Becky's quilt obsession

Just Beachy is home – to stay, after being in the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival.  (edit - I misspoke Just Beachy is going to Des Moines for the AQS quilt show the end of September!) I couldn’t get a picture without someone in front of it as the attendance was so large. Hurray! I took two classes, Feathers with Jamie Wallen and Dot to Dot with Angela Walter. I also did a 4 hour volunteer shift although I gave up a bit early. I received favorable comments from the judge, but with such noted quilters (winners at AQS shows) such as Miriam Reed, JoAnne Web and Janet Stone in the local guilds, simple quilters like me didn’t have a chance for ribbons. I don’t mind; I’m just glad that Beachy was shown.  Beachy can now hang proudly in my living room. A better picture of Beachy, and one of me. Happy Quilting, Becky

I hate blocking quilts, yet I know of no other way to have them hang straight - really straight - without doing it. I've had Just Beachy hanging for a week , but it didn't hang smoothly - how could it with all the fusible in it? At my house this is what is entailed in blocking a large quilt: Moving everything you can out of the dining room, bringing in a table and the appropriate size insulation boards Of course you can't move everything so you have to work around them Find the right batting for this configuration of boards, wet it with spray water and stretch it flat Wash the quilt on handwash cycle and lug it in still wet This color catcher has me worried A gazillion rulers, pins, pulls, measures, a helpful engineer husband and 4 tiring hours of work 24 hours later it is dry, flat, and one block has run - I'm leaving it. I hate the tremendous backache from doing this, but I need to look straight down on the rulers/quilt to get e...