Wow – another quilt finished.  This one is Scrappy Something and another top machine quilted over the Thanksgiving weekend.

I quilted Scrappy Something with green thread to match the background with a free-form Baptist Fan for the quilting motif.  The reason this quilt was finished so quickly is because I machine stitched the binding using Suzanne Hyland’s Sew Precise Sew Fast Machine Binding technique.  It is a great binding for charity and kid’s quilts – anything that will get a lot of love.

Merry Christmas Eve,

Marlene

I finished hand-stitching the binding on the Hemingway Quilt this morning.

This is another top that was machine quilted over the Thanksgiving weekend.  It is quilted with monofilament thread and a meander motif in the center.  In the border I used one of Angela Walter’s curvy designs.

Hemingway is the 21st finish for the year – only 4 more to go to make my 2017 goal.  Guess I had better get working on the next one.

Happy Holidays,

Marlene

Blue Lake Cabin (41″ x 41″) is the 20th finish of the year.  The pattern is Lake Cabin in the book Scrap-Basket Sensations by Kim Brackett.  My quilt looks different from Kim’s because I didn’t include the sashing between the blocks.

I used mono-filament thread to quilt Blue Lake Cabin.  The center motif is cross-hatching, candy ribbon in the inner border and a fern design in the outer border.  The size of this quilt was determined by the leftover 2 1/2″ strips from another project.  It is a simple pattern but can be very dramatic with the right fabric choices.  I think I need to make another bigger one.

Marlene

I managed to finish September with a finish – Valentine’s Morning Star.   The pattern is found in Magic Stack-n-Whack by Bethany Reynolds.  This quilt top has always been a favorite of mine, but I lacked confidence in my machine quilting skills to make it a completed quilt.  I am pleased with the final result and so happy that I (finally) just did it.

Marlene

Oriental Bento Box was completed last weekend, just before I started working again.  Hopefully this coming up week I will be able to get into more of a schedule and find some time to quilt.  Anyway – Oriental Bento Box measures 50 1/2″ square and is the 18th quilt finish for the year.  It is machine quilted with free-form Baptist Fans with the gold fabric as the binding.

Today I plan to start the machine quilting on this quilt –

I found a design I like for the diamonds in Angela Walter’s book Shape by Shape.  This one has been waiting way to long to become a finished quilt.

Marlene

The last stitch was taken and now Ripples is a finished quilt.  I like the bright colors and how the pattern shows off the fun fabrics.

Ripples measures 65″ x 78″ and is my 17th completed quilt for the year – only 8 more to go to meet my goal.

Marlene

I finished the last hand work on the Mini Wolf applique wallhanging yesterday along with the eye.

In the picture it looks like a button, but it is fabric.  The first circle I cut out was of white – white fabric for white of the eye, right?  Well it was way too bright and stark, so I knew that I needed something different.  After looking everywhere else, I finally found a strip of the background fabric in the strings bin.  Gotta love those strings!  So this fabric for the white of the eye is a circle from the lighter part of the background fabric.

Mini Wolf is the 16th finish for the year, so I am on track to complete 25 quilts for 2017.

Now it is back to the machine applique of all the petal shapes on the Honey Bee blocks.

Marlene

The last of the hand stitching on Long Time Gone was completed yesterday evening.  Since my border was wider than the directions, my quilt measures 69″ x 69″.

I am very happy with this quilt.  I like the colors, the contrast and the fact that – except for a couple of fat quarters – all the fabric came from my stash.

The plan for tomorrow is to get the backing & batting ready for Ripples.  I have a couple of projects that I want to get finished, then it will be time to complete the Lincoln block quilt top.

Marlene

This quilt top was pieced in 2011 and I started my blog in 2012, so this is the first blog photo of the Gray & Purple Hexagon quilt.  It shrunk an 1″ with the machine quilting and now measures 38″ x 48″.

I am so happy with the machine quilting on this quilt and – as you can see – all the chalk washes away.  My 2017 goal of 25 finished quilts is on track with Gray & Purple Hexagon as my 14th finish.

Next up is Long Time Gone.  The plan is to start the machine quilting by the end of the week, so I had better get started on the quilt sandwich.

Marlene

Rainbow Braid is completed – this is the 13th quilt finish for the year.  All the fabric for this quilt came from my stash (happy dance, happy dance) and the Thermore batting has a nice soft, drapey feel to it which I did not expect.

I am already planning the next quilt using this quilt-as-you-go technique, but before I can get to distracted with it I need to finish the Long Time Gone quilt top.

Happy Donut Day,

Marlene