One step forward, two steps back

Well it felt like that this week.
Ages ago I was partway through sewing together columns for my latest Chinese Coin Quilt when I started to make masks, so the Coin columns were set aside (I’d been going great guns until then).
Masks finished and delivered. About to make a start on the Coin columns when my niece mentioned she didn’t have any masks. She’s a Primary teacher (like I was, we share the same birthday, so it’s a rather special relationship) and at present masks don’t have to be worn in the classroom. However, ideas keep changing very fast so we could see that masks may soon be a priority, so I made her a couple and posted them to her.
Then I realised my daughter’s friend’s baby is due in about a month and may possibly arrive sooner so I thought I had better make a start on a baby quilt and that it should be in a similar style to her 2 year old’s that I made when he was born. It had appliquéd his name on a band of fabric towards the top of the quilt. I decided to use Happy Blocks for the main part of the quilt so looked in my box of Happy Blocks.

Some time ago I had asked my daughter whether baby was a boy or girl and at that time the parents weren’t saying so I started to pull out some finished Cat blocks and more cat centres and neutral fabrics for borders. Decided on the idea then a casual conversation with Caroline led to the news that the baby was going to be a girl, so back to the drawing board.

Keeping the Happy Blocks design only lots of pink. I had a bundle of pink FQs that I’ve never used  (always seemed the wrong shade etc) so out they came  plus a few Chunks of scrap fabrics and I made 36 Happy Blocks which I was pleased with.

Set them in 6 rows of 6 blocks , all laid out on the floor. Finally happy with the layout, no two similar blocks next each other etc and sewed them together. I laid them out again before I pressed the rows and found several instances where there were similar blocks next to each other - how did that happen? So quite a bit of seam ripping, repositioning and sewing together again.

On to the ironing board and I discovered several blocks didn’t have straight seams, so more seam ripping and re sewing.

Between the First row of blocks and the other block of 5 rows sewn together there will be a band of fabric where the appliquéd name will go. As we have been in Lockdown for three months I have been using stash, and have worked my way through a lot of fabric. I only had two possible pieces of fabric and neither was right at all. So, I went to the computer and spent ages looking through various quilt shops online to find the fabric I needed. The pinks in the blocks are quite an unusual pink, more salmon and that was really hard to match buying on line. 

I finally chose one and have ordered 3 metres: enough for the name panel, a border, the backing and binding. I hope the colour looks OK when it arrives, if not back to the drawing board again!

Here’s the main part of the quilt, the 5 rows sewn together.

Even this photo isn’t good as it was late evening and we had the electric light on. But I wasn’t going to take another photo!

So now I’m waiting for the parcel of fabric to arrive and because of the extra precautions being taken by the shop to follow the Covid 19 regulations on packing ( I suppose wearing masks and gloves etc) the delivery will be delayed.
See what I mean about 1 step forward and 2 back?
Perhaps today I’ll finally finish sewing together those Chinese Coin columns? I’m not holding my breath.