Blue 4-patch progress...

I'm linking up with Lily's Quilts today.   Honestly, who knew there were so many small-bloggers out there!  In the past few weeks I have had a lot of fun getting to know some of these blogs.  Thank you Lynne for hosting the Small Blog Meet!   

Also, check out the Monday Link Up at Plum and June, where you can also find a great series posts giving advice to new bloggers.  There's Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday as well.  :).


I leave for the U.S. day after tomorrow.  What happened to my "quiet" three weeks!?  I did manage to get a little of this and a little of that done:

A last trip to Yukuwaya in Shinjuku, to find backing for Tommy's blue 4-patch...

Love these polka dots!

Always fun to get a glimpse of Liberty:

 Auditioned these two fabrics for the backing:

Settled on this one, straight out of 1985, but it suits the quilt well and is woven... which made me think.... how about hand quilting it sashiko style with big stitches?

Picked up a bundle of this cotton pajama fabric for the binding (always trying to use stripy binding!)... but the fabric was much too thin.  Luckily I found when I got home that I'd already purchased binding fabric for this quilt last summer!  Doh!

After standing in a long, slow line to have the backing cut... I was directed to another long, slow line... but the line was divided according to this sign.  Mmm.... which line am I meant to stand in?... I could make out the word "cut" on the left, and since I was holding a length of fabric, I picked Line B. 

Back at home... finished up the piecing... so tedious!

Almost there....

If you are wondering about my light source... ha ha... well... here's my view out the sliding glass doors to the left ... not much to see, but we do get decent light in the apartment! 

And...... finally... basting.  A friend suggested that I go ahead and pin baste even though I'm hand quilting this one.

(Edited to add - Those colorful covers on my pins are wonderful!  I purchased them many years ago... and they save my fingers.  I often use the "Kwik Klip" with it.  The covers are called Quilters Delight grip covers.)

What about you?  Do you always use pins?  Or when you hand quilt, do you always baste with thread?

The woven backing will lend itself nicely to being quilted with this varigated sashiko thread:

I will look forward to returning to this project when I get back to Tokyo mid-August!

I hope everyone is having a great summer - or winter, depending on your hemisphere - so far!