Snow Days Quilt Top is FINISHED!!!

Yup.  That's right!  I am done!  Finished!  

I am so pleased - with it AND with myself - I can barely stand it! This quilt top has taken a very long time to complete.  I started it in March of 2011...5 1/2 years ago.  And, now that I am this far, I would love to have it custom quilted; therefore, I need to save some pennies (dollars!).

But, hey!  You don't want to hear all of that...you want to see it.  Right?

Okay,  here we go...

(be sure to click on the photos to get the BIG picture)

66 x 66 inches

  

bottom left

middle left

top left

top right

middle right

bottom right

So.  There you have it.  What do you think??


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Snow Days...Closer and Closer!

Still moving along on my Snow Days quilt.  I finished the center section last night!!! I did a happy dance...believe it!!   ~grin~

Here is the center section...

It measures 36 1/2 inches square and was made in 5 sections.   There are 46 elements to this center section...Squares, HSTs, Flying Geese, Churn Dash blocks, Cut the Corner blocks (33 pieces to each of these blocks), Martha Washington Star blocks (28 pieces to each of these blocks) and Pinwheels.  I am in the process of sewing the borders on, but had to stop because there was a bit more stitching (backstitching - as in embroidery/stitchery - that is) to do. A tree that was on the outside edge of the bottom border extends onto the inside edge of the right border.  You will see what I mean when I post the finished quilt top photo.  

I can see the finish line!!!




"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Snow Days - ALMOST DONE!!!

I put some time in and finished all of the blocks for the center of the Snow Days quilt!  I cannot quite believe that I am this close to finishing!  And, it didn't seem like as big of a job as it did any other time I thought about working on it.  I guess I just had to have my head in the right place, hey?  

Here are the rest of the blocks...

Cut the Corners block 12"

Cut the Corners 6" and 9" blocks

Martha Washington Star block 9" block

Martha Washington Star 12" block

Martha Washington Star 6" block

These blocks took a lot of time to make...and some patience. Each Cut the Corner block consists of 33 piece and each Martha Washington Star block consists of 28 pieces.  That is a lot of cutting and piecing!  They are lovely blocks, though, don't you think?   

These next few days are busy, so I am unsure of when I will get the center pieces (all 46 elements) put together.  It will, no doubt, take a lot of arranging and rearranging and I want to take my time with it.  

In the meantime, I did a lot of chain-piecing yesterday...

More on this next time.

Today is Friday...have a great weekend!

 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Snow Days...WHAT?

Hold onto your hats!  I am working on my Snow Days quilt.  Again...and for the final time.  Read all about the journey here, then here.  Before I moved, I had just the center blocks to piece.  But, you know how I am with random and colors...every single time I thought about working on it, I just could not handle all of that thinking.  ~grin~  Well, then the decision to move was made and you all know the rest.

So.  Here I am.  Trying to clear the decks, so to speak.  Getting old projects finished, quilts quilted (some of them, anyway), and the list checked off.

I pulled out Snow Days last week and took a peek at what I had left.  Yup, just need to piece those center blocks.  Not a job for the faint at heart.  At least that is what my feelings have been.  Somehow, though, things just sort of clicked into place.  46 elements to that center...some of them just simple squares, some HSTs, some blocks.  As of last night, I had 39 of those completed!  YAY!!!

Here they are...

15 squares, 8 HSTs, 2 pinwheels

2 churn dash blocks

5 more churn dash blocks

6 flying geese blocks

That's not bad, hey?  I am super excited!!!  The last 7 blocks are more complicated than any of these elements I've finished thus far. Goal is one per day.  Wish me luck!


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Stitching On Snow Days...

I am actually following my plan and getting some stitching done in the evenings whilst sitting in front of the tv! 

I told you that there were mostly tree branches that needed to be drawn/extended onto the pieced blocks.  And, that's exactly what I've been drawing...tree branches!  It's much more difficult, though not impossible, to trace these lines through colored fabric than it was to trace through Kona Solid in Bone.  I am getting it done...though stitching lines that I cannot see is definitely a first!  Good thing no one else will know exactly where those stitched lines should be, hey?  ~grin~

It does make a huge difference in the look of this project.

