I'm back

My apologies for being absent so long.  A series of events have prevented me from posting for awhile.  The problems with the internet of course.  Then a quilt top I wanted to have finished for Father's Day.  Next was a day or two of typing answers to interview questions for an online newsletter.  I didn't realize how much time it would take to type answers to few questions.  I struggle with my grammar, spelling, and punctuation.  Then along came a bought with poison ivy.  I'm still itching from that.  I've been looking all around the neighborhood for Jewel weed (Touch me nots) and can't find any.  I've been using a baking soda paste since I can't find those flowers.  Anyone know where I can get some seeds?  I want to plant some in my back yard. 

 Oh yes, there was one day when I did something I haven't done in about 25 years and it felt wonderful!  It was just one small step in my journey back to a simpler life.  I went to see a Broadway musical with my daughter and Ladybug.  The last time I went to a musical was when my daughter was not much older than Ladybug is right now.  Why did I stop going?  Well, quilting commitments took up all my time. 

We went to see Shreck at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.  On a weekday night.  Even Ladybug really loved it.  When she is taken to see a movie she usually falls asleep half way through it.  She didn't do that with the musical though.  When it was over she asked if we could go back in and watch it again.  

She also enjoyed looking at the art hanging around the center.   Oh my goodness, the show was great!  It also brought back so many memories of the life I had before quilting commitments.  It was only one small step but that step is going in the right direction.  We are actually closer to the stage than the photo appears. 

Here is Ladybug trying to read the information about the actors.  No, I don't think she can read but she sure was intent on looking at it.  Maybe she's keeping a secret?  Can she read?  No, I don't think she can read yet but she has discovered the letters she practices writing can be found everywhere. 

Ok, on to some quilting stuff.  I finished this quilt.  It came out really squared. 

I used a dark thread to quilt a design on the plain blocks then went back with a matching thread to quilt around the design with meandering.

I did slightly wavy lines on the pieced blocks. 

I did a leaf and curl design on the setting triangles.  With a matching thread.  It gave texture without overwhelming the top design. 

I did a swag design on the inside border and a leaf vine design on the outside border.  I did the binding by machine. 

Here is a look at the back.

Ok, the quilting design is not much different than any other quilt I do regularly.  What was so time consuming about this one?  Well, the borders were much smaller than the top.  See how the border curves compared to the center area?   It was also an on point setting top which means more fullness to be worked into the quilting design.   Quilt tops like this take much more concentration to get finished as squared. 

When I say squared it always sounds wrong.  The quilts are actually not square but rectangle.  I refer to squared because the sides come out even instead of one side larger than the other.  I'm writing some tutorial posts to put on my other blog that will show the steps for quilting tops like this one. 

I have another quilt I'm working on and hope to finish it today.