FO: Block O-hio Star Quilt

It's finished!  And wrapped, and given.  Witnesses report that the recipient was happy about it, but I was holding it up and couldn't see the reaction.  The recipient is not a huge quilt person, but is a huge Ohio State person, so maybe that worked. 

I bound it in a black print after realizing that I didn't have nearly enough dark gray to do the job.  Borders just didn't happen, but I did finish this early in the day on Christmas Eve, so that's a win.  I failed to measure it before giving it away, but I had to stand on the glider footstool to get this picture, and I'm 5'4", if that gives you some idea. 

I've mentioned that naptimes recently have been hit or miss, and the last naptime before we got on a plane looked like this:  

That is a child under the fabric that was to become binding. 

Cute and terribly unproductive.  So that night after the kids went to sleep, I got the binding cut and sewn on, then grabbed time as I could sewing it to the backside.  In the car on the way to the airport, late at night instead of sleeping.

For the quarter-square triangles for the Ohio Stars, I used a technique that is kind of strip piecing and kind of chain quilting.  I made half-square triangles by the seat of my pants. 

If I had to do this again (which, please, no), I'd use a more limited range of values in the red, keeping it medium-to-dark. 

I'm very, very proud of the drop shadow, and the range of grays I used to create it. 

Right now I'm enjoying this moment of after-Christmas freedom, thinking about all the wonderful things I can plan for next year. 

Bonus FO: Owl Mittens
These owl mittens were a special request - also in Buckeye colors, perhaps you are sensing a theme - and were given for a mid-December birthday. 

I'll link up to Crazy Mom Quilts on Monday.  

I hope your gift-giving went well, with met deadlines and delighted recipients. 

Happy crafting! 

Drop Shadow, Baby!

Things have been kind of weird lately!  For a while, when I recommitted to exercise and work went crazy, I wasn't quilting at all. Some nights I didn't even knit.  Sad times.  Then, work settled down, but the kids went crazy, and I found myself, a few nights ago, gearing up to exercise at 10:40pm.  Not great!

Then yesterday, we were home for part of the day, and I made significant progress on this quilt while also minding the children.  They are big enough that they can entertain themselves for some stretches of time now.  Before, I might get a seam here or there, but really the only significant progress was during quiet time/nap time, and sometimes even that went by the wayside.  Also sad times.

I read several quilting blogs of people with young children, and I can't fathom how they churn out finished quilts. 

Block O-hio Star Quilt

Above is where we were yesterday, and below is where we are this morning. (I also may have stayed up waaay too late working on it.)  

Drawing this out was pretty easy.  Making the blocks has involved a LOT of thinking with my tongue sticking out.  And seam ripping.  It should probably get a border, just a couple of solids around the outside, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to hack that. 

After Thanksgiving, I'd pretty much given up on getting this done by Christmas, but now it's seeming possible.  If I do little else.  And if work and the kids remain under a certain calmness threshold.

Fabric
In what's becoming a very enjoyable little tradition, I got some super-cheap yardage at the Connecting Threads Black Cyber Sale.  The green big-print will probably be used for backing, and the gray may be used in this Ohio Star quilt or maybe not.  I also got a couple reds for it, but those went straight into the washing machine, then into the quilt.

The green right under the gray was a little Local Fabric Store purchase on my Thanksgiving trip.

Christmas Aaugh
In some ways I'm in good shape for Christmas - finished several things early.  Then I hid some of them very well, so well that I'll spend precious Making Stuff time tearing apart all the places I might've hidden them because I cannot find them.

Breaking News!!1!
I found one!  And now I remember the kiddo "wrapping" it and hiding it there.  While writing this, I spied a box under the table and thought to myself, "ooh, did I order fabric and then forget about it?"  Sadly no, but I will still chalk this up as a win.

Happy crafting, and may you always find your ridiculous hiding places before your gift-giving occasions.