Wednesday Progress Report

I’ve been working hard this week. I finished piecing my Day at the Zoo quilt top featuring Alexander Henry’s Teeny Tiny Zoo and several different Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton solids (I’ll specify colors in a later post) in a variety of cool colors. Oh yes, and can I say that not only are Teeny Tiny Zoo and 2-D Zoo prints maternal-instinct-producing-ly cute, they are also a pleasure to work with. They were hardly wrinkled when I pulled them out of the dryer and they are so nice to press and sew. A real treat!

This quilt is my first attempt at piecing HSTs and while my points turned out decently well, I could certainly use more practice. After piecing the entire top (doesn’t that always happen?), and while I was working on a pinwheel for the back, I realized that it’s actually much easier to piece them if you press the seams in opposite directions so they sort of lock together as you stitch them. So there’s one more lesson learned! I’m thinking of having a “Tuesday Tips” series in which I would post something new that I’ve learned about quilting since I’m learning so much as I go. I’m afraid to commit to a schedule though. Tune in next Tuesday to see if Side Stitches can overcome her fear of commitment and reader expectation!

I also finished piecing the back, but I’m not sure I’m ready to share that yet. Let’s just say it involves pinwheels (well, just one) and pioneer points! Tonight’s mission is basting.

In other news, I’ve finished my second Modern Meadow Mug Rug which features not only Joel Dewberry’s luscious prints, but Robert Kaufman’s Kona Cotton in Ash. I see a lot of people using Ash as a neutral background and now having worked with it, I see why. While it’s a very subdued color it seems to go equally well with warm and cool tones.

The front

The back

This little mug rug also gave me some good practice for lots of upcoming zigzag quilting.  As I said, mug rugs are the perfect place to try out new skills. One more rug to go!