Basting the quilt

The One-Block Wonder is officially basted and ready to go. Now if I could just blink my eyes and it would magically quilt itself..... It's been a long time since I've tackled machine-quilting a big quilt myself, and a long time since I had to baste one. I used the kitchen table and spent alot of time smoothing out the backing and the batting. Then I carefully started at one end and started pinning the top to the batting and backing. Like I said, it's been a long time since I've done this and wouldn't you know, haste makes waste. I pinned about 2/3 of the quilt together before I realized I had started with the top too far down and would be running out of the back....sigh. So I started at the other end with very little fudge room and unpinned, smoothed the layers, and repinned. So many safety pins, ugh. I pricked my fingers a zillion times before I thought to use my ever trusty orange stick to help close each pin. I have one of those gadgets somewhere that's just for closing the safety pins (can't think of the name right now), but didn't feel like looking for it. Tomorrow I'll remember exactly where it is, but I won't be needing it tomorrow, will I?


I found this fabric recently and it just cried out to me to be taken home. It WAS on sale, and I got 5 yards - all that was on the bolt. This is more like what I wanted for the One-Block Wonder. This is an Alexander Henry print, and the design is so soft. The colors are kinda girly, what with all the pinks and greens, but that's okay. Nobody in my house has ever complained that the quilt they're snuggled under is too girly - they just grab whatever is on top of the pile.