I've created a monster!

Can you believe it? I finished my new Halloween quilt before the end of October! 

 

Doctor Frankenstein's Monster took thirty different fabrics, all pulled from my stash. When I got to his clothes, I had a brief moment when I was sure I didn't have the right fabrics to make this quilt, but I kept digging and made it work with what I had.  And it did work.

I'm linking my monster to Finish it Up Friday, Can I get a Whoop Whoop?, Link a Finish Friday, and Show Off Friday.

Dr. Frankeinstein's Monster

Today is the second day of Judy's October 12 Quiltathon.  I can't quilt all day -- that's tomorrow, hopefully -- but I'm doing what I can and embracing October by starting a new Halloween quilt.

Yesterday I talked about making fabric choices based on what's easiest to grab. And that's more or less what I'm doing with this project, too. I started with the new scrap bags from Grandma, sorting through and pulling out anything I thought might work. There didn't seem to be enough, so I moved out to the sewing room and did a quick sort-and-grab there. It still might not be everything I need for the entire quilt, but I've got a good start. Once I figure out what holes I have to fill, I'll do more digging through my stash.

I ordered this Dr. Frankenstein's Monster Door Banner pattern from Country Threads back when I ordered the first pattern for Jo's Quilt Square Quilt Along.  (No I didn't keep up with that, so I kept my deal with myself didn't order the next two patterns.)  I'd seen this quilt, or one very much like it, in an old issue of Quilt Sampler and loved the idea of it.

Before I can make any more progress on the applique blocks, I need to get my hands on some more fusible web. I've got  fabrics picked for the bat and the cat -- and then it's time to make some hard choices and decide what I'm using for Frankenstein and his background.

To check out everyone else's Quiltathon progress, hop over to Patchwork Times. And don't  forget -- the Leafs Me Happy blog hop continues today. Friday's bloggers are Insanity Defense, Michelle May and the Bunnies (take a look at those applique squirrels!), Sparrow in Flight, Quilted Delights, Quilting With a Marmalade Cat, Traveling Quilter, A Stitch in Time (neat falling leaves!), Cherry Blossoms (pretty candy corn flower!), Tea Time Creations, Moosestash Quilting, & Stitchin by the Lake.

the monster has a head

Frankenstein's monster has a head. Now he needs a mouth and a nose and a scar. And I need to figure out how I'm going to quilt him. 

Weekly Stash Report


Fabric Used this Week: 3/4  yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 53 1/2 yards
Added this Week: 6  yards  
Added Year to Date: 446 yards
Net Added for 2012: 392.5   yards

Yarn Used this Week: 110 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 940 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 3900 yards
Net Added for 2012: 2960 yards


To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

I guess it's three days now...

The countdown to Christmas is starting to feel like a loudly ticking clock...or maybe a hissing, rapidly burning fuse. Have I mentioned that I'm not nearly ready yet? Whatever doesn't get done today or tomorrow just isn't going to get done.

The randomly chosen winner of my Blog Hop Giveaway is @pril. Congratulations! The rulers are on their way. And I'll be having another fun giveaway in January to celebrate my 1000th blog post, so stay tuned for a chance to win some of my absolute favorite quilting books.

As I'm scrambling around trying to get things done in time for Christmas, I've been thinking about what I want to work on after the holidays are over and I've got time to breathe again.

I'm definitely going to participate in the NewFO Challenge over at Cat Patches. There are quilts that have been on my to-do list for ages, that I desperately want to make but I never start because there's always something else waiting in the wings. I've still got plenty of UFOs from prior years, and a few more I added this year, but I could use some NewFOs to go with them.

And Jo's having a Quilt Square Along. I just ordered my pattern, along with Dr. Frankenstein's Monster Wall Banner pattern. I saw that quilt somewhere a couple of years ago and never knew where the pattern came from.

What are you anxious to get started on?

Quiltathon - Final Report

It's the last day of Judy's Quiltathon, and I've managed to get a lot done this weekend. 

Dr. Frankenstein's Monster has all of his parts together and is done except for the embroidery and quilting. I've decided to leave off the pieced strip at the bottom and the border. I'll have him finished by Halloween or hang him up the way he is now -- either option works.  Getting a quilt done before Halloween - I think this may be a first for me! 

Except for the pattern and some fusible web, everything in the quilt came from my stash. I love making something from almost nothing.

Now I've pulled out my tumblers.  I'm farther along on this project than I remembered being...maybe I've got another finish in my near future.

it might help to look at the pattern

If it's been months since you read the pattern you want to adapt, it might help to actually glance at the thing before you start cutting fabric. Or you can just do what I did and take those pieces and decide to make something else entirely....

I've found that being flexible makes quilting a lot more fun.   

Now I've got a brand new baby quilt that I never intended to make. And all of the blue pieces cut for the baby quilt that I did plan to make. 

All of that cutting got a little tedious, so I started quilting Doctor Frankenstein's Monster. Just about the time I hit the point of no return (which was pretty quickly, since I'm quilting this so densely) I figured out why my machine gave me such trouble with the last baby quilt I meandered.

The fusible batting is gumming up my needle. Every time I start to skip stitches, there's a wad of gunk on the needle. So I'm wiping it off every few seconds, hoping I can make it through the quilt before it makes me too crazy.
I'm throwing away the rest of that batting.

This post is linked to Linky Party Tuesday at Freemotion by the River.