Quiltpiecer

  I'll bet I'm not the only one who has several projects going on at once, although I usually do try to finish one before I start the next even if it is only the top. I've made some progress on my Single Wedding Ring top and decided to do a straight setting with no sashing and cornerstones.  I'll probably add an inner border and do a fancy pieced outer border.  We'll see what comes up for next week. And, I'm still working on Clue 1 of the Grassy Creek mystery.  I've sewn the HSTs and I still need to trim half of them but I'll be ready for Clue 2 on Friday. This is the Bobby Dazzler top that I finished in September and quilted today.  It's still a work-in-progress not only because it needs binding but also because I have to repair the mess I have on the back. I did a whole row of quilting before I realized I didn't lower the needle bar.  Ugh, I hate it when that happens.  The threads are loose on the back which I  actually had a hard time finding...

  I finally jumped on the bandwagon that is the 2020 Stash Buster Challenge  by the Border Creek Station.  I stumbled upon this challenge way back in January via Facebook.   The block is the Square Dance and the challenge is to use your scraps to make 52 blocks by the end of the year to be entered in a drawing.  That's a block a week. A whole year.  No problem, I thought.  Ha, ha!   But other things and other quilts took priority and before I knew it, the end of the year was less than 5 weeks away.   I've made a couple yellow and blue quilts in the past years and had some leftover yellow floral fat quarters.  I think they're pretty but it's time to use them up.  This stash buster was perfect. So far, I've made 24 blocks and can't decide on a layout, although I am leaning towards #1.  I'm also wondering if all that floral is too busy and maybe I should add some tone-on-tone yellows.   I am enjoying worki...

  I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving Day.  Hubby and I spent a quiet day and did a Zoom dinner with my sister and nieces.  I must say I definitely miss our in-person get-togethers but Zoom is better than nothing.   I have not been together in-person with my sister since February when we celebrated her 90th birthday.  I have been to her home but can only visit her from the driveway.  She comes out to her balcony and we have a little chat with me underneath in the driveway.  She's Rapunzel to my Eugene LOL.  We're all very protective of her so I'm okay with that.  I am SO looking forward to 2021. My sister is an amazing person This will be my second Bonnie Hunter Quitville Mystery Quilt, and for once, I'm starting on day one. Last year's Frolic Mystery was my first ever and it took me out of my comfort zone.  I'm not a pink person but I think this color combination is stunning; a nd the blue matches the blue throughout my house....

Charming Christmas Quilt #257  Size: 56" x 68" Started 10/27/20 - Finished 11/20/20 Yay! I finally finished my Charming Christmas Quilt, more than a week before December!  I can't believe I was able to finish this quilt in 3 weeks.  I posted about my work-in-progress here , here , and here . I am really glad I decided to do a pieced border.  It's much more interesting than a plain simple border. Many of these prints are from 1/2 yards and FQs I bought over the past couple of years, but about half of the fabrics are from a bag of scraps I bought at the thrift store last year.  The scrappy white background and inner border also include cotton sheet scraps. The original design uses 25 Jacob Ladder blocks, but I decided to make my quilt smaller with only 20 blocks. The pattern instructs you to make the blocks before deciding on a layout, but somehow I missed that part.  Instead of making the blocks individually, I laid out each 4-patch and HST unit in rows and ...

  I've made some progress on my Single Wedding Ring  since my Monday Design Wall post . Each block measures 15.5" and so far I've made 9 blocks.  I think 20 blocks plus sashing and borders will make a nice size quilt.  Maybe not a bed size but large enough for my friend and hubby to cuddle under while watching TV.  And my Charming Christmas  quilt top is on the frame ready for quilting.  I pieced the backing with Christmas fabrics from my stash, and you can see a bit of one of the prints in the picture.  I haven't decided on a quilting design but I hope I can get this quilt finished by Friday. I don't know if this is real progress, but I have my fabrics ready for Bonnie Hunter's Grassy Creek Mystery.  This will be my second mystery quilt and one thing I learned from my first mystery, Frolic, is to not sweat the color choices too much.  I fretted so much with Frolic that my colors weren't an exact match, but in the end it all worked beaut...

  A couple months ago, I received an email from a very dear friend announcing her recent wedding.  Due to COVID, she had a very intimate ceremony at home with only her nuclear family.  Of course, I was surprised because I had no clue but I was also very happy for her.   You see, forty years ago she became a widow with two school-age children. She deeply mourned the loss of her husband and refused to date for many years ... until she met the man who recently became her husband.  They dated off and on for many years, and they are now both in their 70s with grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  I wish them many happy years together. To celebrate and show some love, I decided to gift them a quilt, and I knew I wanted to make a wedding ring quilt. I thought about a Double Wedding Ring but knew it would take me forever.  Instead, I opted for a Single Wedding Ring design, also known as the English Wedding Ring and Crown of Thorns. I found this free pat...