Now that's making the most of your fabric, Teen! The border corner blocks are perfect...reinforced the diagonal line the dark squares create. Well done!

As IR2 says...the sashing is perfect for your quilt, RetTeach! Lucky recipient to that quilt! And yes I feel your photo taking pain...I too struggle with it.

Teen- wow! That’s an amazing quilt, the more I look at it, the more secondary patterns I see in it. Well done!

Rob

Connie- What a cool quilt! I love the colors and the way the regularity and directional print in the sashing sets of the wonky squares. I think I'd have a hard time parting with that one.

Rob

A second to Rob's posts for Connie and Teen.
Connie, the wonky blocks are wild in colors and the borders were the perfect choice.

More progress with bird panel
 

Attachment 631653 Got square in a square blocks and striped inserts and panels sewn together. Which make the top and bottom borders too short. In this picture I think the top/bottom borders need to extend to the edge of the outside stripes. Aren't photos helpful in seeing the whole affect?

Thank you for the compliments. The designer used a stripe so when I found the fun pattern of the sashing, I decided to try it. (Was actually leftovers from a sheet I used on the back of my nephew’s quilt). Lol!

petthefabric: Very pretty. The colors pull out the panel colors nicely.

Has anyone ever raided 1 project to finish another? And was it the right decision?

I purchased fabrics for Project A over a year ago. Currently working on Project B- LeMoyne stars and realized that this grey flower would make a wonderful border.

This leaves Project A short but since it hasn't been started yet...not the end of the world...right?? (It's just 1 other fabric - purple dragonflies)

Also thinking 2- 3" borders : 1 flower, 1 steel and black binding. Blocks are 10". Comments and suggestions always appreciated.

retiredteacher and Teen, what wonderful quilt tops!

Teen, I recognize that fabric line; it's one I managed to resist, although with lingering regret

Ever raided one project to finish another? Oh yeah, all the time. I call it "cannibalism." :D

I call it charity. I say to the raided project "she needs it more than you" as if I were explaning to a child, why some money goes to charity instead of becoming extra pocket money.

Wow 2 different perspectives on stealing fabric from a "project"...too funny! But if it means using up fabric...who cares?

Top is finished! More details on the UFO thread. 98% stash

Love it! Even better that just a minimum of fabric needed to finish it.

Send math help
 

For the back.
Quilt is 78 x 88. Need 4-6" of overage for the longarm. I have 5 yards and the RK Quilting Calculator says I need 5.25 of std 42". This should not be a problem. Throw in a stripe of something.... probably my 2 extra blocks and some strips of more scraps, a label and boom....but horizontal or vertical seams? So the extra strip gots the 78 direction or the 88?

Maybe I'm tired. Maybe I'm dumb. Maybe I just need a little hand holding.

Rff1010: Here’s my hand! 🤝 I’m not giving suggestions because my math has been off for a few weeks! Lol! I made more work for myself because I changed design plans several times and then got all mixed up. 🙂. You got this though!

Rff1010, If the quilt is 78 x 88, for the longarm I would want the back to measure at least 86x96 (4" all around). 96" is 2 2/3 yards. Two lengths would be 5 1/3 yards, and wouldn't be wide enough for your 86" width. Check your quilting calculator again, because 5 1/4 yards would not be enough.

If you cut your 5 yards in half, you will have two 90" pieces. However you could cut it into two 86" lengths and have 8" left over for piecing. Assuming that you can get 40 usable inches in WOF after seam allowances, you would then need to make a stripe that finishes at 86" x 16" and insert it into the two 86" lengths you've cut from the 5 yards.

On the longarm it is best to have the backing seams running across the bars, rather than down. So if your quilt needs to be longarmed with the 88" of the top lying across the bars, you should consider a different piecing strategy for the backing.

I hope someone checks my math. :)

Got back to my machine for a finish!
 

Trying to sneak this one in before today's postings are sent out.

Ta-Da! Finished!.... Well all except the label, but I don't know who is going to get it or if it will be a donation to Project Linus. All from my stash from top to backing and the batting in between! It feels so good to have a finish. This working thing is really cutting into my quilting time! https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/wink.png

I finished 2 projects. 1 project was a small Christmas throw, I call call Snoopy meets the Grinch. (completely from stash). The other project (I call my “Chiefs,” quillow. This top was from stash and the backing was bought for the project. I’m going to make the latter into a quillow. Sorry no pics.

Confession: I purchased 2 yards of Jane Austen fabric...the one with her personal writing printed on it. I have no plans for it but it was absolutely imperative that I purchase ...the world was ending, the internet was going to crash, so I bought it to use as a bargaining for food needs. Jus saying...

Funny - first I read about Karen and her Jane Austen quilt, you drool over it in the neighbouring thread, then I go here and tadaaa - you bought the JA fabric yourself. Why is the world ending?

Teen- LOL! Here’s a hand back up onto the wagon...

