Strip Quilt- Topper Done!

I can not believe that I completed a quilt top and it LOOKS good! The tutorials and guilds that showed this online was giving a time frame of 30-50 minutes. WELL, not for me that's for sure.

Here is the break down on time for this newbie-
Wash, dry and iron strips- 55 minutes
Sewing 48 strips end to end- 45 minutes
Cutting on the crap scraps off the cheap fabric- 30 minutes (THIS WAS THE WORSE!)
Matching end to end and right side to side side on the first length- 2 hours
Matching end to end and right side to side side on the second length- 1.75 hours
Matching end to end and right side to side side on the third length- 1.5 hours
Matching end to end and right side to side side on the fourth length- 45 minutes
Matching end to end and right side to side side on the fifth length- 25 minutes
Total time (the best leisure time to myself in a long time)- almost 7 hours

The "recipe" for this quilt top calls for 40 strips of 2.5"x42". I of course used 48 strips (over achiever). The topper has finished (before ironing) at 50"x68". I am now thinking what the border/binding and backing will be.



Layed out on a queen bed



Horizontal?

Vertical?

Hanging in the hall

New Hobby: Part Seven

You know you are hooked on a hobby and will one day be a “real” quilter when…

Well I messed up the edge of the Pink Explosion quilt. I am unsure how I did it and unsure how I will fix it. But I am official… I will just put it aside and start a new project.

“Real” quilters have several projects going and sometimes NEVER finish one of them at all.

This weekend is the International Quilt Festival here in Houston. I just couldn’t bring myself to go down there though. I think it was all the horrible memories of my Mom and Grandmother dragging me down there as a child at 8am and not leaving until it was 8 or 9pm. OMG that was so boring. I think that is what made me so hate sewing and quilting for so long. This was before cell phones, portable DVD players, portable Nintendo’s were around. AGHHHH that was dreadful!

But I did scope out online some quilt shops here in Houston area. I found one that is just down the road from me. OHHHH their place looks so cute and cozy online. I just had to visit…

Quilters Crossing in Tomball, TX (http://www.quilterscrossingtx.com/). I went for a visit today and drug Mom along with me. Mom thinks she is ready to jump into quilting, but she hasn’t made the leap yet… Get in the pool Mom!

I met the owner, Deb, her daughter Amanda and another lady, Nancy. Oh these ladies were sooo helpful. Their shop was just as I thought, cozy, fabric overload, pattern overload, project overload.

I cant wait to take a class from Quilters Crossing. They will help turn it all around and get my cutting on the square and then I will be off and running… Thanks ladies!

So my next project?? A class from Quilters Crossing for sure and maybe another patch quilt!