Harry Potter Quilt - Finally Finished

 

The monster project is finished!  Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would take me a whole month to complete this quilt.  I'm pretty happy with it overall, which is good, because there will likely never be another one.

 

 

My husband said that no Harry Potter quilt would be complete without a 9-3/4 block.  But all quilters know that you can't just add one block.  And if I replaced a block, who would I want to do without?  So a whole new row it had to be.

In addition to 9-3/4, I added Quiddich of course....

And Harry's Patronus...

The Deathly Hallows....

And the Hogwarts Express.  The colors here are very orange because the light in my room after dark is pretty orange.  It has rained the WHOLE month of August, it seems, and since I had to go back to work within a day or two after I finished the quilt top, there hasn't been time to get a good photograph.  

Hopefully, when things settle down at school, I'll get a chance to get a photo.  Nevertheless, I'm very glad it's done.

Harry Potter Quilt - The Last Blocks and Finishing Touches

 Today I thought I'd share the last few blocks of my Harry Potter Quilt.  The kids come back to school tomorrow and who knows when I'll get another chance.

First up is Sirius.  I saw someone else clothe this dapper dude in plaid, so I thought I would follow suit.  I'm wondering if his plaid vest matches maybe a bit too well?  And once he was complete, I saw that his moustache needed a bit of trimming.  Why do I never see these things in the photo, but not IRL?

 

Next was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.  I have to admit that I put him off because I wasn't excited AT ALL about making him, but honestly, once I got started, it was fun.  I really enjoyed putting Nagini together.  I loved that I found the perfect snake fabric in my stash.  He's a pretty big block at 14x14.

Luna was an absolute blast to put together.  Almost everything she is wearing came from my scrap basket.  It was fun finding pieces that clashed so well together.

And then there's Dolores Jane.  Again, I was lucky enough to find the purr-fect fabric in my stash.  

 

Bellatrix was kind of a nightmare with her pointy hair, but I thought she turned out OK.

More points.  The dementor is a very large block at 16x16.  I'm pretty good at points now.

The castle is actually two blocks.  This is the right side.  I'm glad I did it first, because it was a booger.  It's pretty big too at 12 x17 or something like that.

The left side of the castle was much easier.  Once the windows were done, it was a piece of cake.  

That was the last of the blocks, but there were some details to take care of.

I had somehow missed a point on the merperson's tail.

And Sirius needed a quick visit to the barber for a trim.

Ron went to the chiropractor, so now he has his head on straight.

 

And then there were some details to take care of...

Harry needed glasses, of course....

And Mad-Eye had to have an eye...

And of course, Luna needed her spectraspecs.  Speaking of Luna, I read a sweet article about her the other day.  You can read it here.  I don't know if you'll need to create an account or log in, but it points out that there's a reason she's one of our favorite characters.

So that's all the blocks.  The next trick was to put it together.  I'll save that for the next post.

Harry Potter Quilt

I love all things Harry Potter, and when I saw @onelaststitch creating these foundation paper pieced blocks on Instagram, I knew that a Harry Potter quilt was in my future.  I am so NOT a fan of paper piecing (it verges on torture to me,) but for once, the effort seemed like it would be worth it.  I purchased the pattern almost immediately when it was finished, but it took a sew-along for me to actually get started.

If the world hadn't seemed so messed up, I might not have even started this project at all, but the concentration required keeps my mind off things, and keeps my hands busy keeps me off social media and the news.  

I almost wish I hadn't started with Harry and Ron, because my paper piecing skills were rusty to say the least.  I may have to go back and fix Ron's neck.

And I might have been a bit more creative with fabrics if it hadn't been so early in the process.  But they turrned out OK, after all, and I will be happy to have them in my quilt.

By the time I got to Hermione, I was feeling a bit more confident.  I used a scrap I found in the scrap bin for her hair, and I love it.  I might have done more with the books, but all those little pieces intimidated me somewhat.

 Dobby and his sock were pretty easy.

 I really dug deep in the scrap basket for the sorting hat, and I'm not sure I made great choices, although some were fabulous, but you can't deny he has personality.

The Whomping Willow was an absolute beast, and I thought I would pull my hair out before it was done.

 Snape was kind of fun, although his potions were tricky.

 And I loved making the Fat Lady.  Her dress is Liberty lawn, which I totally copied from someone in the quilt along (of course I used a different fabric.). But I'm really happy with the fabric choices here. 

 Hedwig was fun, too, and I'm not sure I like the cream "feathers" but she has personality too, I think.

 Draco obviously.

I knew I had this piece of fairy frost in my stash somewhere, and it took a regular sleuthing session to find it.  Ironically, it turned out on a comic book card on the shelf, right where it was supposed to be.

The Merperson was fun, and again I used a piece of fairy frost.  (I knew right where it was this time. Haha!).  She's pretty similar to Dumbledore in fact, but I like her pretty well.). One thing is that I notice the mistakes in the photos more than I do IRL so once I noticed, I fixed her tail but haven't taken another photo of her.

