Friday, July 30, 2021

The best-laid plans

 Hi everyone! Here we are at the last weekend in July. How is that even possible? This was a very productive week for us here at the AQ household. Last weekend we decided to take down the enormous mirror that took up an entire wall in our bathroom. Seriously, it was about 8 feet by 6 feet. Huge! If you've ever wanted to watch yourself shower, this was the mirror for you! We managed to get it down, in many, many pieces, only to discover that there really wasn't a wall behind it. They had put the mirror over some plywood and the very old built-in medicine cabinets.

Those of you who have done home improvements know where I'm going with this. One thing lead to another, and now we have completely re-done the bathroom. Yeah, we had a "good" time with wallboard and new lights, and new mirrors and rugs, and a shower surround, and everything else. I wish I could say that it was fun, but at least it's now over. It took forever!

All of this is leading up to this week's small finish, which I had planned to quilt this week, but did not get a chance to, what with all the scraping and sanding and whatnot. Here is my project:

 
Ah, it's luminous, is it not? I love these colors individually, and together they look even better! I started this project quite a while ago, and intended to make a full quilt from it, so I had plenty of fabric for the small borders. After it's quilted, I'll use the green that's in those little squares for the binding. I think that will be just right and really make the whole piece.
 
 
I did intend for this to be a full-size quilt, but, alas, it was not to be. The project went into a box when we moved, and it's only now come out. I still had dreams of a nice lap-sized quilt, but it was either make a smaller project, or keep it in the box. I made the (really hard) decision to make it into this small table topper or wall hanging instead of shutting it up in the box again. I've done a lot of repurposing this year, and I don't regret any of it, even though giving up on the bigger quilt was really difficult in this case.
 
 
I love this whole thing-- the blocks, the sashing, the colors, the fabrics-- and now at least I'll get to look at it every day, even if it isn't a full-size quilt. If you want to make the block yourself, the instructions are HERE. (It doesn't look like the same block, but it is! Color placement is everything.) I wish there was a pattern for the sashing, but I just made that up myself. You could try a piece from a Storm at Sea block, though, to get the same effect.


But I do regret not getting to quilt this piece this week! I really should have known better-- a mirror that size had to be covering up something. I do plan to quilt this little topper really soon, and I already have a quilting plan all drawn out, which is really unlike me. It might not be a big quilt, but it certainly will be a pretty one!

Hope you all have a really good weekend as we move into August. (August!) I know for sure we're not doing any home improvements this weekend because my niece will be here, and we will be showing her and her hubby all of the wonders of Baltimore. It should be fun! 

Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Brag About Your Beauties, and Finished or Not Friday.

13 comments:

ButterZ said...

This is a good size block. The colours are lovely too.

piecefulwendy said...

That is a really pretty quilt. Those fabrics play together so well, and you are right, it is luminous. Ugh - I know exactly what you mean with the home renov project that went from small to whole room. When you step back and say, "What were they thinking (previous owners)???" The joys of owning an older home - or maybe I should say the adventure of owning an older home!

Ivani said...

It is a lovely table topper! You made the right decision.
Happy weekend.

MissPat said...

Done is better than perfect -- or in this case, better than bigger. It's now something you can enjoy instead of a UFO in a box. I'm amazed you could finish the whole bathroom redo in only a week. You both must have worked non-stop. So, yes, enjoy your niece's visit guilt-free.
Pat

Sara said...

I firmly believe that ALL home improvement projects end up growing into bigger projects than expected.

That is a lovely little quilt. It looks so summery!! Kind of made me think of sherbet.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

THis is so pretty! your colors are so spring like and happy!
and oh my..... remodel.... Sounds like that one was a LOT of work!

LES is More said...

Beautiful quilt! I lived in the Baltimore area for 15 years and there is so much to see there. If you want to see something unique, look for the King and Queen Seat at Rocks State Park in Harford County. Find Kilgore Falls and you will know you have found a hidden gem. You would never believe you are in MD!

Jay said...

Let me understand this: you started and finished a bathroom reno in a WEEK??? Holy cow! That in itself is a magical feat! Well done on both getting your small quilt pieced and getting that bathroom done in record time!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Plans? Always subject to change. Here's hoping you are pleased with your surprise bathroom renovation, Mari!

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Remodeling takes a lot of time - especially when there are so many sweet surprises! LOL

I like your quilt and it will be so pretty with the quilting done. Have a great last day of July 2021! On to August! Hugs

Sandra Walker said...

What a pretty quilt, and such lovey fabrics. I can see why you like them so much. I think the green binding will be a hit too! Don't I know alllllll about renovations.

Preeti said...

All I heard was that you have a newly remodeled bathroom and that you need someone to give it a test. I am happy to come by and spend the night :-D Of course I would inspect these soft yellows, pretty coral and delicate blues up close. It is a lovely table topper and now you can focus on the other big quilt - remember the one with turquoise batiks... Remember to have fun before school begins.

Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty said...

Oh my goodness ... You were not exaggerating! They look like two completely different blocks. That's the power of color at work -- wow!