Out With The Old

Time to change things up again! 

Before and after

With most of the grandkids moving away, the pool table wasn’t getting much use.

2021 (more super cute pix here)

Plus, Gary and Cheyenne just rented a new house… and they are billiards fanatics… and their garage is still clean and empty…

So today a local pool table company disassembled our 20 year old slate table, packed it up (oh so carefully) and reassembled it in Gary’s garage. Complete with new felt (LA Kings blue!)

We’re going to miss it (especially when I need an extra surface for big quilt projects)

Ping pong table topper was great for quilty projects

but Pop is already working on a plan to convert the room into a combined play area for Donovan and a bedroom - with fold-away Murphy beds - for when the grandkids, and maybe their parents, visit. 

Oopsie. The only evidence the table was ever here…that was a lot of weight for linoleum tiles

And he’s got until Christmas to get it done. On your mark, get set…

2012, Leanne helping me make her first quilt, taped to the pool table (more pix here)

Just One (or Two) More

Turns out ghosties are like potato chips, you can’t eat make just one nine.

jACKK!

Since the fabric was still out, and the squares cut, why not use it up and see how individuals I could make for wall hangings?

Mickey

Looks like the answer is two. 

There’s *a lot* of white squares left still, but only enough variation in the dark background colors to do another half or three-quarter ghost. 

Unless I buy more Halloween fabric…. (I’m done for this year, but who knows with next year. These are kinda irresistible.)

Done! And Won!

Look what’s finished, including backing, and heading to the quilter in the morning? I loooove these ghosties and long-arm quilting is going to make them even better. 

One of my fav local quilt shops had an Instagram contest and I won! Yay!!

It was for 8 Halloween-themed fat quarters and… wait for it…

With UV light

they glow in the dark! 

Residual glow

Not sure what I’ll make with them (maybe this? ⬇️) but I’m excited to start looking and planning. 

Double AHHnna

The two AHHnnas are done

which means all the blocks are made 

and I can start sewing it all together tomorrow!

Only 6 fit on my design wall at a time

When I started this project, I planned to make all the eyes plain black, because that’s what was in the pattern, so why not?

 Dancing skeletons 

But I’ve had more fun fussy cutting and doing different eyeball shapes.

 The owl shows up much better IRL

I think the two BOOnes have the same eyes 

 Kitty hearts and nose

but everything else is different. 

 jACKK is the only ghost with a pieced mouth

Backing gets made tomorrow 

 Love the sparkly web balls so much

and Friday we head to my long-armed pal!

Surgery For Mickey

One of Mickey’s FPP* blocks somehow got stretched out of shape. Not sure if it was made on the bias and I pulled too hard taking the paper out or if I trimmed it incorrectly (or not at all…) 

Of course, it couldn’t be in a place where it would be an easy fix. What’s the fun in that?? (And yes, I did think about leaving it…)

(Notes for next time.) Rather than rip out the bottom two rows and remake them, I removed row #8 (and used the opportunity to rearrange some colors), then carefully frogged** the first few blocks in row #7, leaving the next block with the seam partially open.

Remade the offending block and sewed the first three blocks back together. Sewed the vertical seam to join both parts of Row 7

then pinned 

and sewed the horizontal seams to reattach Rows 7 and 8. Easy peasy. Ish. 

The last 2 AHHna blocks are almost finished, hoping to have them done tomorrow.

Then all the ghosties get attached to each other and we’re off to the races long-arm quilter. So excited. 

* FPP - foundation paper pieced. ** Frogged - ‘rip it’ sounds like a frog’s ‘ribbit’. 

jACKKK Times Two

The Ghost Party pattern calls for three each of BOOne, jACCK and AHHnna. I subbed a Mickey for one BOOne and a Kitty for an AHHnna but I still need three jACCKs.

I’d rather they didn’t all look the same so the first one ⬆️ is according to the pattern,

jACCK #2 has spiderweb eyes like Mickey,

and jACCK #3 sports square eyeballs. 

Potential layout #1

The last two blocks are on the design wall, ready for their FPP extras before getting sewn together. 

 Potential layout #2 - adding more lime squares

I might make the end of the week get-this-to-the-quilter deadline after all. (Crosses fingers)

Tangled Jelly

Jelly roll day started off with a bang seam ripper because someone misread the pattern and did twice as much sewing as necessary.

Only half of these needed ripping ☹️

Things settled down after that. I sewed the individual pieces needed for each block, one after another, then pressed all 10 block sets and (finally) sewed each block together. 

It worked!

By nighttime I had 10 blocks complete, 

 The marbled fabric is much prettier and more textured in real life

pieces of 7 more blocks sewn and waiting to be pressed, 

 Reyna’s jelly log cabins

and the remaining 19 blocks cut and ready to go.

 Part of Debbie’s jelly roll project

I want to finish up Ghost Party (only 2 blocks to go!) before I do more on Tangled but I think it’s going to be a fast finish. (Did I just jinx it???)

Sew a Jelly Roll Day Decisions

Pick a pattern ✔️

Choose a jelly roll* ✔️

and background fabric ✔️

 Love, love, love my Stripology ruler!

Cut and prep for the big day ✔️✔️

Get some sleep, for tomorrow we sew!

There’s enough fabric left over to almost double the size of this quilt… Hope I did this part right…. 😳

* A jelly roll is (usually) 40 pieces of 2.5” by width-of-fabric strips (usually 40-42” long) of all the fabrics in a specific fabric collection. It’s an easy, cost effective way to get an entire collection without having to buy yardage (at $14+ per yard). 

Here Kitty Kitty

Finished Ghost Party critter #4 (how cute is that nose!)

and #5.

jACKK

I admit I thought jACKK was going to be more like a spot-filler but I love him - so much personality with that cute little mouth. 

Playing with the layout

Five of nine done - we’re over the halfway mark!