The Whomping Willow was an absolute beast.  And I had made some fabric choices that just didn't work, so I had to take it apart a couple of times.  I also lost a piece on my sewing table and had the darnedest time figuring out why it didn't come out rectangular.  This piece is 10" x 24", so it is huge!!!  I'm glad this one is behind me.

 The Goblin.  This is another one where I didn't notice the mistake until I saw the photo.  I had put "hair" where there should have been background.  I have fixed it now, but it will be another blog post before I take new pictures.

I used a piece of variegated blue for the flames in the Goblet of Fire, and I do like it, although it might have been better if it had been a bolder color throughout.  Still, I think it works.

Moaning Myrtle was so fun to make, although I had a lot of difficulty finding the right. fabrics.  I didn't have any light blue in my supplies, but finally found a piece in the scrap basket.  The same was true for the magenta-ish background.  But her toilet makes me laugh.  It reminds me of her telling Harry, "Harry, if you die down there, you can share my toilet.
 

 Once again, I noticed that I had made a mistake with Sirius' facial hair, and had to go back and fix him once I took the picture.  These blocks are all scheduled for a new photo session when they are all done.  LOL

Hagrid is gigantic measures 16x16.  I didn't realize the photo was so wonky until I cropped it, but again, these blocks will all get a photo session when they are finished.  I really struggled with colors on this one, but I'm so glad this little piece of green was in my stash, as it was just perfect for Norbert (Norberta?) the dragon.  And one of the darker dots was perfectly placed to be an eye, I thought.


So that's it so far.  Seventeen of 25 blocks finished.  And maybe some extras.  Husband is demanding that I include a 9-3/4 block, which means I will need several to finish out a row.  We'll see if I can keep it up.

I'm glad the start of school is delayed so maybe I can finish this before I go back to work.  It has really served to keep my mind busy, although all the paper piecing is getting a bit tedious and its starting to be kind of a slog to get these blocks done.  I made 3 quilts in a week a couple of weeks ago, and I've been working on this one since July 16.  The best I can do is 3 blocks in a day, more often two.  And there are, of course, interruptions by chores and real life, but it has been a great diversion.

Here's to getting the next 8 (or 13) blocks finished soon!

Good Friends/Fun Mail

My online friend and I were talking Barbie clothes and Harry Potter, and just having a great convo on IG.  As part of the conversation, I said I wished I had some Harry Potter fabric.  [I really don't know why I didn't buy some earlier, but I didn't.  I've been going through a phase where I'm trying to not buy more fabric.  (Don't ask how well that is going!)] And I don't remember whether it was the same convo or not, but this same IG friend mentioned the cutest HP social distancing shirt, and I decided that I really needed one to add to my teacher wardrobe. 

Anyway, I came home one afternoon, and there were not one but two wonderful packages on my favorite chair that had come in the mail  The first was an adorable mask made with Harry Potter fabric.  It's a different style than I make, but has the cutest Harrys, Rons and Hermiones on the front. 

Along with the mask was a wonderful selection of HP scraps.  I suddenly remembered that my school bag is nearly 6 years old and I really NEED to make a new one, and that these scraps would be perfect.  That naturally led to the conclusion that I must have more Harry Potter fabric.  Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much HP fabric to be had after the recent mask-making, fabric-buying Covid-19 frenzy, but I did find a few pieces, and my daughter found a few pieces at a Joann's store close to her.  She also apparently had a few pieces in her stash she offered to me but apparently forgot to bring.  But a plan for a new school bag is developing. 

The other package contained my new HP social distancing shirt.  LOOK at this shirt Susie (@crafty.like.a.slytherin) made.  It is so perfectly timely!  I had so much fun wearing this the first teacher day we had to spend actually at school.  Some of the other teachers actually did a true double take, and then laughed. 

Here's the original Educational Decree #31 but we all know that in the Covid era, 8 inches isn't nearly enough.

It came with the cutest note that made me smile. 

She even made me a tote bag from the outtake (or what I call the weeding) of the vinyl.  That was so very thoughtful.  I don't think this tote will hold up to the weight of bringing a million papers home every day, but it will be great for the beach or other outings. 

Then, this past Saturday, I received a most unexpected package of fabric from my friend Leona.  Leona was my very first swap partner, way back in the Flickr heyday.   A few years ago she often made trips to the Florida panhandle and we would meet often and talk sewing and quilting and family and whatever, but unfortunately she hasn't been able to come this way in awhile.  She said that she saw that I had done a lot of charity sewing and she wanted to help out with some fabric.  That was just so kind.

So it's been a great week or so for mail.  Thank you Liiani, Susie, and Leona.  I am very grateful for friends to take the time to think of others and brighten the world a little, especially in these stressful times.  I need to take more time to think of how I can lift others and make someone smile.  Yesterday, in our home church, we sang a Primary song that goes like this:

I want to be kind to everyone

For that is right, you see.

So I say to myself, "remember this:

Kindness begins with me."