Checkerboards and Stars

What a big weekend - the three little sweethearts were here for two days (Gulli went home to sleep and came back Sunday morning).  Lots of fun with them and the visitors who popped in.  My friend Robyn came to pick up some towels I had machine embroidered for her grandsons.

On Monday night I finished stitching down the binding on "Checkerboards and Stars", a FigTree and Co design, which I've made in FigTree fabrics.  I love FigTree's taupes and neutrals.

I sent the quilt up to Karen for quilting with "Filigree", a design I often choose because it's pretty and doesn't overwhelm the patchwork.

I've had the "Ring Cycles" pattern for a few years and have been collecting 1-1/2" strips to use for the nine patches while searching for a larger red spot for the joining triangles.  I found some of the fabric a couple of months ago and bought 10 metres because I have another couple of designs I want to use it with.

"Ring Cycles" is made with Jack's Chain blocks and they are a little challenging to make but will look very effective.  Made a trial block on Sunday night and when I sprayed the block with a watered-down starch, the red in the spots ran in the triangles either side of the pink nine-patch.

I haven't had this happen before and it was such a fluke that I sprayed the fabric, so I'm very grateful that this happened before I'd started the quilt proper.  On Monday I washed the red spot fabric 7 times before a colour sheet was almost clear.

I let the fabric dry in the sun and then sprayed it again before ironing a section.  I was relieved to find no more colour run.

Working from home again this week and I'm having a few days off next week - time to wake up without the alarm and visit Jenni on her birthday.