Done!

It feels so good to have this done.  That makes two UFO's and two HSY's I've turned into finished tops since I started quilting again.  I'm determined to whittle down those sidebar lists!  Especially since I've been looking at the UFO's list and discovered there are at least two I remember - but haven't found yet - that aren't listed.  I sure hope there aren't any more!

I'm fairly confident this top lies flat - I just don't have a big enough space to stretch it out in.  It is a big quilt - 76" square.  I will finish it with "big stitch" utility quilting using DMD "Cebelia" #437 in a Baptist Fan pattern.

I have four wonderful handmade star "buttons" that came with the kit - one for the crow's eye and three for buttons on the snowman.  They are fragile and not heat resistant, so I will sew them on once the top is quilted and bound.

I think it is time to start some reorganization before I resume work on the Civil War Diaries quilt.  I'm heading upstairs with some sacks to start going through books.  My spinning group meets at the library on Wednesday mornings, so I can take them to donate right away.

All but the outer borders

It took most of the day, but the entire inside of the quilt is together.  I'm very happy with how it looks.  Tomorrow I'll attach the outside borders and cornerstones.  Some piecing of the borders is needed, but it should go fairly quickly nevertheless.

The top is coming together - slowly!

I found the missing fabrics - thank goodness! - so this morning I proceeded with sewing "Cabin in the Pines" together.

There was an important measurement missing in the final instructions for this quilt - the size of the quarter-square triangles forming the stars.  Nor were there any instructions as to how large to cut the squares before cutting them corner to corner to make the triangles.  The finished size of the four on-point blocks was also missing, and there were a couple mistakes as to the cut size of the backgrounds for those blocks.  I did some math, and than added extra to the squares in case I'd made a mistake in my math.  I always cut quarter-squares extra big when used in a setting such as this, as I've found the triangles can be a little too small after attaching if they are cut to exact size.  I really believe in adding extra just in case, and then cutting to size after sewing.

This has made for slow going.  I've gotten this far after 5 hours of work.  I have accurate measurements now, so the rest should go much more quickly.  I don't think I can finish tonight, but I should have no trouble finishing tomorrow.  There are set-in corners on all the rectangular blocks, which take more time, but after all these years I feel comfortable doing those.

I see I got my foot in the picture - that made me smile.

All the blocks are done!

I have finished all the blocks for Cabin in the Pines.  The only applique left is that on the four cornerstones.  Then I'll finish sewing the top together and add it to the collection of finished tops hanging in the longarm room closet.  I'm looking forward to that.  Much as I enjoy her designes, I'm ready to move on to something different from Jan Patek.

So what will I work on next?  I think I'm ready for some machine stitching.  I think I'll break out the CD for the Civil War Diaries quilt and resume piecing.  I have 43 of the 121 blocks already pieced.  I love doing these little blocks! 

Three more blocks done

The December block for Jan Patek's 2009 mystery quilt revealed the quilt is named "Cabin in the Pines".  The final installment also included a picture of the entire quilt.  I really like this one!

Yesterday and this morning I finished three more blocks.

 
That leaves the final three blocks - the snowman, the pineapples, and the potted plant on the right -  plus the four star-in-a-circle cornerstones to applique.  You can see the first part of my quilt sewn together in this post.

Once they are finished it should be easy to sew together a finished top.  It would be if I'd put all the materials together in one place.  That's what I thought I'd done.  I have the striped border fabric.  I have the star point fabric, but I don't think the piece is big enough.  I don't have the yellow plaid homespun that forms the background of the four corner starpoints.  So somewhere in the Black Hole of Calcutta that is the closet, in the huge bins of plaids, must be that fabric.  Or another fabric that will serve.

Once I start feeling normal again I'm going to have to attack that closet.  I need to put the fabrics back on the shelves and the yarn into the tubs.  It's all yarn for sweaters, and right now I'm obsessed with knitting socks.  So it will be fine in the closet until I need it.  Right now I need my fabric!

In an ideal world, one would have a beautiful studio for each of one's hobbies.  But in real life that hardly ever happens, and I'm so very thankful I have plenty of space to manage.  The sewing room hasn't been reorganized for at least two years - must be time to do that again.