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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:

  1. 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!

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  2. 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

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  3. 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 :)

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  4. 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.

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  5. 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!!

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  6. 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

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  7. 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.

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  8. 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!

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  9. 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.

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  10. 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.

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

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  12. 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. :^)

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  13. 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

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  14. 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 ! :)

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  15. 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!

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

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  17. 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...

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  18. 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?

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    Replies
    1. 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.

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  19. 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!

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  20. 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.

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  21. 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!

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  22. 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.

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  23. 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??

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

    ดูหนังออนไลน์

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