illusions quilt, baklava, experiment

Jan and I ran errands early Saturday morning (3/7), then hit Panera for breakfast on the way home.  I got home just after 10 and Michael had already left for golf here at SCCL (even though it still felt VERY cold).  I had a bunch of paperwork to do again (trying to keep up with my desk)!  Also, I really enjoy being secretary of my weekly quilt group, but it does take just a bit of time each week to send out the minutes), so I didn’t get back to my sewing until 11 AM.  Michael didn’t get home until 3:30, but he was finally back in the groove for his golf game with a score of 85.  I ended up sewing until 8 PM (with a break for dinner of course) and got all of the blocks for my rainbow quilt sewn into rows.  After that I decided to drop back to my illusions quilt on the pool table.  The cat was playing on the table and messed up my block layout (good thing I had a picture of it), so I got all of the blocks sewn together into rows with the sashing in between.  Then I joined my honey in the media room for TV and knitting on my sweater.

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Sunday 3/8 = this day after we change the clocks an hour forward always seems to go by with lightening speed…and I had a lot to get done  :~).  Michael and I read the paper over breakfast, then he headed to the grocery store while I headed to the studio.  I worked on the illusions quilt and finally finished it as far as it is going to be finished for now:  

I was originally going to make this into a Sterling School quilt by adding 3 inch borders all of the way around, but Sally (the woman who gave me the leftover napkin fabric) fell in love with it when she saw it laid out on the pool table.  She asked me if I would hold off for a bit in case the kids (the wedding for which we made the napkins!)  were interested in it.  So for now, I’m just going to fold up the top and put it away.  Around 3 PM, I headed upstairs to make dough for 80 rolls for Cooking Fingers tomorrow.  I read my book while the dough was rising and when I opened up the microwave (where I put all rising dough) it was at the TOP OF THE MICROWAVE!!!  It looked like a big mushroom!   Michael came to help me measure out and roll the 80 rolls and he ran 2 pans up to the Lake House fridge.  I got the rest of them finished, and started on the Baklava Cookies I also needed to make.   

By the time I was done with everything it was 8 PM and I was beat.  I just sat like a lump on the sofa for an hour, then got up and packed up my ingredients for the actual demo on Monday.  Another hour on the sofa and we both fell into bed.

I know you've seen these mini-quilts before....they are almost a year old and they have been through the washer and dryer 2 - 3 times a week since they were made.  I get so tired of people telling me I shouldn't press my seams open because they won't hold up, that I decided to do an experiment. One "quilt" has seams pressed open and straight of grain binding, and one has seams pressed to one side and bias binding.  I took them to quilting on Thursday and passed them around the table....everyone agreed that the wear on both of them looks the same....the interesting thing is how ripple-y the bias bound quilt is (the "quilt" on the right).

quilt on right, see top left corner and wecond blue square across top