November Progress

 Its been a very productive month quilting wise.  

I finished binding the quilt I quilted in October and set up backing and bindings for the three tops that I had purchased backings for.  This is the Bold Mystery from Quilters Fancy (they used to have a store on Bloor near Royal York in Toronto but it has been closed for many years).  The copyright on the pattern is 1996 and the copyright in the colourful print is 1997.  I purchased the print for the mystery so I think the top was started in 1997.  Its sat on my UFO list for many years with a note to consider borders.  It now has borders and I quilted it with a pantograph called Lyre.  I had watched a Youtube video Tracey from Whirls 'n Swirls had posted about Customizing a Pantograph.  The bowtie block in this quilt has 3D centres which I wanted to keep so this was a timely watch.  I was able to either stop or modify the pattern at each of the centres so they are still free.  Tracey helped me check each one to get want I wanted.  I was really pleased with how it turned out and it didn't take too long to skip the four little centres.  Interestingly, this pattern and the pattern for the quilt I quilted last month were both designed by Marti Michell.  

Moondance is coming along quite nicely.  I've been thinking about what was causing me problems and part of it was having all the pieces in big chunks and fishing around each time to get all the components cut out.  I was a little concerned all the colours were going to end up lumped together.  So, I took one Monday sewing session and cut out all the applique shapes and put them in stacks then distributed them across the blocks.  Each little bundled is pinned on the block in rough proximity to where it needs to end up.  The pillow row isn't shown -- its still in the box waiting to be sized once I know the actual width of the top.  Here's the top will all its little bundles pinned in place.

Only three more blocks need some appliques before I start joining some blocks together and one got started after I took this picture -- had a zoom lecture that I was listening to as I stitched away. (although that got interrupted when the teacher showed a few things I needed to take notes about)  

There are little pieces of paper pinned to some block to remind me which block it is -- I've also labelled the picture I'm working from to remind me where things need to overlap seams.  Once these last three are finished, I can sew pairs of blocks together and finish the applique over that seam before sewing the four patches and finishing that applique.  I've decided the next step will be to assemble the rows so I know how wide the quilt is and can work on the row that needs to be added to the top of the quilt.  It feels like this quilt is finally picking up steam.

I played a bit in photoshop with a design for the Cherrywood challenge but wasn't happy with what I came up with so need to revisit or start it over. 

Linking up with Patty's One Monthly Goal.  How did you do on your November quilting goals?