Rob

All through last year I did pretty good and hope to do as well this year. I had to make a basic purchase this week though. I bought 15 yards of WoW. I use a lot of WoW fabrics in most of the quilts I make. I was running low and afraid I am going to run out of what I have on the pineapple quilt I am making right now. This yardage should last me another year or more. It is a general staple and I know this doesn't really count for a buy for the moratorium but for me any fabric purchase can be a dangerous beginning down a dangerous slope to buying fabric. I recently found some fabric that I never even opened from 2 years ago! I was a mess back then. This has helped me so much.

WMUTeach: Great finish!

Teen: Sometimes those purchases just are needed. ❤️

juliasb: It’s nice to have some favorites on hand.

I finally finished my Color Block quilt top for this month. I am calling it my MN Sports Team quilt. 🤷‍♀️ The sports fabric has been donated over the years to my church group and added to my stash. The grey swirly fabric was a purchase several years ago and I just want it used. I like the lightness it adds. Some of the blocks are 16 patches using 2.5” squares. Others are 8.5” squares or 4.5” square 4 patches. My church group will finish and donate. 60.5” by 80”

retiredteacher, great quilt! I think the gray was ideal -- the colors really shine out.

Looks good, Connie! I like the idea of using some larger squares in the color blocks. Isn’t it amazing how quickly these come together and how many scraps they use up?

Rob

Love the pictures.
Yesterday, got quilt for dd cut out. The pattern calls for 12 fabrics. Just couldn't wrap my head around what to use where. Needed the design wall to figure out where each fabric looked best. The pattern takes parts of 4 blocks to make one pattern. She asked for colors I didn't have. I had 12 fabrics but only 5 were large enough. Bought 7 fabrics and too much. And since my stash has very few lg pieces for backs...you get the idea.

Hated to add to stash when I've been down sizing for 5 years and doing good.

Now to get piecing.

Sounds like most of what you bought was needed for current projects or to fill holes in your stash, Petthefabric. So maybe not a major tumble off the wagon....

Rob

In the last two days I have purchased one yard of fabric to coordinate with some in my stash for a baby quilt. Then I used about three yards of stash for two baby quilts. The long story shortened is a friend wanted to make quilts for two grand children. She is not a quilter, so I offered her options from my stash. A good way to deplete the pile of unused cuts from my fabric closet! https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/wink.png We used nearly all of a Beatrix Potter print from 2012 and a big old chunk of blue print for one quilt. The second quilt is 9 15-inch stars based on the Lori Holt Criss-Cross Stars tutorial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sncKxivM5ug My friend purchased some fabric scottie dogs and I added some of my 1930's reproduction scraps to add to her stars. Bottom line with plus and minus for the week-end, two yards of fabric have disappeared from my current stash and my friend is building her quilting skills. Will finish the two quilts in a couple of weeks when we get together again.

BTW- the Lori Holt tutorial is easy and she provided the measurements for three sizes of the criss-cross stars, 15, 12 and 9" starts. I see more of these scrappy wonders in my future.

Just talked with daughter. The project is changing from a large throw for the living room to 2 twin spreds. Only need more of one fabric.

petthefabric: Here’s a hand up. I’m glad you only need to get one more fabric with the decision to go from one quilt to 2.

WMUTeach: Way to go! You used fabric and helped your friend. ❤️ The Beatrix Potter fabric looks familiar. I know I didn’t buy it but it may have been in a church fabric donation,

A falling here...decided to get some sale fabric at LQS...finish the on sale fabric is 45% off so finished one bold (5 1/2 yds) and about the same from another...blue florals on cream background. Then when I went to nearby town for tax appointment stopped at that shop...FQ's 11-20 for 1.75 each..stopped at 11. I bought 2 1.5 pieces for a cow baby quilt...sweet little brown and white cows from Bunnies at the Bay. Hope to use that in a donation quilt.

Meanwhile at the sewing machine the 6" star quilt is pieced in strips; next to sew the strips together and add borders. Refuse to let it become a UFO! In between the 9P's are getting sewn; I need 224 and have 120 done...over half done! Yes blocks all from scraps and stash.

quilting keeps us from the shrink

Of course the world is ending. I can't speak for anyone else but certain episodes of old tv shows hit differently now. Madame Secretary had one about the measles. Mash they all had a flu epidemic. Barney Miller had something else.....it just hits differently now - ya know.

And for the Broadway fans ; Hamilton "World Turned Upside Down"

If you're going to fall, 45% off is a good time to do it!

This post refers back to #226. Got the blocks made with lots left over. So one throw becomes 2 twins with wide boders (out of one of the fabrics). Wanted to let you see the blocks before manipulating them and adding borders. The pattern is "Woven Shirts" from the book pictured. I think it'll be called "Bow Ties".
Attachment 631874 Attachment 631875
Daughter has seen the blocks, likes them and changing to twin.

The quilts are going to spectacular. Your use of color is amazing.

I agree with Irishrose2, marvelous fabric choices!

Oh yes! pettf....I enjoy seeing WIP's here, too.