Posted on by agilejack

Vacation Baby! And a Blue Finish

I am officially on vacation. I will pick my friend up at the airport early tomorrow afternoon. I do have to do one phone call for work. I plan to drive to the airport and do my call as I sit at the end of the runway watching the planes land and take off as I wait for my friend to arrive.

I’m really looking forward to the next ten days! It’s going to be a luxury to step away from the stress of work. I need some time off. Some really good news is that we’re in for some spectacular weather while my friend is here.

Today was a bit of a hectic day. Lots of last minute touching in with my team, my boss, and others. So many things to wrap up when you’re going to be away from the office. So it felt extra special to step away from my desk tonight.

Unfortunately, it’s been another rainy day so we have all been stuck in the house again. Bender and Rico were not amused as I labored away in my sewing room tonight.

The time I spent in my sewing room was accompanied by the sounds of whining and barking.

I hope to get us all out for a walk before I head to the airport tomorrow.

I had a goal to finish the blue quilt top before my friend arrives and I got it done tonight! I only had four rows to finish and had them done in no time. Here they are on my cutting table after being assembled and pressed.

Before I sewed it to the previous six completed rows I sewed that line of stabilizing stitching all the way around the outside edges. And then I pinned and sewed the final seam.

It’s nice to have it all done, and just in the nick of time.

One last little piece of eye candy.

If the weather cooperates tomorrow I’d like to take this top outside and get some good photos of it. Then I need to write up the tutorial. It should be pretty quick to do.

My friend called me tonight just to check in before her arrival tomorrow. We agreed that the first thing we’re going to do when she’s here is finish my Australian Aboriginal quilt top that we started when she was here last summer. You can go back in time to see that quilt in progress in this blog post. Here’s all the pieces to this quilt top pinned to my portable design wall.

All we have to do is square up the four corner pieces, add a line of stabilizing stitching and then sew the corners onto the center panel. It’s probably not more than a couple hours of work. It is a bit cumbersome to finish it up so it will be good to have an extra pair of hands.

It’s really past time to finish this thing up. I’m planning on using it on my sofa. I think it will be a nice addition of color to my living room.

The last thing tonight… someone commented on my blog and asked about the yellow wall hanging that appeared in the photo of my SIL and her pile of fabric a couple nights ago.

It’s a free form, sort of improv quilt as you go wall hanging that I made many years ago. I made it with some Kaffe Fassett Collective scraps that my friend gave me. It was before I started collecting KFC fabrics myself. But I knew I loved the fabrics. I just had no idea how deep into the rabbit hole I would go.

It’s never actually been finished. You can see that it’s held to the wall with Scotch tape! Here’s a closer look.

It’s a fun little piece. I should probably take a few minutes and add a binding and a way to hang it more permanently.

Vacation! I already feel more relaxed!

51 Replies to “Vacation Baby! And a Blue Finish”

  4. Happy vacation!ā€‚Does your friend play pickleball with you when she’s here?ā€‚can’t wait to see what your visits to fabric shops nets you.ā€‚Happy sewing to you both.

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  5. Your blue beauty is so pretty I had to show it to my husband.ā€‚I enlarged the picture and pointed out key points, he is very good at knowing about quilts. He thought it beautiful too.ā€‚Hope you have a great vacation.

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  6. Wow weeeee! I love the orange and yellowā€‚KF wall hanging. Please finish it! Yay, vacation and your partner in fabric crime on her way šŸ’•. I am looking forward to seeing the beautifulā€‚Aboriginal quilt done too! Hi Rico and Bender šŸ„°

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  9. Have a great vacation!ā€‚Seems like you always do with good friends, good food, and a fun time doing what you love in your sewing room.ā€‚Your boys are so stinkin cute!ā€‚Those faces are priceless.ā€‚Looking forward to the tutorial on this quilt.ā€‚

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  12. Have a great vacation and enjoy being with your friend!ā€‚I so love your quilting, it inspires me very much and the blue beauty you just finished is awesome. I am searching thru my stash finding material to copy it if I can. I am anxious to read your tutorial about it. Thanks for sharing your talent with us

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  14. I had to laugh at the photo of the boys…they look just like my labs do before meals! Border collies love their outings, labs love their dinner : )

    The blue quilt is fabulous. Can’t wait to see it quilted!

    And the wall hanging is beautiful….how about facing it rather than binding?

    Enjoy the vacation Anne, and looking forward to seeing what you two do with those aboriginal fabrics!

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  15. I enjoy your blogs when your friend visits. Actually I enjoy all of your blogs – lol. Your quilts are always inspirational and I want everything you make in my house. I hope you have the ā€œbest everā€ vacation with your friend and hug the boys for me.

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  17. Your blue quilt is beautiful! So complex in design yet so light and airy feeling. And I am not particularly fond of blue!!

    Enjoy every moment of your vacation.

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  18. I really appreciate your blog and the great pics.

    I live in a great city in Canada but sadly no one sells KF fabrics. I do order them from a terrific quilt shop in eastern Canada but not seeing the fabric in person is not the same. I love to see how you use all your wonderful KF fabric and it is a great inpiration.

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  19. I really appreciate your blog and the great pics.

    I live in a great city in Canada but sadly no one sells KF fabrics. I do order them from a terrific quilt shop in eastern Canada but not seeing the fabric in person is not the same. I love to see how you use all your wonderful KF fabric and it is a great inpiration.

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    1. It’s definitely good to see the fabrics in person. But I do order a lot online, mostly fabrics that I know. But I do often order new collections sight unseen.

      Thanks for reading!

      Anne

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  20. I absolutely love your blue quilt. You make the most interesting quilts. Iā€™ve seen and I am a little jealous and would be tempted to steal some, they are different from traditional, very colorful and I love them. Enjoy your vacation and you and your friend can sew up some more exciting quilts.

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    1. I’m definitely not a traditional quilter. While I can appreciate the work that goes into them, I like a more vibrant and less fussy approach. It’s all about the color for me!

      Anne

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  23. A–Yet another joy-filled post. Thank you for that! Have a terrific vacation with lots of conversation, sewing, eating, and trips to here and there. Just keep us posted about your goings on so we can say “Oh I want to do that” or “I want to eat that”. I love the yellow–especially taped to the wall! It’s beautiful just as it is. Maybe no binding? –Kate

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  26. Stop! Just stop! I love everything you’ve been doing. I brought my Abo fabric out from the deep dark corner and started doing a disappearing 4 patch. Now this Kaffe Fassett quilt! Arrrgghhh!! Now I need more Kaffe!

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