Here is the 'before' photo of block 14...

And, here is the 'after' photo...

I am in love.  Course, I have been since I started this project 4 years ago.  I guess I forgot how much. 

Tomorrow is Friday...according to the weather people, we're in for some warmer (30's+) temps!  woohoo!!



"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Snow Days Revisited...Again...Seriously!

You will be happy to know that I am working on my Snow Days quilt.  Again.  Seriously!    

For those of you who have not been reading my blog for the past 4 years...here is a quick recap.

Sharon - of MoosecraftUSA blogging fame - and I started a BOM in February of 2011.  Snow Days.  She actually did the BOM thing...where she received a box of fabric from the host shop each month.  I received the pattern for my birthday and bought my own fabrics.  

Here is the pattern cover...

And, here are the fabrics I purchased...

To continue.  I finished stitching all 14 blocks within 11 months.  woohoo!  And, then I did nothing for a year.  In 2013, I pieced all of the fabric blocks that go around the border of the quilt...those that attach to the stitched blocks I had completed.  Since then, I have done very little with it.  So.  Here we are in 2015...I must be able to work on this in only the odd-numbered years.  (huh?)  

Today, I cut stitched blocks to size and sewed them to pieced blocks.  I have four more to go, but I am done for today.

Here are the blocks that are now ready for the next step.  (Ignore the measurements written on the paper tags...those are the sizes I needed to cut the stitched block.)  Without further adieu...

 

There is more stitching to do on some of the blocks.  Extensions of the tree branches.  That will keep me busy in the evenings for awhile.  And, I need to piece all of those center blocks!  I will get this done!  

Hope you're having a pleasant and productive weekend!


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Easter Evening...

 I hope you all had a Blessed Easter!

It was quiet around here.

I managed to get some sewing in.

Here are the pieced blocks to go

with stitchery block 6...

 

(I apologize for the sad state of my stitchery pieces.

They are obviously in desperate need of pressing!)

I also had time today to cut all the

pieces for the next set of blocks.

It surprises me how quickly

I am getting these done. 

But, you know...

when working on these blocks, 

 I think that I spend as much time

choosing the fabrics and cutting the pieces

as I do sewing them together! 

ohwell...I am having fun!

Have a great work week!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

And...More Snow Days.

To make sure I got some sewing in this weekend, I sat down and pieced these blocks at suppertime last night...

Here they are with stitchery block 5...

The pinwheel block and the martha washington star block are 6.5 inch blocks...talk about a lot of seams in that star one!  WOW!  It's not difficult, though...just lots of seams in a small area. 

I am now about 1/3 of the way finished with the outer border blocks!  Trying not to look ahead, but to take it one step at a time.  There are a gazillion blocks to piece for the center of the quilt and if I took the time to think about them...well, I think I would be very much overwhelmed.

I did not sew or knit or anything today...was busy with some cleaning and moving around of furniture.  Trying to fit lots of stuff in a small space is a constant challenge.  You know what I'm saying, right?  So, I rearranged and reorganized a few things to make it look less cluttered in here.  It helps my mind to not be so cluttered when my stuff is more organized.  But, when I am working on more than one project at a time, I tend to not put things away.  Which, then, causes clutter.  Lots of it.  So.  Eventually it gets to me and I need to do something about it.  Got all that?  ~grin~   

For your viewing pleasure, here is sleeping Kisa...

No photos of Tag today.  Sorry.  (and the only reason you got this photo of Kisa is because she was laying right next to me...I quickly snapped the photo just to put in this post. ~grin~)

Have a Blessed Easter!



"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

The One with Block Four...

Finished putting together all the fabric blocks to go with stitchery block 4...whew!  Together they make up the upper right corner of the  Snow Days quilt. 

I laid all the pieces out so you could see what is going on.

Tomorrow is Monday...already!

Hope you had a great weekend...and that your work week goes well!