OMG June: Library Quilt Project (update)

Whew!  I spent the first couple weeks in June working on these things almost non-stop, or so it felt.  But all 30 book blocks are complete!  Here are some of the final 14 blocks I completed this month.

Not only did I complete all of the book blocks, but I got them sewn together into the main part of the quilt.  I played around with the layout in EQ7 quite a bit, after scanning each of the blocks into the computer.  Here's the final layout.  (It's final hanging place is going to be on a boring beige wall--I think it will "pop" nicely!)

Here are the sashing strips and corner blocks all cut out.  I used leftover pieces from the "binding" part of the books in the blocks.  I decided to keep it simple and went with 5 different fabrics in rainbow order (of course).

After coming up with the final layout, I sewed the blocks together in columns of 3 and then sewed those into groups of 6, before combining the final 5 panels.  (Unfortunately it's so huge, that I haven't gotten a picture of all 30 blocks together, yet.  So you'll just have to accept my pictures of the panels hanging on my pantry cabinet with less than ideal lighting.)

I did purchase backing fabric--Connecting Threads has some wide backing fabric that's affordable, and I chose a simple chambray-type fabric since the back of the quilt will never be seen.  And binding fabric--a fabric that looks like a library book barcode.  Now I have everything I need to finish the quilt--just need to get the large border strips cut and sew all the letters.

Somehow the rest of June was a bust, and I didn't get any other sewing done, and haven't moved on to the letters.  I think partly because I'm putting off thinking about how I'm going to find space to bind it, and how exactly to quilt this monster.

OMG June: Library Quilt Project (more blocks)

This may get a bit boring, but I'm planning on finishing up my Library Quilt book blocks this month.  I finished 16 out of 30 last month, and have prepped and started piecing the last 14.

I only need to finish the top part of the blocks.  But the smaller part seems to be the hardest--choosing text-like fabrics for the pages, and then piecing the odd shaped piece above the text part (see last month's post for finished blocks).  In hindsight, I should have modified the block to have one more piece, then I wouldn't have to worry about the weird five-sided pieces.  But I didn't want some of the blocks to be pieced differently.
I've also purchased fabric for the sashing (solid black), background (royal blue), and letters (yellow), and photocopied the letter patterns onto vellum for piecing.  I'm not sure how much of that I'll get done this month, so my goal is to at least get the remaining 14 book blocks finished.
Maybe by summer's end, I'll have the whole top pieced.  Then it will just be a matter of figuring out how to quilt it (or finding someone to do it for me?).  Since I've been working on the book quilt, I've fallen behind on my Project 48 Quilt (should have never had that 5th Friday in April off--threw off my rhythm), and my Modern HST Quilt.  I'll catch up on those eventually.  I haven't completed a single quilt/mini since March, but I've done lots of piecing.