Under a Blue Moon

I made something!

And it only took me seven hours start to finish and that was with taking a break to make and eat dinner.  This is actually made entirely out of scraps.  Even the backing and batting are leftovers from long ago projects.

I admit to feeling a little anxious putting this out there because of the material.  The top is made entirely out of vintage sheet scraps.  I can just picture the quilters that read my blog recoiling in horror.  Vintage sheets (of this ilk anyway) tend to be a cotton/poly blend.  A rather lowly material.  

A few months back I saw this quilt and was instantly smitten with how sweet and humble it was.  I grew up in the 70's and this just instantly reminded me of that time.  

 

I started collecting vintage sheet fat quarters, buying them in small lots on Etsy.  I purchased from several different sellers and without fail each little bundle was beautifully laundered and pressed and sent off in a pretty package.  

I finally amassed enough to make a small lap quilt.  I envision it as the type of quilt you would throw over your legs while reading in a hammock or spread out on the lawn for a picnic.  Something not too precious. 

My plan is to cut 56 – 8.5 inch squares and just do a simple 7 x 8 plain block pattern like the inspiration quilt.   I started cutting out the squares this afternoon and had a long strip left from each piece of material.

I remembered seeing this quilt as you go table runner and thought I would to a trial run with my fabrics and see how it turned out.

Well it sure went together quickly!  You know me – I never finish anything!  I'm like the Sarah Winchester of quilting.

I know it is a quilt as you go pattern but I like the look of the added machine quilting.  Makes it a little more puckery and worn looking.  I opted to go with a plain white backing and binding because I think it gives a lighter and more blended look. 

Okay I got over my nervousness about putting this out there.  But what do you think a machine quilter is going to think when I show up with an entire quilt top made out of vintage sheets?  

In order to read this post I'm going to have to insist you wear a hard hat.  We run a zero accident work-site here.  Well except for the one guy that put a nail through his thumb.   Tetanus shot anyone?

Things are moving along.  Slowly, but moving.  This is interesting – I'm not the least bit concerned with how long things are taking outside. Rick, on the other hand, is finding it a wee bit stressful.  The delays. The occasional set back.

Now when we were doing our interior remodel that was a whole 'nother story.  I had to insist that there were construction free zones at all times (since we stayed in the house during the construction) and the week of Christmas I made our contractor clear everything out of the living room so I could put up my tree and pretend the house was all happy and serene for the holidays.  

The driveway circle is done.  The planter bed along the front of the house is done (and planted!).  

The deck is coming along.  The material (EverGrain) is proving to be a bit more temperamental to work with than anticipated.  The section being worked on (above) is the largest so there is fiddling in getting the boards cut so the seams are "random" (they are anything but – the randomness is totally thought out).  

That is a lift truck at the bottom of my lawn.  Along with the hardscaping and deck work we are also have some tree work done. Dead branches cut out, the occasional misplaced tree removed.  The tree guy has an interesting schedule.  He does great work, has great prices and lives just down the creek from us.  But he'll show up, drive his truck across the property, cut a branch or two and then disappear for a few days.  He'll show up eventually and finish but you just never know when exactly.  

Lest it sound like I'm complaining I have to say that everyone that has been working outside this Summer has been wonderful.  Does great work, competitively priced, conscientious.   I just think contractors are people-pleasers.  So they tell you X will happen by Y because they WANT it to happen and they know it is what we want to hear.   So just take whatever time frame they tell you and double it.  

Look at that terrible walkway above.  That is another project that will happen this Summer.  Only we need to wait for the deck guy to be finished.  We are having the walkways along the back of the house and down the side of the garage redone by the same guy that did the driveway circle and the front flower bed.  

Here is teaser of a picture of the front flower bed.  We bought some plants but if I take a picture straight on they look spindly and sparse.  So here is a shot that makes the plants look a little more lush than they are.  Once they fill in, and we get the driveway circle planted, I'll take more pictures.