Binding Birthday Bash!

My sewing room is very small ... and it is stuffed to the ceiling with treasure!  Flicka finds all sorts of things to get into!  Here she is removing pins from something!  Cats love messy ... so no wonder this is her favorite room!  Mine too!  There is no room to bind quilts larger than a baby size ... so I often let the quilts ready for binding accumulate ... unless it has a deadline ... and move "Her Majesty" to the dining room table.

Earlier this month I shared with you, two quilts that had been quilted.  Mr. DD's log cabin and the first Buzz Cut.  Recently I had the three quilts I pieced last summer out of Vintage Modern fabrics quilted.  These are the pictures that the long arm quilter took before she sent them back to me.

 I have admired this quilter's work for a long time ... and am so grateful that she has taken me as a client!

Five quilts ready for binding ... it was "Fabulous Friday" ... definitely time for a "Binding Bash"!

Step 1:  Prepare the binding!  Sometimes I am organized enough that I make the binding right after I piece the quilt.  I had done that on two of them, but had to pull out my Vintage Modern yardage and get those ready.

I store my binding strips on a clip and then attach it to a ring and hang them up.  It keeps them neat and organized until I finally get around to attaching them to the quilt.  It also serves as a reminder ... to get it done! ;-)

Step 2:  Clear the dining table.  I top the table with a heavy weight vinyl tablecloth.  Protects the table and it is slippery.  That allows me to move and turn the quilt without any resistance.

Step 3:  Set up "Her Majesty".  Of course Flicka had to participate in this operation.  She and "Her Majesty" are very close friends ... sometimes I think they get together and plot against me! ;-)

Step 4:  Place large mixing bowl in position by the foot pedal to hold binding.  I used a metal bowl because it is cold and unbreakable.  Flicka doesn't like the noise of metal or the temperature ... so she left it alone!  Kitties love to play with binding while you're trying to apply it to a quilt!

A fresh needle in the machine ... a full bobbin ... pins ... scissors ... cup of hot coffee ... let's get this party started!

First finish!  Mr.  DD's new couch quilt!

Second finish!  The Thimbleberries Buzz Cut.  I am consistently guilty of over planning and being over ambitious!  I thought I could finish all five in one day!  Silly me ... I forgot that life is still happening around me and sometimes it gets in the way of the best laid plans!  A friend needed several hours of my time ... helping a friend out is time well spent.  No worries ... and no apologies ... I embrace the consequences of my optimism!  

I began early again on Saturday morning ... with a fresh cup of coffee!  Next up was the Vintage Modern Buzz Cut!

I AM ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH THE WAY IT WAS QUILTED!

Done!  And I have fallen in love with this fabric and the three quilts all over again. Holiday party at the Hideout and a wedding took up the rest of Saturday.  Good thing we were so busy, no one missed using the dining table to dine. ;-)  It was a lovely day!

 Day 3 ... look who was waiting to wish me a Happy Birthday!  Two of my favorite family members ... yep, they were plotting!

AGAIN!  AMAZING QUILTING!  I AM SO THRILLED!

Fourth finish!  Yeah!  Only one more to go!

MORE FABULOUS QUILTING!

Five finishes!  Now that is a reason to celebrate!  What a wonderful way to spend my birthday!

Binding remnants never looked so good! ;-)

 Envision Flicka and I performing ceremonial cartwheels around this pile of leftovers!

A three day Binding Bash!  Yep, I party like a Rock Star!  I had a lovely birthday ... dillydallying!  Mr. DD made Brother and I a wonderful dinner ... and we ate at the dining room table!

Do what you love.  Party like a Rock Star!  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally

Star Gazing!

June Morning 

In summer ... our days are very long!  The sun rises hours before we wake up ...

June Sunset - midnight

...and we go to bed while it is still light.  It never gets dark enough to see the stars!

Flicka and I have been creating some stars of our own!  As always ... she was a great help!  Her back leg resting on the bed of the sewing machine really helped me maintain an accurate 1/4 inch seam allowance! ;-)

She had to check the block arrangement to make sure the placement was accurate!

Finally it received her "Double Paw" stamp of approval, and I could begin block construction!

Oh - oh ... she spied some rouge block units!  What would I do without her!

Finally she felt comfortable with my abilities and took a "cat nap"!

After all 20 stars had been pieced, it was time to move on to the center panel!  Like all panels, they come off the bolt nowhere near square.  I love panels ... so it was time to utilize some creative problem solving techniques!

I decided to cut off the snowflake border and recut the tree so that it stood straight ... I then resewed the snowflakes back on.  It meant that I lost about a 1/4 inch on each end of the snowflake border (see above photo) and part of the flakes in the background, but having a straight tree was worth it!

The changes to the center panel resulted in it being a different size than the pattern dictated.  No worries, I just did the math and changed the inner border size in both directions.

Star quilts have always been a favorite of mine ... and I love the results of this sampler!  Twenty stars ... in an oval placement around the center panel ... in one of my favorite colors ... I am happy about it in every way!

The pattern is designed to be a Block of the Month.  It is called Starlight and was designed by Marilyn Foreman of Quilt Moments.  The fabric is Starry Night by Stonehenge.  The organization and instructions in the pattern are excellent!  This is a great project for beginner and intermediate quilters ... everyone will learn many skills that will improve their piecing ... and the result is an heirloom quality quilt!

Yesterday, July 27th, Lila held a "Christmas in July" party at her shop, Cordova Quilters' Hideout!  She highlighted two new holiday fabric lines!

Here she is with the samples using Starry Night by Stonehenge.

Samples made with Holly Taylor's Holiday in the Pines collection.

Both fabric lines on display!  A low number of bolts are all that is required to make those beautiful samples!  Amazing!

Another beautiful pattern using the Stonehenge panel.

This table topper comes from the new book, Very Merry by Sherri Falls of This & That Patterns.

Here, Lila quilted the panel, then made button holes and added battery operated lights.  There is a pocket on the back of the quilt that holds the batteries.  It will cast a beautiful glow during the holidays!

It was great to see my quilt hanging vertically, I'm excited to eventually have it quilted and hang it every Christmas in the years to come!

Lila served punch and Christmas cookies ... such a fun event!  I feel so fortunate to have a local quilt shop that carries all the supplies necessary to complete an entire project!  Oh ... how I love the quilt community here in my remote corner of the planet!

Do what you love.  Celebrate the Holidays!  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally