August Quilt Day: Let There be Colour!

I worked very hard on Saturday to clear up everything I could possibly hope to accomplish this weekend. And I got it done. So when Troy came home Saturday I said I was done for the weekend and that nothing more should be expected of me all weekend. I was going to quilt.

So after church, lunch, etc, I was at it by 3:00. I cut out fabric for about two hours. That is very tiring work!! I was standing the whole time for one thing.

The yellow was easy. I just cut crosswise strips of 7.5 inches and then cross cut them. The red was more trouble. But I did have my brand new tool: a 7.5 inch cutting square. I discovered that I can cut in any direction as I hold the square in place over a circle.

The square came with some non-slip pads on the back and they worked wonderfully. I have trouble with my regular cutting ruler slipping as I cut along it, but I didn't have trouble with a single cut with this one. Love it.

Now once I had enough squares cut out, I thought I would try the whole "design wall" thing. I have laid quilts out on the floor, but you don't get a very good perspective, and it kind of gets in the way of the rest of your life.

So I found my flannel sheet and pinned it to a curtain (figuring that was the easiest way to hang it). I knew, intellectually, that cotton sticks to flannel and it was the thing to use for a design board. But to see it in action was like a miracle. Even my old worn sheet: just get the cotton sort of close, let go, and it sticks!!

I'm telling you: a miracle!! And awfully handy.

So I put up all the yellow squares because they didn't need any special arranging:

And then put the red ones up in between. I tried a couple arrangements of the red circles. I rejected Barn Raising which is probably my favourite (co-centric rings around the center) because it didn't work with the number of squares I had of each design. (There are three different circle patterns.)

So I worked the numbers and settled on a Fields and Furrows layout (diagonal lines). I'm pretty happy with it, but I have it hanging up right now and am living with it before I start sewing.

But I'm pretty sure, so after this blogging and popcorn break, I may start sewing. I'm really anxious to do some actual sewing.

A look at my "studio" in case you were curious:

It's my dining room. All cleared of stuff. (Honestly. All that crap piled up on the right is technically in the pantry. Yes, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

To top off a great quilting day, I now have football on the TV (my new 42" TV!). Even if it is "fake" game, it's good to have it back. I watched the Replacements this afternoon to get myself ready. There's nothing like a movie you've seen a hundred times to go with your quilting.

Gotta go, it's time to sew!!