Scrappy Lives Up To His Name

Scrappy found a pile of fabric scraps I pulled out and tossed on a chair. I've never seen a dog who likes to nest as much as this boy. Being short-haired and originally from Northern California, I suspect he's going to need a lot of blankets this winter. I'm thinking of putting the king-sized bed quilt I've been making for the past several years on hold in order to make a quilt just for Scrappy. I think he'd appreciate it.

Backing Finished, But...

I finished piecing together the backing to my Storm at Sea king-sized bed quilt, and was able to finally put the ironing board away. No more freezer paper! Whoopie!

I laid it over my bed and was a bit shocked by it's length and width. I added a few inches when I took my measurements last year, because I wanted to fold the edges over and use the backing for the border to speed things up.

However, my measurements of the top must have been way off, because when I laid the Storm at Sea top over the wave backing, the backing was way wider than the top. The length is workable, but I'm going to have to make 16 more Storm at Sea blocks to get a better match in size. Of course, I could just cut the excess off the back, but that would make my scrap stash unmanageable and I actually would like the quilt to be wider and drape over the edges of the bed.

So, I doubt I will meet my goal of getting this quilt done before this winter. I may have to give myself another year. If I didn't have two jobs, I wouldn't need an entire year, but spare time is something that comes around so rarely for me. The only reason why I was able to finish the backing this week is because I'm on vacation.

Hit a Snag

It's my unintentional M.O. to get down to the wire on a big project and then have some freak problem that sets me so far back that I lose my enthusiasm and either put the project on the back burner for a while (since it causes me too much aggravation) or abandon it all together.

The backing to my Storm at Sea quilt was supposed to just be rows of waves deepening in darker hues toward the bottom. However, now that I'm close to finishing the bottom, I discovered that I cut the last few rows two-feet too short. At first I thought, "No problem. I'll just sew on two more feet of each fabric."

However, upon surveying my stash, I discovered that I didn't have any more of these fabrics. I would have to use something different. I then came up with the creative idea of making an island with a lagoon way out in the ocean and tack those fabrics onto the missing two feet of ocean.

I didn't want to shape the island and lagoon like a real island and lagoon would look, but I wanted to keep it abstract like the rest of the quilt. I decided to install it in blocks instead of curves. Unfortunately, I put the second section of the island on the opposite end of the row from where it should have been and had to correct it by cutting off the existing seam and resewing it on the other side. That resulted in the island's seam not lining up with the lagoon's seam, so now this island is going to turn out even more abstract than I had planned...

I'm at a point where I don't care anymore. I just want a nice, new warm quilt for my bed this winter. Since this is the back of the quilt, we probably won't look at it much anyway.

Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and say, "Oh well."

Still Chipping Away at My Waves

I'm still chipping away at making my waves for my Storm at Sea quilt backing.

I have six more rows to go.

Once this is done, I can sandwich the batting between the quilt top and the backing, quilt it together, and apply the border.

This project has taken so long that I don't think I'm going to get fancy with the border. I'll just pick a fabric, scallop the edges, wrap it around the sides and sew it on. I think I might actually get this quilt done by this winter. One year overdue isn't too bad.

On a Roll Now

Now that I have finally figured out the engineering aspects of how to create the backing I envisioned, I'm on a roll. I fold the seam over freezer paper, iron it all down, and pin it to the piece I want to overlap.

Then I sew it on using an over-edge stretch stitch. I felt that if I just used a straight stitch, I'd probably not catch the entire length of seam. Plus this wider stitch allows me to cover up the points where I would rather there be curves. If I don't clip the curve just right, it comes out as a point, but I figure I've spent too many years working on this quilt to be a perfectionist now. I just want something warm on my bed that hasn't been shredded by our dog's toenails.

Next I tear the freezer paper off. I have never worked with freezer paper before, and am pleased with its ease of use. It's easy to cut, easy to iron on, easy to sew through, and easy to tear off.

Once that layer is done, I start all over with the next strip of fabric to make beach waves overlapping other beach waves.

By George - I Think I've Got It!

I gave my attempt at creating waves on the backing one last try. Since the shape of the waves had already been cut out of the fabric, I had to cut the freezer paper along the seam, leaving room to fold the fabric over. I had to pin the freezer paper on as I cut it, and then lay the monstrosity on the ironing board.

The first thing I noticed was that the seam wouldn't fold over unless I cut slits in the hills and dales. The next thing I noticed was that right where the seam folded over at the slits, the hills came out pointed. Perhaps I should cut a V shape instead of just a slit for better results. However, I wasn't too concerned, as I can sew over the points to create curves with the thread.

I also learned that I should remove the pins before ironing each section, because if I barely touch a plastic pinhead with the iron, it melts.

It's all a learning process.

More on How Not To Make Curves

I'm down to my last day of my holiday vacations and still haven't had the time, energy or inspiration to quilt. However, I knew if I didn't do SOMETHING, I'd feel very disappointed in myself. Finishing this Storm at Sea bed quilt has been on my To Do List for well over two years. Every year I say I'll do it over my winter break, since I'm usually busy working with my horses whenever I have time off in the other three seasons. However, I've been sick with a series of health problems throughout most of my time off. Today, the last day of my time off, was the first day I started feeling 100%.

I didn't have the time to deal with freezer paper, pins, and pressing, so I tried sewing the waves onto the beach freestyle, turning down the seam of the curves as I sew. It didn't work. The fabric is still puckered. Once I rip the thread out, I'm going to have to resign myself to reading my quilting books on the subject of quilting curves, using that freezer paper and pins, and pressing a lot. If I hadn't already cut the strips for the waves, I'd abandon this design and just do something simple with a straight-stitch for the backing.

We need a new bed quilt. The dogs have managed to shred all of our old bed quilts with their toenails. Plus I'm cold at night. I've had chills off and on and am constantly shivering in the bedroom. I can't seem to get warm enough despite piling many layers of blankets and quilts on top of me.

If I abandon the curvy wave design for the backing, I won't take my quilting to the next level. I want to be able to do more with fabric and can't let a lack of time constantly be forcing me to take the easy route. I think I'll just have to take my time with the project and shoot for having it on our bed next winter.

On another note, there's something to be said about having your own space to quilt. I've got a husband and two kids home for winter break, and even when I put the ironing board in the corner of the family room, I've still got people and dogs tripping over me. The hassle of always having to shift here and shift there to make room for other bodies while I'm working on a large quilt causes me to lose my enthusiasm for the craft. Ultimately, winter break is not a good time for me to plan to quilt. Neither are weekends. I'll either have to take a vacation at a time when no one else is home and it's warm enough to put the dogs outside, or I'll have to just wait until I retire to get serious about quilting.

I had my time to quilt when the kids were young and I was able to stay at home with them. Until I can stop working full-time to pay the bills, my fabrics will probably remain on the shelf collecting dust. There. I said it. Now I just have to accept it.