WIP Wednesday - ALYOF - April Finish!

What's this, you say? Is it a WIP or a Finish? What the heck is going on here?! Well, my April goal for ALYOF was to make a start on my Skill Builder BOM 2015 - Technicolor Galaxy (for those of you who are interested, I was #105 on the Goal Setting Party). I achieved my goal/finish by making a WIP. How's that for some fancy quilt-y footwork? ☺

This pic shows where I am at the moment. I've definitely gotten started. Yup, that's Matthew & Mary gazing longingly at each other in the foreground. Have I mentioned that I have a bit of a Downton Abbey addiction?

Anyway. At our MMQG Sew In on Saturday, I got busy on these star points. Only to discover that I had miscut 1/3 of the pattern pieced. Insert unbridled cussing here.

 

Home I went to get my stack of Konas to re-cut the pieces. Grrr. Thank goodness I only live 8 minutes drive from where we sew. I did lose my plum parking spot though. Oh well. This was my first time piecing on stabilizer instead of paper. I think I really like the idea of NOT tearing paper off at the end of a project! 

Yesterday I stopped procrastinating à la Val and her taxes and got to work on making the bias tape needed to finish my glue basted seams on the Colour Wheel. I always wuss out when I have to cut bias strips and do it the more complicated way that I understand well. Not this time! I followed the detailed instructions and did this origami folding of a FQ...  

Go figure... it worked! Though I have far more bias strips than I need. I hate wasting fabric. At least it's just Kona White and not some precious, long-hoarded print.

This really is a nifty tool... makes me wonder what other projects need some bias tape. Someone please help me... I need to lay down until this feeling passes.

 Thought about making this tiny bias tape:
1) When the directions say to buy a particular product, just buy it. Never trust yourself when you say "Oh... this isn't the same, but I think it'll work." Nope. Just don't.
2) I am grateful for my swanky new iron. But yikes! It is HOT!
3) I have crossed off my "Do something that scares you" for today... and I might count this process for a few days' worth.

Ah... rainbow-y goodness. It's been fun selecting just the right prints for the secondary star points. I've been using lots from the fabric kit, as well as dipping into my stash. Those FQs from Fridays Off Fabric are coming in handy, as is that monster pile of Cotton & Steel Basics that I impulse bought last summer.

I'm pretty pleased with the selections for this side...

But I'm struggling with this side. I'm just not sure about that purple point mid-photo. Is the outside purple too light? Commentary welcome! And the blues... I need to make use of that 31% off sale at my LQS that ends next Monday.

All in all, I'm pleased at how much I got done this month. I'm not caught up.. but I made progress. It's not a race and I am enjoying playing with my fabrics to get things just right. Remember this....

 

For all the challenges, there's a lot of joy in this mega-project. Just seeing it hanging out on my design wall makes me smile!

I'm linking up today with a veritable grocery list of linkys. First up, there's the April Finishes Party for ALYOF at Fibre of All Sorts. Then my usual Wednesday shenanigans: Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts and WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced. If you're looking for guilt about not getting much sewing done inspiration, head on over to any of these linkys. So much to see!

J