And another one...

This is the project I've been avoiding -- a twin-sized quilt for my godson, who graduated this summer from the iSchool in NYC and moved into his dorm at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this week. 

I was hoping at some point (like, last summer, when I first conceived of the basic design) to have it ready for him to take along, but I struggled with this design, which went through quite a few iterations. On top of that, I used more of the navy railroad pinstripe on the front than originally planned, so didn't have enough to complete the back, and, well, finishing things on time really isn't like me, is it? At least he knows that, and he'll probably be able to take it back to school with him at Christmas.

I do like the way it turned out -- asymmetrical, and very linear. The plaid handwovens are leftovers from this quilt -- made for my nephew/first godson's high school graduation in 2010. I have a tiny bit left over still, which is lucky because my third godson just turned 12 -- if I start on his quilt now, maybe it'll be done by the time he completes high school? Fat chance!

Still playing with the backing for this, though. I have some of the pinstripe left, and bought some ticking and lightweight denim; just gotta figure out how to put it all together. And then decide how to quilt it -- that could take me until November. Right on schedule!

Tiny triangles...

I don't know what's come over me, but hey, I'm not arguing with it! I'm sure it's some sort of avoidance tactic, but I've actually been finishing things over the past couple weeks, and it feels great!

"Split Infinitive," before washing.  31" x 27"

Those triangles finish at 1.5", and I think I've finally used up all the pieces from my polka dot charmlet packs (I did have to dig into my stash -- and Jacquie's, just before she moved -- to find additional big dots so I could alternate rows of big and small, but only for a handful). Playing with the layout was fun, and using random widths on the borders throws it a little more off kilter.

The name? Well, I've been on a bit of a grammar kick lately. Friends I went to school with, who learned the same lessons I did are using "it's" instead of "its," "there" instead of "they're," and "your" instead of "you're," in their Facebook posts (I'm not a Twitter person -- nobody's life is that interesting that I have to be wired in to their up-to-the-minute details) which makes me CRAZY. I realize that many of them are writing on tiny keyboards and miniscule phone screens without the aid of (at our advanced age) reading glasses, but seriously, people, if you're going to rely on Autocorrect, then you really need to edit yourself before you hit "post" so you don't look like a total moron!

I'm just saying.

But I digress.

I actually don't take offense at the occasional split infinitive, and have been prone to consciously use one when "to use one consciously" sounds a wee bit awkward. 

Anyway, the name came to me as the two sections hung on the design wall/batting-clamped-to-a-picture-frame, and stuck.

Backing continues the theme with a flannel dot, and the swirly binding mixes it up a little.

Happy to have another finish, no matter how small!

More pics...

Here's Aunt Helen's "90 Blocks for 90 Years" in its entirety.

Front...

and back, post-wash.

It crinkled up very nicely, and Aunt Helen was very pleased...and in not the least bit offended that it was four months late! Now she's ready for another Polar Vortex winter!

And just in time...

Aunt Helen is coming for a visit this weekend, and I finished her quilt just in time. It should come as a surprise to none of you that I waited until the absolute last minute...or close to it. It's still in the dryer as I type, but will be nice and crinkly and ready to wrap by the time she arrives tomorrow.

 "90 Blocks for 90 Years," Aunt Helen's Birthday Quilt:  45" x 50", flannel top and backing

When I decided not to kill myself over finishing in time for her actual birthday in April, the top sat draped over the back of my sofa as I flip-flopped over which backing to use. Originally, I didn't want an entirely flannel quilt, but in the end I decided to use some of the same fabrics I used on the front, and I'm glad I did -- with 100% cotton batting, it's a really nice weight that will do well as a lap quilt this winter. I'm not a fan of flannel bindings (too thick), so the binding is a cotton marbled brown that comes very close to matching the brown print stripe in the blocks.

More pictures later, but let's just heave a big sigh of relief that this one's complete, shall we?