doing a happy dance

the quilting is done!!

when I finished the stitching I sat and looked at for a while

can't believe it is almost done

then I had to figure out the next step

which is one of the parts of doing quilts of any size that I've struggled with for a while

the edges are uneven -- the batting and the backing extend out beyond the top (and that is even worse after the "aggressive pressing" that I do before I trim)

the challenge is to make it look like a nice neat finished piece


more like this


there are some tools available to quilters for doing this

I just don't happen to own any of them


I have an inventive DH however

as I was mumbling about trying to do this trimming he asked if I could use a carpenters square

he just happened to have two of them in the garage, and he was willing to let me have the cleanest, least rusty one




he brought it in -- I cleaned it up with my favorite all purpose cleaner -- Windex -- and put blue painters tape over the entire back surface so no rust could escape onto the quilt top

forget those plastic square thingies -- I'm sold on this

it's heavy enough that it doesn't move around -- the blue tape actually adds to the "non slip" factor, and because it is steel, I can use the rotary cutter right against it and get a clean, sharp cut

so today I need to cut the facing pieces and attach them to the top -- that is machine work that shouldn't take too long

after I finished getting the quilt trimmed, I spent some time working on the beading piece I'm doing

four of the black sections are complete and the white beads have been run around them

ready for some more black beads

since I have two blue pieces that need to be re-fringed, yesterday I went through the boxes of beads and pulled out all the things that I might be able to use to do that --- just planning that next project!
yesterday afternoon the DH had his last appointment with his surgeon -- he has now been officially released after the surgery on his shoulder -- told he can do whatever he wants (ok, that might be a dangerous thing to tell him), but it is very good news

while we were sitting in the waiting room I worked on this and last night as I was watching the news I finished the square -- one more out of those two pounds of yarn skeins (have I mentioned I'm kind of tired of this color combo?)

today there is weeding in the garden and mowing of the backyard to be done before I can get into the studio --- time to get to it!