Mosaic Table Runner - Sandwich this and start quilting it

Final Steps 

🥏👽 Bending the Calendar - Cut up? Re-arrange? Embellish?🌀🌐 

HANDWORK/BAG/CLOTHING PROJECTS 

Make a Cotton Candy pouch for myself.

Make a Charlie's Aunt wool purse for myself, first felt the wool from Pendleton Mill.

Toned-Down Circle Sampler - now that I have the appropriately sized grey background felt, arrange and appliqué the circles, start embroidering.

Y.E.S. Coat - continue making pieces/blocks. assemble on foundation, cut out lining pieces from the fabric that I dyed

Snake In The Garden - Finish hand stitching -  🌀🌐

Body Pillow-knit cotton pillowcase - 🌀🌐 

Quilted Dog Jacket for Meg - 🌀🌐  

Hey! This Is All Finished!

🌀🌐  Mini QCR Pumpkins 🌀🌐  

I made and attached binding and a label to a Community giving quilt.

I caught up and finished my ICAD work.

Well...how about that? That's four months in a row with some actual finishing happened. Here's hoping that I can continue with the finishing energy into August.