It's up to the Juror now

     I worked incredibly hard on quilting my flowering snowball with made fabric for the past days to get it photographed to enter it in Quilts Unlimited at The View in Old Forge, NY. The View is a gorgeous gallery and art/theater/classroom space that is bright and roomy. I used to be able to just send my quilts, but now they are juried. I was mad and skipped last year, but on vacation a couple of weeks ago, I fell in love with the space again at the National Watercolor Show. So, I came home and made up my mind to enter something. 
     I had to quilt the top, bind it and enter it by end of work day on Monday. I started quilting on Friday and finished late Sunday night. I wanted to stress the block designs with the quilting. I had to choose binding fabric (tough), make it, attach it, and photograph it. I took it outside to photograph and wouldn't you know it, it was when the eclipse was happening, so I had to wait a bit, then photo, crop and do a digital entry form and upload. I accomplished that at 3:30 Monday. Even if they reject the quilt, I love it and will find somewhere to show it.

The set up that had to wait for the eclipse to be over 

The back

Detail

I did the skinny blades the same alternating straight lines for uniformity, but made each half pointed oval a different design. I used Cream Glide and Cream PremoSoft.

Flowers bloomed

     The flowering snowball quilt is all together. I am deciding whether it needs a border. And what color. Solid border or piecing. I really like it.

Trimming, on wall and webbing

     It all started with these: my scrap basket. The flowering snowball was all made with what was found in here except for the yellow curve pieces. Those were bigger scraps.

      Then was all the trimming that I did with the June Tailor ruler. It kept everything flat and I could cut two sides at a time. I used the rotating mat.

 

      Then were tiny, slivery scraps from trimming.

      Then placing on the wall and rearranging and arranging.

       Finally, it was webbed so all the rows are together. Seems cumbersome, but I never screw up sewing something out of order.

Pretty close to ready

     It has been over a year that I have sewn made fabric and been cutting it for a flowering snowball quilt. It started out paired with black and white prints, but that had to change and I used different shades of yellow. It is crazy, but it has been so much fun to sew. Now, all the blocks are sewn and are being trimmed. I should have bought the 12" template because I have to trim all the 10 1/2" unfinished blocks down and am losing a 1/2" per block. I have 58 blocks and need 56. I always like to have extra just in case. So pretty close to getting it all up on the wall. It will be 7 by 8 blocks, 10" trimmed.

So far on wall 

Pile to be trimmed yet

Holding my breath on the pieces

     I have been for months making made fabric from scraps to cut up in spoke shape for the flowering snowball quilt. I had made about four trial blocks and decided to go ahead and cut all the spokes for all 56 blocks - 4 in each- (finish under 10" in size). Now that I have the investment of time in it, I sewed up more blocks and put them up to see if it was going to be chaos or fun. I stepped back, snapped a photo and decided I like it. Good thing. 
     There is something so satisfying to me about sewing curved blocks. I don't use any pins except the two when I sew the black center piece to the two semicircle  parts. Lots of fun!

Pieces and more pieces

Trying it out on the wall

Snowballs slower than the weather is making

     A while back, I started to make the flowering snowball blocks. I used made fabric and yellow with a black center. I need 194 made fabric pieces cut. I have been making and making fabric, but because of the odd shape, a lot gets lost in cutting out. I need 45 more. I have plenty of scraps, just takes loads of time, unlike the snowfall we had last week (although it hit 54 on Saturday and it is rapidly melting). So here is my progress so far.

Spokes pinned in groups of 10

4 Complete blocks

More made fabric going on

Take 2 on Flowering Snowball

    Using made fabric, I started to make blocks for the flowering snowball with white/black prints. I got 5 made and realized that it was too confusing and did not read right. So, I cut a bunch of different yellows and tried again. I have 6 done and think it is much better. I think I will stick to yellows and not introduce another color. There is too much going on with all the made fabric. 
   I was challenged by Deanna  to make 4 blocks in May and 4 in June. Well, I need to make more of the yellow before June is out. I just got the hang of it again. I don't use pins when I sew curves. I wonder if anyone would want a tutorial putting this block together at some point. I would consider a video, but I don't know how to make one. I do have a digital SLR that is supposed to have video, but I don't know how to take it or edit it.

Made fabric and Flowering Snowball block

    I love making made fabric from scraps. I usually do this on the treadle when I need something mindless. I also love curves and have been wanting to make a double wedding ring, but have held off for now. The other day when I was browsing the Modern Quilt block site on Flickr, I saw this beautiful quilt. I asked the poster what it was and she wrote that it is called the flowering snowball. I googled it and found a pattern. I tried two different colors for the curves- yellows and black and white prints. I think I will stick with these for now. I used template plastic, but may buy plexiglass ones.
   After doing all those curves in Circle Dance, this is a piece of cake. I don't even use a pin.