Raining Cats & Dogs made from Ann Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs pattern

Started: Nov, 2011

Finished top: 4/10/2016

Raining Cats and Dogs
Finished Top
4/10/2016

Quilting: Domestic sewing machine (Bernina 330). Aurifil 50w #2310 on the top and bobbin. Planning on hand quilting within each block.

Background: I started this project in November, 2011 as a BOM with my LA Quilt Shop, Quilt Emporium. Up until this project I didn’t have much experience with Applique. I decided to take this class to learn how to applique and to practice my technique. The class and the blocks were harder than I originally thought they would be but my applique has definitely improved during this process. I know it was a BOM and I should be done by now but in the beginning I was very slow. I tried the freezer paper technique with starch. I tried freezer paper with basting. And I tried using a little glue because some of the pieces were so small it seemed that it was best to just use applique glue and to hold it down while I sewed it. I enjoyed simply using the lightbox, tracing the pattern on the fabric and pinning it and appliqueing it without the starch or basting or glue. The starch and glue made the fabric hard to applique in some parts. Basting just seemed to add more steps to the process without giving me much benefit. I just have to remind myself that I do not need to finish this quickly and to relish in the process of learning rather than rush the project. I’ve finished about 4 or 5 blocks so far. I only have pictures of these two because the others are packed up somewhere.

A block from Raining Cats & Dogs made from Ann Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs pattern

Raining Cats & Dogs made from Ann Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs pattern

Update as of 8/24/13

I’m on Block 4 of this BOM. That’s what it says on the block but my LQS didn’t work on the blocks in order. I’ve still got about 1/3rd left to do- 1 umbrellas, a flower, stem and leaves (and embroidery). My goal for August is to finish the block but I’m not sure if I can… well I’ll keep working on it a little bit each day and we’ll see how far I can get.

Block 4 – Finished on 8/31/2013 – just in time for my August Get It Done Report!

Block 4 – Done
Raining Cats and Dogs

September, 2013 – Beginning to work on Block 9

Update as of 10/12/2013

Block 9 is DONE!

Block 9 – Done
Raining Cats and Dogs

I’m starting to work on Block 6 now. I’ve pieced the background together and transferred #1 and #2 tracings onto the background. As usual I plan to work a bit at a time every day. This time around I’m not going to baste everything together. My current secret project had a little applique on it and I didn’t baste first like I’ve been doing recently. It went much faster and the curves came together much nicer. I do not know if it will work every time but as I get more comfortable with applique I think I do not have to baste as much.

Update as of 11/11/13

Block 6 is done!

Raining Cats and Dogs
Block 6
Finished 11/10/13

I’m not sure which block is next but I’ve only got two left! I’m so excited that this is almost finished. I was checking out earlier blocks and they do not look so bad. My circles have points in areas but other than that they look pretty good. I’ll be working on some other hand work at the moment as my Bernina is in the quilting stage at the moment and I am not able to piece the backing for the next block. I can always take out Kayla’s Bernette but I think I can wait a week on this. If the quilting goes longer than that I may have to bust out with the Bernette but I can wait right now. 🙂

Remaining Blocks – Block 2, Block 7

Design Wall
11/11/13

Started working on Block 2 11/17/13. The plan for November is to just get going on this project. I’m taking it slow as things are hectic right now.

Raining Cats and Dogs
Block 2
a finished cat – 11/29/13

Update as of May 28, 2014

Block 2 is done and has been since April. I only have 1 last block to do and I can start with the next steps.

Raining Cats and Dogs
Block 2
Finished
4/26/14

I’m thinking of doing the Quilting as you go (QAYG) method. The only issue is whether I have enough fabric to do that and whether I want to do sashing or try the more complicated method of no sashing. I don’t know. the benefit is that I’ll be able to control the quilting more with that method and I can make it a little more detailed and finer than piecing the top first and then quilting it. I am leaning toward QAYG because of this.

final block – #7…

… UPDATE AS OF 1/24/2016

Raining Cats and Dogs
Block 7
1/24/2016

The final block is finally completed!

Now it’s time to get all the blocks together. Here they are all laid out.

Raining Cats and Dogs
All Blocks Done
1/24/2016

As of 2/28/2016 – all the blocks have been pieced together. Something I should have done before I pieced them together was trim down the blocks. Some of them I did when I finished them and some of them weren’t. So, in piecing them together, I was having a bit of trouble.

Raining Cats and Dogs
inner top finished
still needs borders
2/28/2016

Update as of 3/18/2016 – border #1 is attached

Raining Cats and Dogs
Border #1 finished
3/18/2016

Raining Cats and Dogs
Finished Top
4/10/2016

Still quilting
5/3/2016

I stabilized the quilt by machine quilting around each block and the borders. I had basted it on the frame but I ended up with a couple of tucks in the batting so I took it out and redid it with pins. What a mess! I must have not put it on the frame well. I decided the hand quilt the outline around each thing first and then I’ll decide what to quilt next. There’s a lot to outline so I have time to figure my next step out.