TUTORIALS TODAY

Today... YouTube tutorials.  I am going to find the best way to join my Dresden Plate Blocks together using Quilt as You Go.  My Aunt up the road showed me one she had done that way, but I didn't like how the blocks were joined, she ended up with very narrow sashings.  I don't want thin sashings.

Today is the last day of Stew's holiday.  Poor bugger has to go back to work tomorrow.  I know he's thrilled to bits... NOT!

I know I will miss having him around.  

Next up for the day... wash the blue fabric I want to use for the sashings of the quilt.  I'm undecided on which blue to use still... I've got two different fabrics, different shades of blue.
I shall put a photo up of the two options and see which looks better...

ABOVE:  well... putting them up like this has shown me that the top option is the way to go.  The bottom blue is too vibrant and takes away from the Dresden Plates altogether.  

What say you?  Am I right?  Steve reckons the top too... he was fairly positive he 'VOICED' that decision before I did, so he influenced my choice, pfffffft.  Typical male.

So, once I've got some washing on, and made sure things are honky dory with everyone, I will sit down and try and learn how to join them.

ONWARD...

Yaaaa... I've watched a few tutorials, and the one I am going with looks great.  I can't believe how many different ways there are to 'Quilt as You Go'.

Julie, here is the video, hopefully you can get the link from my blog?  If not, I will email you.



In this tutorial the lady is using thin sashings, I am going to make mine wider, so I will have to add some batting in the gap, but that should be easy as!  I'm so excited, I am really going to get my quilt done.   
And using 'QAYG' is going to save me over $500 because I don't need to get it quilted by a professional quilter with a big quilting machine.  SCORE.

I went downstairs at 10 am... to work on the sizes I would need to make the sashings to make that above QAYG work for me.
I had to make some small quilted pieces to practise on.  That took 3/4's of an hour.

Then I cut sashings and gave it a go.  I had to do that 3 times before I got the measurements to work so I would end up with a 2" sashing on the front, and enough width in the back sashing to have it the correct size too.  Then I forgot to add the batting in the middle, so had to make another attempt before I got it all to work.

I'm bloody thrilled.  It IS going to work.  Now I am going to cut the fabric and start the preliminary work.  

I've stopped for lunch.  I've been downstairs for 2 and a half hours and am starving.

Stew has almost got to the end of his 'list' of jobs to get done while on holiday!

ABOVE:  pruned back these trees, and in the process we 'found' my Pig Weather Vane again!

 ABOVE:  I got Stew to move it so we could once again see it.  I love my weather vane, I can't believe I forgot it was there.

 ABOVE:  Coco getting a love as Stew walked by.  She kept following him with her eyes, it was so cute.  

ABOVE:  I actually took these the other day and forgot to post them, so ya get them today.   Teddy DOES NOT LIKE the littlies at all.  But they are both getting better with the dogs and not just trying to yank their ears and tails.
Hopefully Teddy learns to trust them not to hurt him?

End of Day:  well another lovely day here.  Not too hot, so comfy weather for me.  Time to call it a night, and just relax in front of the telly for a while.  
nite nite