Wonderful Wednesday - Rainbow Picnic Edition

Welcome to another edition of Wonderful Wednesday!!  I'm here to tell you about one of the projects I've been working on (when I should have been working on something else.)  It's not done, but I wanted to share how far I've gotten.

Let me walk you through the process of a glorious diversion:

The Announcement - Rachel at Stitched in Color recently made a Picnic Blanket.  She took a survey and decided to offer a Sew-Along.  On June 28th, 2017, she offered it as a Sew-Along. Thanks, Rachel, I absolutely LOVE anything RAINBOW!! Better yet, it gave me a chance to dig into THIS basket of my large scraps. Totally a win-win situation!!

Supplies - As I mentioned, I was excited to tame my basket of large scraps.  Approximately 87% of the fabrics came from there.

Where did you get the rest of the squares, Joyful??

I raided Britt's stash for a number of them, with the final squares coming from J's stash.  (Thanks to each of you for your contributions to this project!!)

Cutting and Layout - I used two Sew Days for cutting.  Half one day and half the next.  The cutting was interspersed between a variety of other tasks.  That way I don't overtax my shoulder, which still gives me trouble from time to time.

Sewing - Rachel suggested that sewing the squares into BIG 9-Patch blocks makes the blanket easier to piece.  That's how I'm planning on putting this thing together, too.

I'm waiting for my Monthly NT Nights Quilt Bee to layout the squares on the floor of the large meeting room at the library.  That will only put me a week behind.  Not bad (considering all the projects I am currently juggling!!)  That will also give me time to scout around for backing fabric.  However, I'll check my stash before I go shopping.  NOTHING!!!

SEW...

I took a trip to my Big Box fabric store to choose a backing fabric. First online, then in person.  Boy, am I glad I did!!  Some of the options did NOT feel good to the touch.  THIS is the lightweight denim print that I ultimately ended up choosing:

HERE is me, halfway through the process, wallowing on the floor of the local library to lay out my squares.  My monthly Quilt Bee meets there and I had some help in making sure my layout matched Rachel's instructions...

... As well as, with the photo.  Thanks, Carol!!

Finish - Let's get this thing DONE!!  To aid in that process:

I stacked up the rows so that the layout wouldn't get mixed up. That came in handy at the Mini Retreat that my friend Britt and I attended recently.

On Day 1 of the retreat, I sewed the blocks into rows:

On Day 2 of the retreat, I began assembling the top:

When the day was over, there were only 3 seams to be sewn in order to complete the top.  :o))

I finished the top of my Rainbow Picnic Sew Along Blanket after dinner that same evening:

Hooray!!  At this point, I'm only a week or so behind schedule.

Now, on to the (final) finishing...

I am now MORE than a week or two behind, but I have loaded the back onto the quilt frame...

... And I've been considering quilting designs.

Surely, I will finish it SOON...

Potential quilting patterns for within the "9-Patch" blocks:

Possible overall quilting plan:

ETA... Matchstick quilting along the seams that join the "giant 9-Patch" into a quilt top to form an over-sized tic-tac-toe board.  This would have some sort of backround fill in all of the squares.

I'm getting there!!  For now, though, I just can't decide.  I've even contemplated using one of my (as yet untried) TEMPLATE BOARDS or an Orange Peel design.  If you have an idea, by all means, PLEASE chime in.  I welcome any and all suggestions!!

Linking up with Oh Scrap!

Until next time...
USE those scraps!!!