Not a BOM! WIP - Semper Fi, Devon & Kyle

It's been a very long time since I've made a post that wasn't for the BOM link-up. It's not that block of the month work is all I ever do anymore. It's just that my "real" quilting work has consisted of the same two projects ever since March or so. 

Except for the week that I used the paper piecing of fireworks blocks for an emotional escape, all my Monday-Friday quilting time is devoted to two priority projects. 

First up: My priority project for finishing is Kyle's Marine Corps quilt, and I should have the quilting done on it today! (It's a large sofa size, something like 70" square.)

The seal in the center got trapunto work, so it has this fabulous dimension.

And don't you love the effect of this gold thread?

I finished the FMQ work on the red bands yesterday. I'm not good enough at feathers yet to do these completely freehand if they need a measured repeat - plus the visual field of working on a desktop machine is too limited to see what you're doing, anyway, in terms of the repeats. So I did make templates in the two border sizes I needed. I made them long enough to be able to find the best centering on each side. 

I traced the outlines, then drew in the waves and some of the feathers. I also drew in the corner treatments. Some day I'll be experienced enough with feather work to do them from just a drawn spine even when I want a uniform repeat. 

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Whenever I need to work upstairs, or want a sanity break and color change, or I'm sitting down to watch an evening show with Scott, I work on Devon and Kyle's wedding quilt top. I've never shown it as a whole yet, and people keep asking, so here it is so far:

There are 11 swallows left for hand applique work, and then I'll start the marking process for its quilting. (I'm using the back basting method on these - my favorite - and it takes me about 90 minutes to work around one bird. I take tiny stitches, and I work perhaps a little slowly as I'm watching a movie or show while doing so). 

The top is SUPER WRINKLED right now because it lives on my sofa for easy pick-up whenever a working moment arrives. You can see my hand-work bag living with it.  Oh, and the super-soft plush throw lives on the sofa, too, despite it being high summer because that successfully keeps the cat from wanting to lay on my quilt work. (And this photo is true to its colors):

I haven't yet figured out the exact quilting strategy for this quilt, but it's going to be quite detailed. I hope to have it completely finished when Devon moves out to Virginia in October. Kyle just finished his Combat Training and is at his MOS school now. That lasts until April. That unit's commander won't allow them to live in married housing (he's in one of the intelligence jobs), but doesn't mind the spouses living nearby. So she'll be boarding with a high school friend of mine out there as soon as she finishes her own school program here. I'm glad she's been living with us while his training didn't allow them to be together, instead of living all alone! 

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So that's my Mon-Fri work, the real meat of my quilting time. Weekends are for mental breaks. If I have time on Saturdays I work on a UFO, or community service sewing, or whatever floats my boat. On Sundays, I work on whichever BOM is meant for that week. Sometimes I get in 15 minutes because of fun family activities, other times I get several hours. It just all depends.  :D

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Linking up at WIP Wednesday, Let's Bee Social, WIPs Be Gone