Getting Things Done

 Getting Things Done or GTD by David Allen is one of the most workable and inspirational methods of organizing one's life.  I am not naturally organized.  The GTD method is the one thing that I have been able to follow--albeit intermittently.

No, this isn't a post about GTD, but rather a passing tangent to open up about my manic push to complete my "Sparkle Magic Shine" Quilt tops and thinking about the GTD way for quilts. (And I love Karen's Just Get it Done Quilts).

Below is an example of the quilt top.

The border is from Wilmington prints.  I bought 10 of them (or so) from Paducah.  I transformed the panel into a quilt top using diamond windows from fabric that I had about.  The Diamond Windows are from the Daisy Baby Quilt Pattern from Piper Girls.  You can see that quilt here.  

I made these quilt tops in 2019.  I serged the edges which works great to keep them from unraveling. They were all folded up; and within the last couple of weeks I have been finishing them.  I working on my last one.

My quilting finish became less elaborate on these last few.  I simply took a long ruler and some chalk and made a diamond grid following the side diamonds. The chalk washes away perfectly, but it makes a strong line to follow.  My walking foot has a sole plate that has an edge marker at the center.  It is great for following lines as well as following the edge of the binding for finishing the quilt.

My diamonds were made from 2.5" strips.  You can see my modified methodology for making this charming block here.  I found this block to be easier to execute using this method; easier= faster, more accurate.  No room for lazy, wobbling 1/4" seams or sloppy ironing.  But you can use up scrap 2.5" strips.  I think that on their own they make a charming border for a panel.

The other quilt top I finished was this one.

 

I made this with several fat quarters of Anna Maria Horner's fabric that came in the Free Spirit Mystery Bundle (offered at a ridiculously low price on Amazon...but not always in stock).   I was inspired by a quilt made by Susan Gray featured by Karen of Just Get it Done Quilts on one of her You Tube Videos on how to make a scrappy quilt.  I used a dark grey fabric backing for the back and the binding.   It turned out so beautiful, and it was a lovely way to showcase these beautiful desaturated colors.  To fill in, I used other complementary fabrics.  

The quilt is a throw size, and frankly I don't see myself making bed sized quilts. . . rather, I prefer making "more intimate" sizes.  I have a domestic machine with a regular sized bed--throw size is just fine.