Finish it up Friday, Making Change

I know most people are saying, "TGIF!"  I am not.  I start on nights tonight.  I am saying, "How can it be Friday already?"  

I had such great plans.  You know what they say?  "We plan and God laughs."  I don't think God laughs.  I think he probably sighs and says, "That is not my plan, my child.  My plan will make sense some day."

I did finish the Making Change quilt for my niece for graduation.  My husband has a such a way with words.  He told me it looked like Walt Disney threw up.  He meant it is BRIGHT.

He isn't wrong about that.  I think she will love it!  She better or I have people with beating sticks ready to change her mind!

Side note here:  My clothes line is not very tall.  When they were putting the posts in the ground my husband wanted the lines to be 7' or 8' in the air.  There was a discussion between him and #3.  I was called in.  I pointed out I am just under 5'4" and that was awfully high for me.  They ended up under 6'.  They are a little low but I will not complain.  Do you like my clothes line props?  They are PVC pipe with notches cut in to fit over the clothes line.  I store them inside in the winter and they are easy to wipe down when I wipe the dust off the clothes lines before use.  Now that I don't HAVE to use the line year round, I enjoy it in the nicer months.

Back to the quilt!  I backed it with a batik from Connecting Threads.

The binding is a pink batik, also from CT.  She loves hot pink and orange together.

Here is a close up of the quilting.

The pattern is called Hearts A Flutter.  I just realized I had the shadow of the other clothes line on both these pictures.  Ansel Adams I ain't!  The quilting is done in a variegated pink from Aurifil.  I like their thread.  It has no lint and quilts beautifully.

I made a label on my embroidery machine.

You can see just a wee bit of the binding.  Her mom and dad were adamant it needed a label.  They think the labels are great.  I hate hand work.  Hand is a 4-letter word, you know.  But, after putting some labels on and quilting over them, I decided I didn't like that.  So, now I sew them on by hand.  That sucker has such tiny stitches it would take a bug to get a toe caught in it.

Stephanie, a friend of mine from blogging, may recognize the backing.  I honestly couldn't see me using it again and I had a piece that was 2 to 2 1/2 yards by 12" or 14" that I cut off the backing.  Odd shape but totally usable.  So....I sent it to her.

My other finish this week was the center for my BOM.

The green will still need trimmed.  I measured the white part and measured I was 1" too small.  That made no sense.  I could see a half inch but not a full inch.  I added the orange and measured again.  Now I was two inches too small. I double checked all my seams and my measurements.  Couldn't figure it out.  So, I cut the next strips an inch wider.  Sewed them on and now it is an inch and a half too wide - Right where I expected to be!  GRRRR!  The fabric frays so badly I think having it too big and trimming it later will be fine.  All the blocks going around it are on point, too.  So, I am going to wait and trim it when I have the others ready.

Do you see the laundry in the background?  That is my son's bedding from school.  He brought it home in plastic bags but did not open them.  After being in plastic bags for a week I thought I might need a gas mask.  He informed me afterward that they hadn't been using their AC and he knew it was bad.  UGGHHH!  I thought I might need to throw it out.  Washing twice with borax and a day on the clothes line and you can't tell.  Boys!  The things they will do.

My kids are coming home tonight for Mother's Day.  So, lots of cleaning and cooking to do today.  Then, off to work.  Had my MIL back in the hospital this week.  So, need over there today, too.  I hope I sew a little this weekend but am not counting on it.

Happy Friday, all!

I am going to try linking up with a few blogs.

Confessions of a Fabric Addict:  Whoop Whoop!
Marcia's Minutes for Me
AmyLouWhoSews


Keep Stitchin'!

Mary