Monday, January 15, 2018

Monday Musings

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

I usually post on Wednesdays, but thought I'd pop in today with a few random things.

I finished my baskets and bow tie quilt top.
For the backing I used this pretty print that I have had for about 10 years.
It was a challenge to match it
It isn't perfect, but pretty darn good don't you think?
Here is Monica's basket quilt in brights - it's great!
My swap blocks so far.  I'm doing the modern swap only this time.
 As you can see I am using different backgrounds and solids.
Here is a tip I posted on IG.  If you are using triangles on a roll, you may want to try stitching just inside the line so they come out the right size once you've pressed them.
 Also, I use a hot dry iron and just spritz a little water.  I find that steaming blocks can skew them a bit.  How do you press?  I also use a starch quite a bit.
Fun an Games~
I started this puzzle on New Years Eve and finished it yesterday.  It had 1000 piece and here is the progression:
We played this escape room board game.  It was super hard!  we solved it (using the clues) with less than 7 seconds to go.  Felt like we were in a James Bond movie.  There are 3 more to play.
Hope you are staying warm - it is so so cold here!  Coco will take any warmth she can find.
xo

25 comments:

Wendy Caton Reed said...

Oh I love your baskets and bow ties top! And, as for the puzzle - wow! We found quite a few old wooden jigsaw puzzles in our summer house and I just need about 100 hours to try some of them to see if we are missing any pieces! And yes, I did have quite a few of those toys!

Cathy said...

Your basket and bow tie top is beautiful. I love the backing. I used to work on jigsaw puzzles every time I went up north to visit my parents. Your photos brought back some wonderful memories. Hugs, Cathy

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

Beautiful baskets and bow ties! Congrats on the finish. It's super cold here as well. I haven't done a puzzle in ages !! Makes me want to :)

Quilting Babcia said...

I love the baskets and bow ties combination! Way too cold here too, quite a few nights of -15 degrees, and not reaching positive digits until nearly noon.

Barb said...

Oh my gosh, I love all your projects but I am totally drooling over the baskets and bow quilt.....where do you live? Do you ever leave your door open? What about a window?....HA!!

Julierose said...

Really nice job on that matching, Barb! Great work on that puzzle...I like the idea of the separate trays to hold like pieces...hugs, Julierose

Janet O. said...

Great baskets and bow ties! And I'd say that is an excellent job matching the fabric!
You have made a lot of headway on the churn dash blocks.
What a fun puzzle. Mom always keeps one up and I get captivated by it when I stop by.

Pinkadot Quilts said...

Your matching looks perfect to me and so does the quilt! I love those bright happy baskets that Monica made. I bought that game puzzle for Bob for his birthday!!! I can't wait to play with it.
I only spray water or even Mary Ellen's Best press before I cut out my pieces. It is amazing how much it can shrink!

Karen said...

Such a good use of the bow tie blocks. Makes wonderful borders for your basket blocks.
I like to work jigsaw puzzles too. I am working on one that is vintage games.

Kyle said...

I always enjoy your musings. Love how your put together your bow ties and baskets. I do use steam in my iron and try not to iron but to press. I like Best Press too. Stay warm.

audrey said...

Ahh.. Baskets and bowties looks so good! A perfect 'Barb' sort of quilt!

Chantal said...

Love your Baskets and bowties quilt. Awesome! So many swap blocks done already. Yikes! I better get a moving on these. Need to go shopping. Ah! poor me! (hehehe). I usually get a puzzle out during the Holiday Season for me and the boys. This year, I didn't. This past weekend I saw in the play room an older puzzle all set up on one of the tables. My guess is one of the boys was missing the traditional puzzle playtime. :^)

Quilt Inspiration said...

Happy MLK Day, and we love your baskets and bow ties quilt ! You did a super job with the contrasting fabric, which really brings out the geometric motif and highlights the center baskets. Thank you for posting all the fun photos ! - Marina and Daryl Lynn

CecileD said...

Your quilt is beautiful and I love the backing fabric ! Good job Barb !
The quilt of Monica is beautiful too with these colors !
The weather is perfect to play with fabrics no ? Enjoy ! :)

Barbara said...

Wow, your quilt is stunning! Love the basket and bowtie combination. Nice backing and matching :) Monica's baskets are wonderfully playful! I mostly use a little steam but sometimes I use a dry iron and spray starch which I learned from you. That's some puzzle! Will check out Escape Room as we always play games at the cabin. Stay warm!

Lori said...

Basket and bow ties is super!! Love the backing too!!

Janet said...

The bow ties make such a wonderful border for the basket blocks! The backing fabric is lovely. My youngest daughter and I always make puzzles together. This one you've made looks like lots of fun! I have trouble not ironing... I'm trying to learn to press but you have to be thinking about it every trip to the ironing board - so mostly I iron...

QuiltGranma said...

you are a very organized jig-saw puzzle worker, separating the colors to make it easier! never thought of that! Beautiful baskets adn bow ties, a picnic with the guys?

Karen in Breezy Point said...

I never would have known your backing was pieced if you hadn't shown it--so perfect! I love my Best Press and I never add water to my irons. Apparently our water has iron killing properties--lol!

Quilter Kathy said...

What a great puzzle! How fun to try an escape board game... we have a facility in town that offers escape adventures but I haven't tried one yet.

pandchintz said...

Love your basket quilt - such good pattern matching for the backing!! What a fabulous puzzle - quite a challenge. Very hot here with summer rolling on!

Barb said...

thanks for your comments - :(
I have no way of responding as you have no email on your profile.
color sorting the pieces really worked for this particular puzzle. Love your description of the basket quilt.

Thimbleanna said...

It looks like you're having a great winter! Love your cute new basket and bow-tie quilt top. We recently did a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle too -- it was fun for a change. Winters are for fun projects like puzzles! Also, I used to do the same thing you did with steam vs. dry iron -- until someone told me that spraying water and then ironing with a dry iron is pretty much steaming, so I'm saving myself some time and went back to steaming LOL.

Roxanne said...

Terrific post, Barb! What's not to love? Bow ties and baskets--goooorgeous! Monica's bright baskets also gorgeous and inspiring with amazing color! Fun puzzles too. I've been wondering about using Best Press, some blogs really love it. I seem to need more than water for small blocks but don't want to wash a mini quilt immediately (or maybe ever?). Does the BP have to be washed out??

vaiybora said...

Pretty projects and great idea,Thank you for the tutorial and for sharing !

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