Follow the Squirrels

Read the lyrics as if you were singing As Time Goes By.

You must remember this

A quilt project is just a quilt project

On that you can rely

The fundamental things apply

Until a new quilt project has caught your eye.

Jeff used to call me squirrel.  I would be doing something, or talking about something and get totally side tracked.  Recently I promised myself I would not start any new things until I finished something.  Yep ...E P I C  F A I L.

The friendship block for guild for the month of July used this Black Eyed Susan fabric, and this block.

The yellow batik was mine, as well as the black batik.  The floral was the guild fabric.  I loved the guild fabric, not my yellow as much.  Loved the block (don't have a clue what it is called, and cannot find the pattern I was given--just remembered the measurements for some reason of the blocks so that I could cut).  I went on a hunt for the floral, according to the lady in charge of the friendship block it was a Timeless Treasures called Harvest and it was the end of a bolt that she had purchased. I found some on EBay and purchased 4 yards of it.  I thought I will make a quilt out of it someday with the black batik, and a different yellow. Well I was at class Saturday, and I saw this luscious golden yellow and thought oh that would be lovely.  I came home with 3 yards of that, more of the Raven Hoffman Batik, and.....well the rest of the story is.

Not a great picture.  But love how it turned out,  the stretched out stars--- Oh My!  I decided it needs a thin black border someplace for the eye to rest, then a 3 inch yellow border and she will be done.

Here is a picture that represents the colors better.

My next distraction....I am blaming Julierose for this one.  She was talking about a Summer Scrappy Star by Butterfly Threads Quilting.  Super cute pattern, and what a great way to use up scraps?  I resisted, until I was looking for 2 1/2 inch scraps, and thought what the hay?  I have a box of 2 1/2 inch squares, and a box of 2 1/2 inch strips.  Of course the pattern suggests using strips to make 9 patches, but I would love to use up these orphan 2 1/2 inch blocks, so I grabbed them and started sewing.

Prints.

I am changing it up and going with neutrals instead of just whites.  Hope it works out alright. Anyway sewing them into units of 3 to make 9 patches.  I need 144 for the colorful nine patches, and 180 of the neutral nine patches.  We won't even talk about the split 9 patches yet.

Now you may ask how did you fall down this rabbit hole?  I blame guild.  There was a copy paper box full of 2 1/2 inch strips they gave me to make charity quilts.  I then saw this cool pattern by Jeni Baker of In Color Order and loved how it could be changed up to fit the size I needed.  So I bought the pattern. 

I just needed groups of five 2 1/2 inch squares--additionally there are some single squares, 3 piece portions, and 4 piece portions.  With a copy paper box full of 2 1/2 inch strips easy peasy right?  I calculated I would need 540 squares to make a 36 X 60 quilt which is the size we use for the gurney quilts. I started cutting from the remnants of the orange and brown quilt. 

I have 350 squares plus some singles, groups of 3 and 4 so far.  Which is why my 2 1/2 inch squares and strips came out in the first place.  I am trying to pull fabrics which are manly, and unfortunately that is tough.  I figure leaves are alright, text alright.  Flowers a no go.

Can you see how I get distracted so easily?

I signed up to take a curvy log cabin class through guild next month.  I received the  materials list.  I have the creative grids curvy log cabin ruler in the small size.

Of course the class uses the large size, and the pattern I needed 15 fat quarters and 3 yards of white, and a focal fabric  I couldn't decide on a color palette, but was thinking fall.

 I decided to cheat and bought a bundle of fat quarter batiks, but one of the light batiks I chose as my background/solid.  I also picked out 2 different fabrics which I thought could be used as a focal.  I like the big sunflowers.

And for those of you that are dying to know after my farm funnies post.

 I did manage to finish all 8 of my flying geese arcs with 40 pieces in each before class last Saturday.  In fact I am actually ahead of everyone because I had these done, and my spikey arcs.

This next month I am working on more simple 3 color arcs....where is the fun and challenge in that?

Do you get sidetracked easily?  I envy those people that stick with one project from start to finish.