Thursday, April 1, 2021

Another Month, Another Goal... Or Two: Of Bear Paws and Kaleidoscopes

 I was long-winded on the topic of that vintage Economy quilt yesterday, so today's post is going to be Short and Sweet!

I have a Major Goal for April as well as a Minor Goal.  The Minor Goal is to get my Color Outside the Lines bear paw quilt off my WIP list.  That entails labeling, binding, and hand finishing the binding on this one.  After clearing off the heaps of fabric debris on the cutting table from my kaleidoscope, I finally had room to trim the bear paw quilt and machine embroider its label yesterday.

Machine Embroidered Label, Ready to Applique

And no, that is not a typo or your eyes playing April Fools jokes on you.  I really did start working on this quilt SEVEN years ago, in May of 2014.  It will feel good to have this one done at the end of the month!

But my Major and Supreme Goal for April is to get my son's kaleidoscope graduation quilt, Giverny Teleidoscope, to the Finished Flimsy stage by the end of the month.  While I had the embroidery module and stabilizers out anyway, I went ahead and embroidered the label for Anders' quilt as well.  It's stitching out right now, while I'm typing this blog post.

Time Management: Embroidering the Label For the Kaleidoscope Quilt Still In Progress


I used the same teal green thread color for both labels because the teal thread I chose for the bear paw quilt happens to work just fine with the kaleidoscope quilt, plus I'd already wound a bobbin with that thread.  I haven't even begun to think about backing fabric for this quilt yet so it wasn't worth putzing around to audition a bunch of options for the label.  I know that I tend to stall out at certain transition points in a project, and switching from Quilting Mode to Embroidery Mode is one of them.  Having this label already finished and ready to attach will help to speed me along the path from quilting to binding this one.

Corners are Attached to Top Row Blocks Only

I have eight remaining rows of blocks needing corners, but then I want all of the blocks joined into rows and rows sewn into a quilt top as well.  Then I'll have plenty of time in May to select backing fabric, quilt it with an E2E design, and get it labeled and bound for the church blessing ceremony on June 6th.  That's a HARD deadline!

As far as this week's shorter term goals are concerned (for To-Do Tuesday), I'm hoping planning to:
  • Appliqué the label to my bear paw quilt by hand
  • Prep the label for the kaleidoscope quilt (remove all the stabilizer, trim to size, press edges under, and set aside
  • Machine stitch binding to my bear paw quilt
  • Attach corners to kaleidoscope blocks in rows 2 and 3
  • Begin hand stitching the bear paw binding

I'm linking up today's post with the following linky parties:

One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts

SATURDAY

UFO Busting at Tish in Wonderland

SUNDAY

Frédérique at Quilting Patchwork Appliqué

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts

MONDAY

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts  

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

BOMs Away at What a Hoot Quilts

TUESDAY

To-Do Tuesday at ChrisKnits

22 comments:

piecefulwendy said...

Yay for the finish of the Bear's Paw! It's a good feeling to get those languishing UFOs done, yes? Giverny is looking positively stunning. You'll make that hard deadline, no problem!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Smart thinking on taking care of both labels, Rebecca!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

well the quilt is done and not sitting in the closet - great job - love your label

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting said...

I love how you can "write" out your labels with your embroidery machine!!! Yes, you can do it, on the next quilt!!!

Kathy S. said...

The quilting is beautiful as always. Good luck on completing your OMG.

Sharon Kwilter said...

Your labels are wonderful. I really should figure out how to make them on my machine.

Anonymous said...

Your son’s kaleidoscope quilt is gorgeous! He’s going to love it! So nice that the beautiful bear paw is almost done!

Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

I liked the slash through hoping with the bold "planning!" I need to be more into planning myself! Your graduation quilt is coming along beautifully!

SJSM said...

It is good to see the Bear Paw quilt get to the finish line. All you need is to cross that line to call it done. I like that quilt and all the thought you put into it every step of the way. Your sons quilt is progressing nicely. You seemed to have found a nice rhythm in your sewing routine.

Mary said...

I’ve really enjoyed following the making of your kaleidoscope quilt. I appreciate all the details you’ve shared including the hand-piecing the centers. The color scheme is definitely gender neutral which can be hard to achieve. And your embroidered label is such a nice touch. Have a great day, Mary.

Vivian said...

Good looking labels there! And Anders quilt -- oh my, oh my! Okay so what's going on the back? With those cool and rich colors, I could so see some Tula or Kaffe or shot cottons but I don't know that HE would like those, LOL! Although ten inch squares of the same fabrics used in the front would work well too. I know you've probably already got something good cooking for it so keep stirring that quilt pot!

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Pretty labels, it's a good idea to make them this the embroidery machine!
Great list, I'm sure you will do all that you plan to ;)
Thank you for linking up today!

MissPat said...

When moving some project boxes off my quilting table so I could quilt a baby gift, I was dismayed to notice how old the dates were on several of the boxes. I really need to finish some of them. I could use the space and they aren't doing anyone any good sitting in boxes. Anders quilt will be spectacular although I'm surprised you're going to use an E2E design. I thought you might do something to emphasize the curves, but I suppose the design does that itself.
Happy Easter
Pat

Karrin Hurd said...

Congratulations on your finish. You have some lovely projects!

Jenny said...

Your son's graduation quilt is amazing, well done indeed!

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

Loving all those shades of blue and green. The quilt is going to be amazing. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

Sharon - IN said...

Your Kaleidoscope quilt for your son is amazing! Looks like your plans for the week and month will be fun.

Brenda @ Songbird Designs said...

Looking forward to seeing how you quilt the kaleidoscope! And I know you will be happy to have Color Outside the Lines completed!! I love making my labels with my embroidery machine too! Have a great week, Rebecca!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Those embroidered labels are great! I love the way the kaleidoscope quilt design creates those circles here and there. Good luck with your list this week!

chrisknits said...

Looks like you have a good focus for the goals this week. Good luck on finishing them. Thanks for linking up today!

Unknown said...

You totally have both of these! I love the colors in your son's quilt! It is going to look amazing all finished up.

dq said...

Great quilt label! I don't do them but should.

Perhaps some day I will applique' labels on all my quilts. It would probably take me a year if I could even find all of them.