I guess I just like things to take longer...

I made an executive decision last night.

While trying to machine stitch my second "Baby Love" quilt block I was increasingly frustrated because I couldn't get my machine applique to look nice.  Even using invisible thread and size 70 topstitching needles,  all I see is unsightly needle holes.  And I don't like the idea of all that monofilament holding my daughter's quilt together anyway.  I tried a satin stitch with matching threads, which I actually liked better - but not really.

So, even though this will be a quilt for a child, I'm going to do it by hand.  In my frustration, I started just sewing down my applique pieces by hand and it looked so much nicer!  And truly invisible!  I'm not going to do needle turn - I'm doing that on my tile quilt and that is enough of that.  I'm going to continue to use plastic templates and starch to prepare the applique pieces; I'm going to continue to use Elmer's school glue to paste them down on the background, but then I'm going to hand stitch.

So basically, I made two more practice blocks!  I'm going to have to do the first block over - even though the needle holes weren't as bad on it, and obviously I'm going to have to re-prepare block number two.

Whatever - I've got nothing better to do anyway.  We're only selling our house and moving in less than two months.  Oh, and don't forget the trip to Italy in May.  Yeah, nothing better to do.

I did sandwich Peter's dinosaur quilt last night.  The minky shed all over the place when I cut it but the cleaning people are coming today.  And, we got an offer on our house yesterday, so hopefully that will work out and clean minkyless floors won't matter so much anymore!

I can barely see the dinosaurs for the trees!

I finished the quilt top for my baby's dinosaur quilt tonight.  It is a little busy, but I think he'll like it.  I took a dinosaur print and 5 brown batiks and turned it into a disappearing nine-patch toddler quilt.  I purposely did not fussy cut the dinosaurs and the end result looks kind of like you're watching dinosaurs run through the forest.

When I first started putting my colors together I wasn't too sure about how this would turn out - the nine-patches that I needed to make disappear were pretty ugly looking.  That fabric in the top center position is really horrifying on its own.  I bought it only because it tied in the orange from the dinosaurs.  Fortunately, my quilt top turned out like I imagined and wasn't the disaster it could easily have become! (Please excuse the poor quality camera phone pictures...)

My fabrics made some really ugly nine-patches!

I kept my pattern and color placement consistent and I think that helped keep it from becoming a big brown batik mess.  I like how the final top turned out and I think Peter will love pointing out all of the T. Rexes.

Mr. Muppy, our quilt inspector, approves.

I have some soft cocoa minky dot fleece to back the quilt with to make it extra snuggly for Peter. The minky fleece makes a horrible mess when you cut it though.  Since our house is on the market, I won't cut that and make my sandwich until Monday night though.    So why wait until Monday, you ask?  My husband, in his infinite wisdom, decided that our vacuum cleaner was dirty.  Did he wipe it down with a damp cloth?  No.  Did he empty the canister?  No.  He threw it away.  Our house is on the market and I have no vacuum cleaner. Our cleaning people don't come until Tuesday, so I cut the minky on Monday.

Michael Squared

An awfully strange name for a block I think, but I finished Michael Squared last night.  MS is the block for next week in my Penny Haren Pieced Applique Sew-Along.  I also worked ahead and finished Kaleidoscope Star, the block that is "due" the week that we move.  I'm going to start doing two of these blocks a week so that when we travel and move later this Spring I won't fall behind the schedule.

When I first started putting Michael Squared together, I was horrified by my color choices and thought I would really hate the finished product.  But, I stuck to my color scheme and am pretty happy with how it turned out:

"Michael Squared"

I thought it was going to be an orange disaster, but everything seems to work together now.  My Kaleidoscope Star has a little bit more going on color-wise with the red.  Both blocks look nice along side the others I've already done.  I have to keep reminding myself that each of these little blocks is just a small part of the larger project and not a masterpiece unto itself!

Kaleidoscope Star

My next project will be to stitch down the applique pieces of Block #11 of the Baby Love quilt I'm working on in the Affairs of the Heart Sew-Along.  I've got them all cut out - I just need to finished ironing the edges under with starch and then stitch them down with my invisible thread.  I bought some smaller sized machine needles, which should make my stitching a little less obvious - smaller needle holes. I also want to make some significant progress on finishing my baby's dinosaur quilt.  My husband actually asked me about that one last night - and he never asks about any of my projects!