Finishing Some Things Up

It is always bitter sweet to begin the finishing of a quilt for me. 

 Maybe a bit of a let down, once it goes off to the quilter. 

(More on this at the bottom of the post).  

I usually make the binding and now I embroider the label and make that.  

So it was with the wedding quilt I have been working on. 

 I have the top finished and it is at the quilter.  

Kathy does an amazing job and she can make my vision for this quilt a reality. 

 I won't show the quilt until I can gift it now, as my SIL reads this and

 I want the finished quilt to be a surprise.  

I will say that I was working out what I wanted to do for the binding last night. 

 I used this pretty DS Quilts print for the back (along with some piecing, again a secret).  

Two of my friends on IG helped me find enough of this print to be able to use it on the back. 

 I love how it compliments the front!

What I was unsure about was how Kona Pepper would look on the back. 

 It is what I used for the middle bars on the front and it looks great for the front binding 

but not so hot with the navy on the back.  

What to do, what to do...hmmm.  

Oh wait, I know the answer to this one, make a two color binding!  

One color for the front (Kona Pepper) and a different 

(or several different in this case) shades of the greens I used in the blocks on the front. 

 So here you see me joining the two "halves" of my binding.  

I was busily working away, wondering where that lazy quilt inspector was 

when all of a sudden she showed up! 

 Thank goodness she arrived or who knows what kind of crazy binding would have happened!  

Here is my finished binding in all it's two toned goodness!  

Now if you want to make some two toned binding for your next quilt you can follow this link to a tutorial I did showing you how you too can make this fabulous binding! 

 It is not difficult, maybe slightly more time consuming to make 

but sometimes your quilt just begs for it!

I also finished my Bee blocks last night. 

 I posted a photo on IG and the queen of the bee posted that our finished size should be 11.25".  OMGosh nooooooo.  

Mine finished at 10.5". 

 I printed out regular size (not size to fit) paper pieced templates, 

and the 1" square even printed out at 1".  

What did I do wrong???  

Turns out she printed hers out at an odd size.  So I think she is remaking her blocks. 

Phew!!!

Let's talk about the let down of finishing a quilt.  

It is always a joy to actually finish something to be sure. 

 I have usually worked for such a long time on that thing that I have unnaturally bonded with it. 

 Then it is gone.  

I am left with a feeling of well, what now?  

Don't get me wrong, I have LOTS of things to work on, but I have to make a purposeful decision about what I will work on next.  

Sometimes I don't have that luxury, as in I "have to" make something 

either as a gift or some other commitment.  

I do have a commission piece that I need to begin so that is what I chose to be my next project.  

I like when I don't have a "have to" in the que. 

 It is fun to flit from one thing to another when I have a chance.  

I have bits and bobs to finish up and won't be able to show much of those until after they are gifted.  

I will begin my second Tardis quilt (all cut out!!) 

now so will keep you updated at I progress with that. 

 Maybe I will work on my son's Detroit sports quilt a little too, who knows. 

 Isn't freedom of choice a wonderful thing?

What are you going to work on this weekend?

~XOP~