Friday Finish - The Procrastination Is Over!

As you may remember, I have been procrastinating about quilting four quilt tops.  This week, I bit the bullet and got one done!!

This is Delight, a WIP from last month.  I decided to do FMQ loops.  I used the leftover fabric to make a scrappy binding.

It was so windy, and the quilt would not stay put.

As it was dancing in the wind, I captured a photo from the back.  It looks like stained glass.

I like FMQ loops!  I think this will work on one of the other tops sitting in the pile.  Hoping to find the time this weekend for another finish.

Here's a glimpse of the back.

This quilt does not have a home yet, but I'm so pleased with the quilting, I'm tempted to keep it for myself.

If you have a finish this week, link up with:

TGIFF hosted by Iris @ Crazy Dutch Bird Quilts
Finish it up Friday hosted by Crazy Mom Quilts

Whoomp There It Is! hosted by A Quilted Passion

WIP Wednesday - Mystery Unveiled

The mystery quilt is starting to take shape!!  Cheryl over at Meadow Mist Designs has created this wonderful monthly mystery quilt, and I have been having a lot of fun the past six months.  There is still time to join...especially now that you know what the blocks look like.

The Court House step blocks that were made back in October were cut into four sections.  I suspected that the blocks would be cut because they were so large in comparison to the other blocks, but I was still nervous as I was cutting.

The four sections were then pieced with the sections that were made back in November.  And voila!  New even larger blocks:  eight full blocks and two half blocks.

I wish my favourite colour orange had ended up being the large star.  But in any event, I still like the block.

You can read about my mystery quilt journey:

July - Cutting

August - Flying Geese

September - Square in Square

October - Court House Steps

November - Piecing

I'm showing off my WIP with the following linkups:

         

Finish Friday - Gravity Pillows

It's been seven months since I began the Gravity quilt journey.  Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts hosted the QAL, and you may recall my finished Gravity posted last month.

Myra added one more linkup:  the Gravity pillow.  Since I put so much work into making Gravity, I decided I needed matching pillows.

I tried a new tutorial for a hidden zippered back:  S.O.T.A.K. Handmade.  It's a great tutorial, and I think I'll be doing this from now on, instead of an envelope back.  Thanks to Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts for pointing me in the right direction.

I carried the quilting from Gravity over to the pillows.

Backing fabric is Flight Patterns by Tamara Kate for Michael Miller Fabrics.

Thanks to Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts for hosting this QAL.

If you have a finish this week, link up with:

TGIFF hosted by M-R @ Quilt Matters
Finish it up Friday hosted by Crazy Mom Quilts

Whoomp There It Is! hosted by A Quilted Passion

WIP Wednesday - Pattern Testing

The procrastination continues.  Last month, I offered to test a pattern for Brianna over at The Iron & Needle.  When Ocean Sky arrived in my Inbox, I was excited to get started, but it took me some time to decide on fabric.

The pattern consists of HQST (half quarter square triangles) and HST (half square triangles), with a few rectangles.  This was my first attempt at HQST, and I love them!!

Kona White for the background

Add some HST's:

And voilà:  a 24-inch finished block:

I was hesitant to use the dark blue fabric.  I had been hoarding coveting holding on to the last piece of this wonderful rich fabric, but with no project in mind.  But I am so very glad that I decided to use it for this project.  It was the right choice.

The pattern consists of six blocks, but I decided to only make four blocks for a large baby/toddler quilt.  I love how the blocks create an awesome centre.

Val @ Purple Boots and Pigtails invited a few friends over to sew on Sunday.  She has a wonderful front yard, so I was able to get these great photos.

I would make this pattern again, and I encourage you to purchase Ocean Sky once it's released.  Now the difficult part of making a quilt....deciding how to quilt it.

If you have a WIP this week, you should link up with the following:

         

ALYOF December Goal

Where has the year gone?  It's hard to believe that it's already December.

Participating in the A Lovely Year of Finishes has been great.  The challenge of stating a goal at the beginning of the month and then working to achieve the goal before the end of the month, has kept me focused and on top of WIPs.

December's goal is to quilt my Glimmer quilt from last month, including the matching pillow I made this week.  Quilting will be an overall star FMQ motif.

I was thinking this quilt might be a gift, but now that I've made the pillow, I want to keep them both for myself. LOL

Well...I guess it's about time to start working on my two Christmas projects............

Friday Finish - Two Baby Quilts

This is the Star Bright quilt pattern from Swim Bike Quilt.  The pattern calls for 6-inch squares, but I used 5-inch squares.  All fabrics were from my stash.

Both quilts have the same fabrics, but different layouts.

An all-over stipple because I was on a tight deadline.  I'm glad I went with yellow thread -- I didn't want any contrast on the star.

Stop by the following links to see all the projects that are being showcased this week:

TGIFF hosted by Laura @ Quokka Quilts

Finish it up Friday hosted by Crazy Mom Quilts

Whoomp There It Is! hosted by A Quilted Passion

Throwback Thursday - December Edition

My friend Jenn @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge has been hosting Throwback Thursday for five months now.  It's been fun re-visiting past quilts.

I think I need to make a list of all the quilts I have made for my nephew.  Of the five months, three of the quilts have been for him.  I sure hope he remembers all this love when I need someone to care for me in my golden years.

The panel was cut up and sashing added.  Each panel features a different sport.

Baseball and basketball are the sports he plays.  Thankfully hockey was a short-lived experience -- the rink was too darn cold for my liking.

You can't see that I hand stitched around some of the elements in each of the panels.  This was definitely before I learned FMQ and stitching in the ditch was all that I knew.  But what was I thinking???  I hate hand quilting.  Clearly I must have been drunk or in a state of delirium.

The label says this was for Christmas 2008.

Stop by to see the other Throwback Thursday posts.  It's interesting to see how we have all evolved in our projects over the years.

WIP Wednesday - Procrastination Pillow

I have four quilt tops that need to be quilted.  But did I work on them this week...of course not.  Instead, I decided to make a pillow to match my Glimmer quilt that I made last month.  Procrastination is a great way to start new projects.

The pillow started out as strip sets.

The strips are then are cut into diamond shapes.  The background fabric is cut into diamonds, triangles, and half triangles.

Two of the six pieced sections:

I wonder what else I will create during my procrastination...

I encourage you to visit the following link ups so you can see what others have been creating this week: