Spools & Such

You know.........I get a lot of comments from freinds & family. Mostly comments like "what'yre working on?", "what's up in the quilting world?", "still quilting?"

Yes, I am! You're seeing some chaotic photos of a project of mine that I have been working on since ...oh...about....January 2012 (maybe a little earlier...not sure really)..they are SPOOL blocks. NOT Bow-Ties!! Spools people. Spools. They look like spools to me, not so much to other folks.

In this first shot you're seeing SEVERAL projects in progress - but for the purpose of this post - the finished spool blocks, after ironing, are laid out on my sewing table. This "bunch" represents the last of the spool blocks. 270 +/- of them. I already have something like 436, but I still had a bunch of the end rectangles cut out after finishing the 436 & decided I didn't know how long those stacks of rectangles would have to AGE in my stash before I would (if ever?) use them. So I decided I would just sew them up into more spools!

My, sort of, organized sewing aproach.

I am using my janome 6500 for this project because I can do an accurate 1/4" seam allowance. This machine allows me the lusxury of using a 1/4" foot AND moving the needle left/right to get the accuracy I want & need to make these little blocks perfectly square.

this is all I have left of the rectangles. I had cut up 39 fat quarters to get 7 blocks each. And I still had all these left. I think there MIGHT be a dozen sets. So once I complete a quilt, if I need more for a 2nd quilt, I sitll have a few rectangles left. I'm not jumping on using them up - becasue I know for CERTAIN that 709 blocks is totally more than I need for ONE quilt, but likely not enough for 2. Well not two BED-sized quilts. The one I keep will be bedsized though!

And...My ever-faithful companion, Bourbon! (no...not the liquid form people.....for the record, I don't drink) Bourbon is the D-O-G. He lays were he can see me, see the stairs, and see anyone that might come near me.  See the brown ruffled pant-set hanging from my cabinet? that's something I need to embroider on for my neice , Kendall, in Alabama. It's chocolate brown & I'm gonna put something bright pink on it! 

No promises, becasue I'm pretty sure it won't happen, but my SPOOLS quilt, once the blocks are complete...will likely NOT get completed before Christmas. I was just feeling terrible about not really getting anything DONE, and I have been working on these spools for 2 consectutive guild meetings. I sure would LIKE to take a completed quilt to guild in December, but I'm not fooling myself. That's NOT going to happen. I have many, many (did I say MANY???) projects lined up to get done for Christmas. Some are sewing, some are not. Some are embroidery, most are not. NONE are quilting! I am not making/giving anyone a quilt for Christmas this year. Poor planning on my part. I had only planned on ONE person getting a quilt anyway, and next year is not too late either.

Talk to y'all later. I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We did. Went to my sister's house in Shelbyville (TN) and ate ourselves sick. I made desserts. Apple Dip, Elvis Cheescake, and a Chocolate Chip cake bar thing.. Never before made the last 2. They were both VERY popular!

Sam