Time Travelling - BOM 2012

Way back in 2012, I started the Craftsy 2012 Block of the Month.  It's all a bit fuzzy, but if memory serves, I had a really hard time picking the fabric I wanted for this.  I swear it took months of searching before I decided on Tula Pink's "Birds and Bees."  Then it took me forever to finally start it.  I ended up making the first couple blocks the end of 2012.  I posted about some of my progress way back (Plodding Along).  Since then, I did finish all of the blocks and put them all together.  The block "themes" (in order) are:

1. Slashed blocks
2. HSTs
3. Foundation piecing
4. English paper piecing (hexies)
5. Wonky log cabin
6. Modern 9-patch
7. Dresden plates
8. Stars
9. Curved piecing
10. Paper piecing

I enrolled in Free Motion Quilting a Sampler taught by Leah Day.  It used this sampler as the basis to learn FMQ techniques like stippling, feathers, fans, pebbles, spirals, echo, shell, etc.  It was definitely a good learning resource and I really need to do some more practice.

**Warning:  Detour**
Speaking of practice, I decided to finally finish these two snap bags that sat among the other UFOs for, well, a long time.  Anyway, the top I tried to follow along and there is a bird in there that I tried to outline.  The bottom was from some batik fabric and had a tie-dye spiral type of look I tried to replicate.  They aren't overly fancy, but I know the recipients appreciated them.

 

**End Detour**

After doing all the FMQ, here is how the top turned out.  This was after I did the final trimming and before the binding attached.  

 I used another Tula Pink fabric (Oh. My. Goodness, have I fallen in love with Tula Pink) for the binding.  Funny story:  I could not find where the fabric went.  It was a 1/2 yard and still in it's little plastic bag from MSQ and I searched everywhere in the room of disaster.  I emptied drawers, looked under furniture, looked on shelves.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  I broke down and took things out of the "crap" closet.  I eventually found it near the floor between the wall and mini ironing board. R-E-L-I-E-F.  Anyway, I machine stitched on the binding and then settled myself in front of the to hand stitch it to the back.  I know some people prefer to machine stitch the whole thing or to do a faux binding.  I don't sew in a straight line well (I think we've established this already), so doing the whole thing by machine wouldn't look as nice.  (And, yes, am aware the irony of that.)  Faux binding meant having more left around the edge of the back that I didn't have.  And, well, I like the calm and comfort of that bit of hand stitching.  Bonus for being under the quilt when it's chilly.

Here it is, though, all finished and in it's new living room home.  It's already become a fought-over blanket for television watching.

Stay tuned...more to come.