Burp! t-shirt quilt is done

One bite at a time, I wrote a couple of days ago.
The last bites of the t-shirt quilt were gobbled down, hence the burp.

I quilted the sashing on Sunday (while watching Poldark).
No sewing on Monday (I gave EQTAS -- Every Quilt Tells a Story--to P.E.O. Chapter LG on Monday evening).
I quilted the borders on Tuesday while watching the vice presidential debate.
I stayed inside on this lovely, sunny, early-fall Wednesday to attach the binding and the label.

Here it is!  (7 yards used for sashing, borders, backing, binding).

Take note! This is my declared OMG for October and it is DONE on October 5!!!

I'm joining these Wednesday linkups:
Midweek Makers
Let's Bee Social

Weekly update: One bite at a time and September stash report

"How do you eat an elephant?"
"One bite at a time!"
That's my approach to quilting the t-shirt quilt.  The first bite was piecing the backing (photo to come).  The second bite was basting it. (I used almost all the basting pins).  An 82 x 86 quilt sandwich is hefty!  The third bite was quilting all the t-shirt motifs.   I started in the center and quilted three motifs down, then went to the right and quilted three down, to the right again and three down. I turned it over and, from the bottom center did the three columns. Then I rerolled the quilt sandwich and, sideways, quilted the motifs in each corner.   That took Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

This evening (Sunday) I will quilt the sashing. I may get started on the border.

The week to come is busy -- I'm out MTWTh evenings and have daytime meetings T and F -- but I am determined to get this quilt finished this week!

Meanwhile, here are sixteen basket blocks for a group quilt I'm participating in.




















And here are nine Dresden plates for the October Block Lotto. (I re-read the instructions. The wedges are supposed to be light-dark-light-dark so I will need to make five more with the correct orientation.)

As for the stash report?
I indulged in September. Oh, wow, did I ever!
September fabric in: 56-1/4 yards, $371 ($6.22/yd)
Fabric out: 14-1/2
YTD fabric in: 345-1/4, $1338 ($3.88/yd)
Fabric out: 215-3/8 
I'll blame that on free shipping -- I placed two orders with Fabrics.com.  They provide free shipping for orders over $50.  Go broke saving money . . . but I did get both the fabric I needed and some that I really liked.


C&T offered free shipping for orders over $50 with their warehouse sale.  I took advantage of that.
Most of these books were $5.00. A couple were more and a couple were less.

See what other quiltmakers are up to!
Monday Making
Oh Scrap!
 Main Crush Monday
 Design Wall Monday

Orphan winners! and OMG progress

My Orphan Adoption was instructive.  What I learned was that people don't follow the instructions! I stated than in order to qualify to win the entrant needed to state which of the two sets of blocks she (or he) wanted and to provide her email address.  More than one person said "either set" and more than one person was a "no-reply" blogger.

However, other entrants did follow the instructions.  I used a random number generator to choose the winners.

Karen won the New York Beauty blocks.  Her blog is  Tu-Na Quilts .

Cathy in California won the Barn Dance blocks.

Congratulations to both Karen and Cathy -- and thanks to everyone who entered!



* * * * * * * *
I wrote that I needed to get going on my September OMG project:  Karleigh's t-shirt quilt.  Eva M was the high bidder for the t-shirt quilt I offer at the Rotary golf outing silent auction. Her granddaughter Karleigh brought the t-shirts over on Labor Day weekend.  I finally got to cutting and fusing and assembling.  Here's the result thus far.

Finished!

I wrote earlier how I'd been procrastinating about the t-shirt quilt I needed to make. (Did I write that about this quilt? Actually, I think I have procrastinated about each of the four t-shirt quilts I've made.)

 I bought 6-1/2 yards for this project (sashing, border, backing).  All I have left are pieces from the border, totaling about 1 yard, and two 2-1/2" strips of sashing.

There wasn't enough backing fabric so I inserted an 8" extender.

I outlined the flowers to quilt the border.

The problem with t-shirt quilts is "blooping" with heavy plastic-y motifs.

I'm adding this to the lime green projects at So Scrappy !
I'm also linking up with
Patchwork Times
Quilting is More Fun Than Housework
Love Laugh Quilt
Cooking Up Quilts

Quilt presented!

 I finished the second t-shirt quilt on Tuesday evening.  6 yards for the setting, backing, and binding. I used a motif from one of the shirts for the label.

I met Michael at the library this morning to give him the quilt. (Allen and Dustin helped hold it up, though Dustin stood behind the quilt.)  Michael was very pleased which meant I was relieved. He gave me a thank-you card with a nice surprise -- a Visa gift card! (The quilt was a raffle prize for which he had the winning ticket.)

I'm so glad to have the two t-shirt quilts completed!

DWM: all set (almost)

 I have been muttering about the two t-shirt quilts I *have* to make.  They are on behalf of the ZB Run Squad which coordinates six 5k run/walk events.  Each run benefits a community agency, two of which I'm involved with (the library and the Coalition for Healthy Communities). The library's assistant director is on the Run Squad steering committee. Last year she said that they were brainstorming ways to encourage people to participate in all six races.  I suggested a raffle for a t-shirt quilt and the committe took me up on the idea.  People bought tickets at each run in 2013 and the winner was announced at the final run of the year. 

Heretofore I have made one t-shirt quilt.  It took me months. (Here is the finished product.)  Because of that experience I approached the Run Squad quilt with trepidation.  Then I had double trepidation because the steering committee asked if I'd make a second quilt as a surprise for one of the members who devotes a lot of time to the committee. 

I've had the t-shirts for months. The 2014 run season is in full swing. This week I got going.
I abandoned all thought of fancy sashing. Lime green is indeed a neutral, as the folks at Quilt Country say.  The flimsy on the left is for the committee member (a woman).   It's half-basted as I write this post. I'm using a bright print sheet [$3 at Salvation Army] for the back.  The flimsy on the right is for the raffle winner (a man).  He had more t-shirts so his quilt will be larger. I ran out of sashing fabric and I don't have any other lime greens that will suit. (Trust me, I searched--I have lots of FQs but I want WOF strips). This particular lime is at Hobby Lobby and I will go there today. 


See what other quiltmakers have on their design walls at Judy's Patchwork Times.

T-shirt quilt: finished!

"Out of the strain of the doing, into the peace of the done."

I offered a t-shirt quilt in the 2008 Rotary auction. Cindy B. was the successful bidder. She wanted a quilt for her son Chris, who graduated from high school this year. In August Cindy brought me the t-shirts that Chris selected. It took me a while to choose from among them, and then decide how I wanted to set them, and then how to quilt the result. (Reading blogs and discussion group posts about t-shirt quilts provided almost too much inspiration!) It's big -- 84 x 87. The quilting isn't perfect (despite fusing the motifs to interfacing, the t-shirt fabric still stretched). But it's done! And Chris will have a quilt for Christmas.

I hope to have a burst of productivity now that this logjam has been broken.