Random Reflections 2 of 2 Update

I managed to push through making the strips -- even more strips than I thought I really needed because I wanted to have a choice in terms of colors and patterns, and if I'm going to be hauling out the iron and the cutting board, I might as well make it worth my while. I even managed to catapult from that success into finishing up the long 32 strip stripes that make up the top.

Random Reflections 1 of 2 came together really quickly from this point -- because I lucked into having almost no issues of the same print in the same location as I tested the stripes for layout. 2 of 2 was not so lucky. My first four attempts at an initial pairing met with multiple issues. Fortunately, with a total of 9 stripes to choose from, I did manage to find a layout that seems to avoid the issue.

I will say I'm still a little disappointed with the high number of oranges, yellows, and whites. And I even pulled out the oranges and most of the yellows, so there are 1-2 less pieces of them than there should be. I wish I had worked harder to find more blues and greens.

Okay, so it doesn't really match his painting as much as I'd hoped it would. I should have addressed that when I first began to suspect, but I kept telling myself the grey would count and it would all work out. I don't think that happened. All that aside, I'm still pleased with how things look so far.

I did find one little issue I need to fix before I start sewing the stripes into the top, but I think this could be dealt with fairly quickly. The harder part is going to be convincing myself to take on that much ironing -- my least favorite, but very necessary, part of quilting.

I am a little nervous that my seam allowances weren't as consistent through this top -- since there was a 6+ month hiatus between some of the 5-wide blocks and the rest -- but I'm hopeful it will still come together fairly smoothly. I do wish I'd been able to complete it all at once, but there's no use browbeating myself over that now. This is a simple top to make, but it can be a little tedious and I should have taken a break between the two tops instead of interrupting work on 2 of 2.

I'm hoping to get this top assembled on my next weekend off -- unfortunately, that's not until sometime in mid April! Good thing I gave up on my dream of finishing these before baby gets here!