Celtic Solstice Back Making

I am finally tackling the backs to my Celtic Solstice quilts.  Yes, it is time.  I am feeling a wee bit lost as to how to start but I have the leftover units to begin with.  I lay them out and see what I can come up with in order to use most of them.  I want to incorporate my label into the block and this is what I come up with for two blocks using ALL of my leftover units:  Strange but I like them.


I sew the two blocks together and now have the center of each back.  Now what?  I don't want to try and frame it so would prefer a long stripe down the back and off-centered.  What can I add?  My eyes glance up and I spot my two containers of leftover bonus triangles from the chevron units.  Remember these?:  (in the container)  Well I have two containers of them -- one with white/green HST's and the other with yellow/green HST's.  Now to come up with a cool way to sew a few of these together.  I've got it -- how about a swirl?



I start laying them out trying oh so hard to come up with the effect I am striving for.  This takes way too many brain cells.  Ugh.  I finally get it though and am ready to start weaving these buggers together.  They are approx. 1 1/2" square (I am NOT verifying them -- will just go with it) and will finish around an inch.  After several hours, I have two blocks finished.  Whew.

They are slightly smaller than my center block so I dig around in the strip tubs to find some leftover blue strips and frame the swirl.  That works!  Then I attach both swirls to the center block.  Now I am back to my original question  --- what to add next?  I spot some jewel tone yellow on the shelf and decide to cut it to fit the remainder of the length I need and attach to the swirls.  That's good.  Just as I am getting up, my eyes land on a pile of leftover border from the tops and I decide to add it on for good measure.  My strip is finally complete.

Back into the house to lay it out and cut backing to fit.  Remember my backing?  The $1.00 a yard find that Mister scored on?



I don't want the stripe to be centered so I use a full width of fabric down one side and attach my center stripe.  Then I cut the second side for the balance of the width I need.  Voila -- one back down.

Quilt 1 piece count (Yellow) - 2,964 pieces

After taking a couple of days off, it is time for backing number two.  Back to my swirls.  They go so much easier this time.  Mister comes out and helps lay them out with me and within no time I am happily weaving away.

I have a little less backing fabric to work with this time so I need to make the stripe wider.  I decide to lay the center block on it's side and do the same with the swirls.  Back to my blue fabric for framing.  Somehow I measure wrong.  Yep, me.  I almost can't believe it myself.  HAHAHA.

I am out of leftover blue, so I put a small orange stripe on each side to get it to fit.  The yellow fabric that I spotted the other day had a mate of jewel green so it is selected for the larger sections.  I still have a bit of that white border, but not quite enough so I cut it in fourths and add some leftover green strips to it.  This is certainly getting patchy back here but I think I finally have it.

I take it in the house to cut the backing and dang -- I am not wide enough.  I still need about 5 inches to fit my backing.  I trudge back to the studio and see what I can come up with.  I almost shout with glee when I find a 15" piece of orange jewel tone that is leftover.  It is soon cut into 3 5" strips and pieced together and onto my stripe.  Now I am ready for backing.

The sides go on easily and I soon have a second backing.  Yay!  Quilt 2 piece count (Green) 3,000 pieces  Next month:  sandwich and quilt!  Slowly but surely getting there.