Wing It! 9 Patch

This quilt started back in October when I had a cold and found there was a need for a cuddle blanket on the couch. Something cheerful and colourful to wrap around a sick human.

I had a vague plan for a 9 patch when I started sewing random scraps to strips of bleached muslin. I gave each tiny 9 patch huge borders of white and then trimmed each one down to 9 1/2" (because that's how big my square ruler is). This shot was taken during [spray] basting: you can see the size disparity more clearly here.

None of the seams match, and the squares certainly are not lined up according to fabric grainlines. I broke quite a few "rules" with this top. Please notify the quilt police that it turned out beautiful anyways.

 I gave it a loopy meander over the center blocks, using a washed out variegated 40 wt Egyptian cotton thread. I double zig-zagged the scrap border to look like X's in each patch. Then I put my experience to good use and free handed an oak leaf border. I am astonished that it turned out so well. I amaze myself! Somebody praise me for this.... Somebody else (Husband) buy me a new camera so I can get better shots of my work. I'm not apologizing, but I wish upon a star that you could see just how perfectly even the stitches turned out.

Then I turned a lovely stripe into a fun bias binding, and finished just before 3 o'clock. Not too shabby for two days of hard work.

Of course, my Pixie claimed this the second it was out from under the presser foot. She thinks that every new quilt is hers. They tested it out on the couch in front of Dora the Explorer. Another passing grade.

Do you see this binding fabric? I ruthlessly chopped off the selvedge. There is 1 1/4" worth. I feel no guilt about tossing selvedges into the round file.

Among the things you will never see in this blog are the following:
- apologies for poor quality photos, bad staging, and a messy house. (Now accepting donations for a new camera.)
- terminology like "wonky," "pastel," and "stay-at-home mom." I prefer the terms "skewed" (like my view of the world), "washed out," and "housewife."
- Show-Quality Perfection. That's just not how I roll. All of my items are perfect according to the steps in my learning journey.
And lastly, you will never see
- selvedge-edge construction of anything. Too unpredictable and unstable for useage.

That said, Who wants this selvedge? In celebration of my momentous breakthrough into the FMQ club, I am willing to slip this entire selvedge into an envelope and ship it to the first human who wants to make good use of it. I might even splurge on a high-postage stamp if an American takes the bait.