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Monday, March 5, 2018

OMG, It's Groundhog Day (Again)! This Beast Is Pieced, But She Ain't Been Quilted

Finishing Tabby Mountain is My OMG -- Again!
So, remember that 1993 Bill Murray movie where his character is stuck in a time warp and is forced to relive the same day over and over again until he finally gets it right?  



Well, it's Groundhog Day again for me, because my March OMG (One Monthly Goal) is to relive my February OMG since I didn't get it finished.  My goal was to finish piecing AND quilting my Tabby Mountain quilt, and I didn't even finish assembling the quilt top by February 28th.  


Marking and Pinning These 30 Degree Triangles Slowed Down the Piecing Big Time
I came close -- I had all of the rows of triangles pieced by the evening of the 27th and I COULD have worked on joining all the rows into a completed quilt top on the 28th to at least get the quilt top finished by the end of the month.  But something inside of me rebelled.  There had been too much sewing for me on the 27th, too much pressure to have something to show for myself at the end of month linky party, and it was stressing me out.  So I opted to do no sewing at all on the last day of the month, and instead I finished assembling my quilt top on March 3rd.  


Joining Rows Together
If February had 31 days instead of 28, I would have finished the quilt top by the end of the month even with my day off!


Otto a.k.a. Mister Baby a.k.a. My Sweet Baboo, Supervising Quilt Construction
So anyway, looking forward to March: Apparently I erred on the side of overambition with my February OMG, so for March my OMG is just going to be QUILTING & BINDING TABBY MOUNTAIN.  That will involve:

  1. Removing stray threads and pet fur from the quilt top with a tape roller and giving it a final pressing
  2. Finding or purchasing batting
  3. Pressing my backing fabric and cutting it to size
    Tabby Mountain backing: Free Fall in Orchid by Tula Pink
  4. Loading the quilt on my longarm frame, most likely doing a full float
  5. Selecting thread colors
  6. Basting the horizontal seamlines and quilt edges to ensure they remain nice and straight
  7. SID (Stitch In the Ditch) along all of those diagonal seam lines
  8. Ruler work in the solid fabric patches
    My Quilting Plan for Tabby Mountain
  9. Free motion quilting in the print fabric patches
  10. Trimming the finished quilt
  11. Making and attaching binding (and I haven't selected the binding fabric yet, either)

Of course, I'm really hoping to get a few other things accomplished in the sewing room this month as well.  Is it against the rules of this challenge to set Gold Star Bonus Goals in addition to the OMG?  Because I'd like to finish my Tabby Mountain quilt well before the end of March, and then I also hope to:

  1. Finish the partially-completed pineapple log cabin block that I started last month.  17 strips have been sewn to the foundation paper, and 80 more strips need to be added to finish the block.
  2. Get started and caught up with the new applique BOM project designed by Esther Aliu, Queen's Garden.  Although I've selected and prewashed my fabrics for this project, I have yet to begin Blocks 1 and 2, which were released in January and February, and Block 3 will be released in about a week.  
    My Fabrics for Queen's Garden

There, now -- that should be MORE than enough to keep me busy this month, don't you think?  

And so, despite being unsuccessful the first time I tried this One Monthly Goal thing, I'm linking up again for March.  Wish me luck!



I'm also linking up with:


7 comments:

  1. nice to see the top done - one step down now you are ready for the quilting that's great!

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  2. I also felt like I was applying too much pressure on myself near the end of February...for a couple of quilt alongs so like you I let go and just got things going in March. Your quilt top is gorgeous.

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  3. I love your blog, even the title always catches my attention. I am always peeking just to see what you are up to, and how you will say it. Your straight forward speaking tongue appeals to me. I might not say it that way, but I sure heck do think it. And that helps to know that I just might have revolted about last week about something myself. But I love these peaky mountains and am cheering you on to finish them.

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  4. Perhaps we should have had an allowance for the short month of February. Better late than never on your colorful quilt top. It will really pop with the quilting stitches you have planned. Good luck!

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  5. Woohoo for your finished quilt top! You quilting design is going to be gorgeous! I’m excited to see your progress this month. You can do it!

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  6. Yippee and you know why pineapple 🍍 mentioned ahhh

    Also I have thought of you after hearing free spirit is closing I imagine Tula Pink will join an other fabric company
    But I do worry about a less know local designer from Danville Calif her name is not easy to spell Verna Mosquera she was my first quilt teacher way back before she designed patterns or fabric she was a quilt shop girl and taught classes. I think I was in her first ever class. I hope she is able to have this change be positive for her and her family

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  7. Happy groundhog day - love the quilt! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and good luck on your project.

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