In-between Sizes

 The 6x6 quilt top was just a little too big for the smaller batt size, so Queen Size it is. The hard part about using this fusible is peeling it apart from the tight roll it comes in. You don't want to yank it apart too much because that distorts the batting.

Cutting it down to size is the next step, it's a bit too unweildy with all the excess.

Had to cut along the bottom on the floor as the quilt is draped on the ironing board.

Now for the actual hardest part, all the steamy ironing required to activate the fusible part of the batting. Glad it isn't too hot today.

Metro Sandwich

Time for some sandwiching. Metro Twist has been up on the design wall waiting for the quilt sandwich treatment for many months (since November last year).

After stretching the fusible batting and doing a bit of ironing on the front, I turned it all over and tacked down the back.

Definitely a good arm workout. I tried to switch off hands so both arms got the benefit.

Flipped back over and re-ironed the front to really make sure it's held together. Now it's ready to be quilted.

Slowly but surely working through my 2025 UFO challenge list. Yes that is a Color Coded Spread Sheet. I figured I was hanging it up above my worktable so it might as well be colorful and pretty. I'm happy that progress has been made on all but the Temperature Quilt, and one out of seven UFO's is now finished (Slopes). It was good to only pick seven projects to help narrow down the universe of things to work on getting finished.

Slopes Quilting

 

I'm finally going in---getting the machine set up for walking foot quilting Slopes. 

Got the quilt sandwich all re-ironed and re-sandwiched. It had been folded up for a while (May 2023!), so it took a little fussing around.

Looking forward to getting this beastie quilted.

Our Mistake Sandwiched

 

Started in on the green acid lake part of the "Our Mistake" quilt top. This is a picture of getting one of the curves pieced in.

It turned out pretty well and I like how it looks.

A close up on the word window.

Oooh no, that's the wrong size now, that bottom blue part is just too wide.

Reconfigured it and now it's the right size.

Decided to do the stitching of the green part right on the quilt sandwich, so it will likely change. The boat will also be added back on in that way.

The two quilts are now sandwiched with backing and batting and ready to be quilted.

Sandwich Workout.

 

Two more quilts are now joining the To-Be-Quilted-Queue, Trinket and Made It Work. My first step is re-ironing the top and the back that have been sitting around waiting to be sandwiched. Then I pin the back up on my design wall, smoothing out all the wrinkles (hopefully).

Then I place the quilt top onto the fusible batting and cut it out to size with some extra batting all around. I use Hobbs 80/20 fusible as it has the fusible on both sides of the batting unlike some others out there. I really dislike using pins to baste so I just go with what works for me.

Then the quilt top and batting are pinned up and smoothed out. Then I get some weight lifting in as I iron it on the wall.

Once it's all mainly fused up, I take it off the design wall and iron the front and back smoothing out any remaining wrinkles. So to be honest, all of that is a whole lot of ironing.

Then I put them in the To-Be-Quilted-Queue pile and think about the quilting designs and threads I'll be using. Whew! It's a workout for sure.

April Tooo-Doooo

 

Here's how the ol' design wall is looking. A lot different from last month's picture. Several things are done and off the wall, like the SJSA blocks and the Fussy Cut Rock Candy piece. It's mostly about the Slopes for now until I decide on a final design and sew all those blocks together.

Now on to the Illustrated To-Do list for the month.

Sew-A-Long-Thingies

Trinket SAL - Begin making the weekly blocks and post them on Instagram

Pantone Project - keep making blocks, sending cards, etc.

Color Collective - get the Slopes top pieced together, make a back for the Clover pillow.

Stitch Happens - decide on borders, make backing, layer, quilt, bind, label.

Temperature Quilt - keep making blocks and start posting about it.

Secret Lives of Color - finish blocks and post about it.

Finish It Up

Checkerboard-ish - Finish quilting, bind, label. Due for SBAMQG 4/4

Climate Change Challenge Quilt - sketch, make quilt, due for BAM 5/10

Sightlines Triptych - sew down facings, sleeves, labels.

Y.E.S. Coat- make more blocks and pieces

Japanese Houses - sandwich quilt bind label

Orange Bullseye-sandwich quilt bind label

Quilt Photography - fingers crossed the power stays on and the stars align.

That is obviously puh-lenty to choose from this month. Now I have to think about what to bring to the BAM retreat in a few weeks...

Triad Appears

 

Et voilà! A triptych appears.

I'm looking forward to quilting these now, a much more manageable size. I used fusible batting which always speeds things up for me. I even remembered to cover the print with something just in case some of the paint wasn't fixed. There were a few little tacky bits, so I'm glad I saved my iron the trouble.

I might use a thread color that matches the central print through the whole thing in lines...Sightlines.

In triad color theory that should work. I'll try it and see.