{Post 1,164} Center Wild Geese Finished

All sewn and pressed!  Now for a one-piece outer border...

{Post 1,163} Wild Geese Webbed!

I decided against the cream cornerstones.  They stood out a bit too much, so back into the drawer they went.  In the next drawer up, I found a stack of golds.  I used them and webbed the top.  All the sewing is finished in one direction. I only sewed the top two horizontal rows together before I hit the wall, and here is what I have so far...

I like the somber color of the sashing...I think it makes the individual blocks sparkle.  But that's just my opinion!

After the rest of the horizontal seams are sewn, the quilt center will measure 52" x 62".  A good size for a throw.

{Post 1,162} Tree of Life Border and Wild Geese Sashing Prospect

Well, well...so much quilty finishingness going on here.

Here is my Tree of Life quilt with the bright red border.  I'll tone it down a little with a dark backing and binding.

Folded in half on the design wall:

Here is a potential sashing and cornerstones for the Wild Geese blocks.  The sashing is a fabric I just received yesterday.  I found the cream squares in a drawer.  Don't know why I had them cut, but here they are.  They are one of my favoritest ever Thimleberries creams, so I think I'll use them.  Best to get them out of that drawer and let them live, right?  Bonnie Hunter would be so proud!

{Post 1,159} Block Comparison

I continue to work on these Wild Geese blocks.  Being the scrap generator, there are always more pieces to work into the blocks.  Plus, I'm thinking of using one of the soon-to-arrive bolts for sashing, so no hurry on those.  Now that I've decided to go the sashing route vs. the alternate block route, I have to piece more blocks anyways.  Not.  A.  Problem.

This morning I made up one of these blocks for a Christmas present for someone.  I think they're called Charming Squares or something like that.  It is a Moda free pattern.  You can find it here.  

The Wild Goose block is 8" square.  The Charming Squares one is 14".  The smaller one is sooooo many more pieces and seams, but I love the smaller ones.  The larger ones have their charm, but it's the tiny pieces that stir my interest.

After some deliberation yesterday, I put a few more items in my Etsy store.  A set of 10 cream Thimbleberries FQs and a starter kit for Kitty Cat Charm.  I will be putting new stencils and books in there soon as well.  I think I'll give it the rest of the year and then go back to eBay if this doesn't work out.  there are advantages to both sites.  My store name is ShelbyStitcher.  You can get there from this link.

{Post 1,157} Wild Geese and Snowballs

I bound, washed, and dried the gift snowball quilt tonight.  Hope to get it in the mail tomorrow.  It's hanging over my quilt frame here.  Moral of the story:  adopt one of my kids and do many, many things for them, and YOU might get a quilt next!

The Quiltmaker magazine has a new scrap pattern by my friend, Bonnie Hunter.  When she started paper piecing these little blocks, there was no pattern, so I drew my own.  I have 100 of the little buggers finished (which will make 25 blocks), so I started laying out a design for them.  Ironically, the magazine came out a few days ago.  I was going to set them w/o sashing strips and put an alternate block made of 4 squares (essentially a 4-patch).  It was too difficult to make them match perfectly with all the thickness of the many seams.  I ripped out the couple I had sewn and added the sashings.  These are 8-1/2" square as they are.

Now I am thinking about putting a wider dark scrappy (or not) sashing between these 4-patch wild geese blocks with a gold cornerstone.  Just an idea I'm throwing around.  I'm about to figure out how large the quilt would be if I do that.

{Post 1,123} Fifty-Six Wild Geese

I am trying out some layouts for my geese.  I don't want them side by side because the quilt would be soooo heavy with all the tiny pieces, plus the seams won't nest.

Not crazy about this layout on the gold fabric.  Notice I have all the geese flying out horizontally from the center.

{Post 1,122} Forty-five Wild Geese

I have enjoyed making the last few of these blocks so much more than the first!  On the trip to my FIL's surprise 80th birthday party, I tamed all my stash of shirts, Thimbleberries, and some random leftovers from baby quilts, etc.  Now I just reach into the appropriate pile and get the right sized piece for paper piecing.  So fast, and much less waste.

Don't really have a plan for these other than to tame my overabundant stash of scraps.  Making little plastic templates really helped as well.  When I eye-ball a piece, it's sort of like putting leftovers away...the container is always way too big for the amount of food!

These are 4" unfinished:

{Post 1,119} Wild Goose Blocks

These little blocks are paper pieced.  Last night I had an epiphany about them.  I don't like paper piecing because I hate to waste even the tiniest bits of fabric.  I don't like digging around to see what size piece best fits the place that I need a scrap of fabric to fit!

So last night before I took my daughter to karate, I cut plastic templates for the 3 sizes of pieces in this block.  I took my scrap box and cut cut cut the whole 75 minutes I was there.  I got nearly all the box tamed!  So now I'm going to add to it a handful at a time from my color boxes (only the smallest pieces).  I made it easy peasy.  I used Ziploc sandwich bag with the piece written in large letters on the outside.  I cut the biggest template I could out of each chunk of fabric.  Now when I sew, I will know which bag to look in.  

I don't have a goal for how these blocks are used.  I am just going to keep making them.  I drew the pattern myself.  They are 4" square unfinished.  Soooo cute in person!  Mostly Thimbleberries, but a smackerel of shirts and oddballs that sneaked in there somehow!

{Post 1,109} Are Those Quilt Blocks?

What do you know?  Quilt blocks on my hairdo blog!!

Here are some paper pieced blocks I worked on this AM.  I am going to make them when my scrap box gets too full.  Since it's a plastic spinach box, that happens rather quickly.    These are 4" square unfinished.  I'm taking them in my to-go bag for de-papering in my free time tonight before church.

No real solid plans for them yet other than to make a bunch!

Spent the first part of the sewing time piecing a back for my grandson's first quilt from me.  Head on over to my secret blog to see it.  If you don't have the URL, email me, and I'll get it to you.