My last “sewing” for 2017 has been done! I spent a few hours “cleaning up” and “putting away” a lot of mess in my sewing room. I cleaned off my cutting table and put a lot of stuff away. I cleared off my “work table” and made room for a project.
Once that was done, I pulled out my pattern book and box of fabric and basket of blocks for Grandma’s Kitchen – by Pat Sloan.
I stopped working on these in mid October before I left on a trip for a month. These are the first 16 blocks(not in pattern order).
I needed to pick up at block 17 and hopefully finish up at block 25; plus make all the setting blocks. (That is going to take a week or two).
But before I could even begin to sew I had to figure out the layout with the various size blocks and how I was going to “balance” the colors throughout the rest of the quilt. What I decided to do is lay the blocks out, as the pattern indicated, and do a little “coloring” so I could plan the future blocks. (LOTS OF PLANNING still needs to happen!)
Once the planning for the next 2 blocks was done, I got busy and made block 16, and pulled the fabrics for block 17. I think it did help to do a bit of coloring, because I could better understand as I colored in the blocks, where there needed to be more of a particular color. I know I need to get a little more pink and purple and orange into the quilt. I am trying to decide how to do those filler blocks and make sense of them too. I made a decision on the fabric for the “spool block” too. I want to use one of the stripe fabrics I have for the middle of the spool. (While I was sorting piles of fabric, my husband was watching, and figured out what I was up to and provided a bit of his color sense to what I was doing. I find his opinion most helpful).
Meanwhile, my design wall has been full for the last 6 months and I need to get going to get the borders on my Talkin’ Turkey!
That is all it needs. (The blocks and rows and columns are all sewn together, and the borders are made, ready to attach!) I need to free up my design wall!!
I decided that I will “stop again” after block 17, and clear the work table and get those borders on, so I can get the Grandma’s Kitchen blocks up on the design wall! Priorities. 🙂 (It is so much easier to sit back and ponder the layout on the wall than on a flat surface) (I told the hubby I need another design wall…..capable of holding a king size quilt! I just don’t have a spot for it. Wondering if anybody “layers” their design wall and puts more that one quilt on it at a time?? Hmmmmm)
Following all that contemplation and coloring, I did finally do a little sewing – the last for 2017.
I present block 16 for now…..more to follow in 2018!
Happy New Year everyone!
Stitching Grandma 