Yeah! The third UFO project of the year has achieved "quilt top" status!
I suspected this one would go pretty quickly, and it did. In the last blog entry, I had started sewing the string blocks into half-square triangles with a plain white background. There were quite a few on the design wall, even at that point.
A lot more of that, and I ended up with a full design wall:
There were too many to fit on the wall, so I arranged some on the tables, instead. Putting them in order on cutting mats worked out well, because I was able to stack the mats and keep them all in the desired layout, but stacked up to leave room for joining and pressing.
I joined them in groups of nine, where possible. This was a manageable size for using the webbing technique of joining. Once I finished a row's worth of these "nine-patches", I joined that row, pressed it, and set it aside. With all rows finished, I then sewed those together. (I'm probably over-complicating things with that explanation, as usual! 😜)
I'm not sure if stay-stitching has as much value for a project of this kind, but I decided to do it, anyway, since it may be a while before I get around to quilting this one.
Here are several photos of the finished quilt top!
This was a quick, fun project. Well, quick if you only count the amount of time spent working on it, rather than the time between starting and finishing! I do love string-piecing! Some of my seams don't match up perfectly, but most are pretty good, and once it's all done, no-one will notice— much less care!
It feels good to finish another UFO project! (Well, "finish" except for quilting and binding!) So much so that I've gone ahead and dug another one out to work on, before I allow myself start anything new. This next one's been stowed away for a while, but more on that in the next blog entry.
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This next thing is a mini project. Donald tends to feel the cold a lot, these days. His hands in particular get cold, so I offered to make him some quick-and-easy crochet fingerless gloves to wear while he works at the computer. He was sometimes using a pair I made a long time ago, but those are cotton and aren't particularly warm. This time, I used sock yarn in a merino/nylon/bamboo blend that I had in my stash.
I've made this pattern ("Firecracker Gloves" by Ria Saakshi) several times before, but it's been over a decade since the last time. (WHAT??? I only know because I just checked those project notes to find the pattern name and designer. I can't believe it's been that long! Feeling old, now...💀) ANYway... I don't love working with this yarn, because I find it splitty. It's also a bit thinner than I like, for something that's supposed to be sock yarn, but I don't have much left, now, and it's discontinued, so little risk of accidentally buying more. (Not that I've bought any yarn in quite some time! Now my guilty pleasure is hoarding fabric...)
I like the pattern, but working it in a solid color yarn was a bit dull. I was just glad to be done with the mitts. They look a bit odd at the thumbs, because I picked up too many stitches. Oops! I was too lazy (and just wanted to BE DONE with them) to rip back and re-do. They fit fine, look okay when worn, and are really just for around the house.
This project was a reminder that it's been quite a while since I did much crochet or knitting. I wouldn't mind doing more of both... I do enjoy both crafts, and with their portability and near silence, they're a good fit for certain times and circumstances where machine sewing isn't possible or as convenient. I've even pulled yarn to make an afghan, but I just have other things I'd rather do, these days, when I have the time. Like patchwork and watercolor doodles. Such is the life of a crafter. It feels like most crafters drift from hobby to hobby, over time. As a matter of fact, Donald has started dabbling in coin collecting, lately, taking a bit of a break from miniature-painting and woodworking. Too many interests, too little time!
Well, speaking of time, it's time to post this! I have housework and work-work to do, and maybe some sewing this afternoon and evening.