Why is the top row upside down you ask....

Where has the time gone!!  I got back from Nashville Sunday.  Spent most of Monday in my sewing room.  Stopped for a couple of hours to go on my walk and to head downtown so we could pick up some stain/sealant for our fabulous new deck....


I finally have the side rows for Ronnie's Roadies completed - slow process - measure (15 times) cut sashing to fit  - see what t-shirt is about the same size as the one next to it, repeat until I have the right length.   Chain stitching is a wonderful thing I have learned over the years.  I had forgotten how much time sashing took.  Now I can sew the sashing, cut them apart, iron the seam and trim the ends even.  Chain stitching really saves a lot of steps even though the blocks still have to be cut apart and trimmed, the sashing does not have to be individually cut for each block.  One thing I've had to be very careful with is some of the t-shirts are screen printed and the iron will take away some of the dye..ask me how I know...
I do spend a lot of time standing in front of the design wall, moving a t-shirt here and a t-shirt there.  It's like a puzzle and I love puzzles.  


My little helper finally showed up and yes, she is chewing on the edge of the teflon pressing sheet.  What a weird cat!!  She will chew on almost anything.

 This is the bottom row of the quilt - I have sewn the sashing to the tops, still have cut them apart and iron.  Then I will sew the pieces together until the row is completed.  Once I get all of the blocks sewn together in a row, I go back and trim them all even.  

These are the pieces that will make up the insides of the quilt.  My next challenge is to fit them all together to make rows so that when I sew them together, they will be all equal in size.   I will do this with different sized sashing.

                   
Why is the top row pinned upside down onto the design wall you ask?  When the quilt is put onto the bed, the names on the t-shirts can be read without turning your head upside down...looks confusing at first but when you picture the wall as a bed, it makes sense.




Tomorrow, my new toys will be here - I FINALLY stopped staring at my shopping cart on Sizzix (since NOVEMBER) and bought the quilting dies that make - what else - CIRCLES!!  I am SO in LOVE with those drunkard path quilts and the great designs that can be done with them.  The arch and the fan (what I call the pie and the crust) will fit my Big Shot.  They will only make a 4 inch block but that is ok - I think before I jump from the frying pan into the fire and pop for the Accuquilt Go - it will be nice to try out a smaller version - even if it is a different brand.  What - ME jump into the fire!!  Surely you don't think I'd ever do something like that!!  So...With the acrylic templates I already have - once my new toys arrive, I will have the means to make a 3 inch, 4 inch, 7 inch AND an 8 inch circle quilt.  WHEW...not to mention that I also bought Hello Kitty (for my youngest niece's quilt), mittens, a couple of really cool flower thingys and what else a SNOWFLAKE!!  I am determined to make myself bed sized snowflake quilt like I did a couple of years ago.  Oh - I also bought a dog - that looks just like Tallulah....
Double Whew....did I mention that I volunteered to make a Magnolia quilt to be raffled this summer...the pattern should be here anyday.  Oh Wait...there's more - Triple WHEW...I finished quilt tops for two of my nieces (I think I have around 15 nieces - hard to keep up with - it gives me a headache trying to count them all)  I  need to get them quilted and in the mail.  They are a surprise so thankfully not on any schedule to complete.


Ya know, a lot of people would consider this work, but I just LOVE it.  It is so MUCH FUN!!