Science Fair

I'm taking a break from Scream House.  I worked on it all last week and have only gotten 2 sections of the thing laced together.  I suspected the lacing would be bad.  I just hadn't anticipated how bad.  If I could do it all over, I'd backstitch the pieces over 3 or even 4 threads, not two.  It just isn't possible for me to do the lacing in the #5 perle cotton  the instructions call for. It isn't even possible for me to thread the 26 gauge needle with #5 perle. The thread is way too thick.  The instructions caution about using short lengths to do the lacing because there is so much wear on the working thread.  But there would also be a ton of wear on the backstitches if I tried to force #5 perle cotton through them.  So I compromised and decided to use #8 perle cotton, even though that seems too thick too.

I've gotten two of the house walls laced together, but I don't like the look of what I've done so far, and it has taken way too long to do!  Time to put Scream House down and think about plan B.  I have accepted the fact that it probably won't be finished for Halloween 2016, but I don't want it to become a UFO.  I'm just way too frustrated with it to work on it now.

So I pulled out an easy project:  a quilt for my niece for Christmas.  I chose Science Fair by Jaybird quilts, and the top is done already!

The colors in the picture are more subdued than they are it real life because it is so gloomy out today. 

This quilt will be for Emily, the niece who helped me remove paper from the Jamestown Landing string blocks.  I think she deserves a quilt for Christmas for all her work.  Emily turned 11 this week, and we already talked about colors she likes (pink, purple, blue).

In the design wall picture, the background looks white, but it is actually white with silver writing on it.  The writing reminds me of someone's homework or a lab notebook.

I love the background fabric!