Lazy Daisy - Done!

Well, OK - its not REALLY done 'til it's quilted and bound....but the TOP is done!  Yahoo! 

I now have 2 quilt tops in need of backing.  A trip to a quilt shop may be in order.   :)

Lesson Two - The Ah-Ha Moment

The instructor said half way through the lesson we would have an Ah-Ha moment.  But mine didn't come...until TODAY!  Getting all those points to line up was a trick. 

On the first block I ripped and re-stitched the yellow centers 5 or 6 times.  There's so much bulk, the pieces  shift no matter how many pins you use.  I finally hand stitched the center portion, THEN sewed it on the machine.  On the second square I got smart and BASTED the centers together, before sewing the entire seam.  Got it on the second try. 

Here's the completed border on my Olympic Rings mini-quilt. I did a LOT of hand stitching while I was laid up with back trouble. Thankfully, I'm back in action...and ready for a change of pace.

I'm feeling a bit guilty about my Winter's Song quilt.  It's sandwiched, but not quilted.  Every time I look at it it seems to say, "Hey, what about me?"

I rarely get the timing right.  I'll probably finish Winter's Song when Spring has sprung.  The Lazy Daisy topper will be done at about the right time, as spring flowers giving way to summer.  As for the Olympic Rings...if I get them done for the Summer Olympics two years from now, I'll be right on schedule.  :)

Lesson One

Here is the back side of my first-ever foundation piecing project.  When I opened the pattern, it was  intimidating.  But our class instructor walked us through the process.  My goal was to complete one block by the end of the class period.  During class I had to rip and re-do several times.  Fortunately I wasn't the only one.  But I completed all five sections of the square and put them together.  I was beaming with pride and joy!

When I got home I realized I'd made another mistake.  In the top center of the block, I put a  light colored petal where background was to be, and I completely skipped another piece.  Hence the big pink blob at the top!  Time to get out the seam ripper once again.

Lessons Learned (so far):

1.  Take your camera to class.
2.  Bring your seam ripper. 
3.  Put in a fresh needle before class and bring a spare.
4.  My Olympic Rings project is called English Paper Piecing.  This project is Foundation Paper Piecing. 
5.  My instructor showed me how to finish the edge of my previous hexagon project, without losing the points.  If it works, I'll make a tutorial.
6.  For Foundation piecing: The WRONG side of Piece 1 goes against the WRONG side of the paper.  Then sew on Piece 2, with fabric RIGHT sides together.  Sew on the paper line.
7.  Learn to count (I apparently need to work on this!)
8.  As always, have fun! :)