Quilty Finishes for the year

I've managed to finish three more quilts during the month of December and 4 Christmas gifts. Still have one Christmas gift to make, but didn't bring the right stuff with me to make it. The quilts that I finished up are my nieces quilt. I forgot to get a picture of the finished quilt, but to the right you can see a pic of the finished quilt top. I also finished my pineapple quilt and it will be going on my bed once I make it back to Texas next week. And I finished a quilt that is for a friend. It will be going to her this week so I'll post a pic of it later.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Pineapple Quilt is finished!

Woohoo........I'm happy dancing here in TX because I finished the top for my batik pineapple quilt tonite (well actually very early this morning). =) The pic to the right shows the top layed out on my queen sized bed. Finished size is roughly 98" by 108". It will go in the mail tomorrow morning to my friend Vicki after I pick up 108" wide backing fabric for it (I don't feel like trying to piece backing for this critter).......

Next I'm off to finish several other projects that are in progress. Once they are to the finished top stage I'll be able to start on a queen-sized quilt that I have here for Am Heroes and Christmas presents. Not to mention starting to step up my job search since the current contract ends the end of this year and talking with the powers that be at work about the possibility of the contract being extended into next yr.

Gratitudes -
1. I'm thankful for my large stash because it supplied all i needed for this quilt top without having to buy any fabric for it - a blessing in the midst of the continued job search. And am thankful that i won't have to quilt this one!
2. I'm thankful to have the current contract for another 2 1/2 months.
3. I'm thankful for the job possibilities that are being presented to me by various recruiters.

Retreat is coming..........

The last couple of weeks have been crazier than normal because things at work are getting close to deadlines. And projects are competing for the same resources - myself and the gal I work with. Both of us will be glad when the end of the month arrives and it's back to the normal level of "insanity". Life has been so crazy with work that i haven't even been able to go to the gym like I want to. =(

I've been busy quilting and cross-stitching trying to cope with the stress. And among other things have been able to get several projects either finished or closer to being finished. The biggest one of these is I finished up the last of the blocks for my pineapple quilt yesterday, just in time for the quilt retreat I'm headed too this weekend. Getting the blocks put together and the borders on this quilt is the first project I am taking with me.

Also finished, well until I decide what to do with them at any rate, are these two little cross-stitch pieces. A friend gave me the kit for these last year, so I'm doing good to finish these off so quickly when compared to the umpteen kits that I've had for yrs and not done.

I've got 6 different projects that i'm taking with me this weekend, and i'm looking forward to getting some of them finished up. I'm going to have to work part of the time while I'm there, but that's life when you need the money. I'll just enjoy the time when I'm not working all the more. =) I'll post pics later of the projects that I'm taking to work on.

Gratitudes -

1. As stressful as it can be, I'm thankful for the part-time contract that I am working at this time.

2. For the opportunity to go away this weekend and spend time with quilting friends.

Quilter's ADD?

I've come to realize that I have a short attention span with my quilting - Is there such a think as Quilter's ADD? I start quilts, and then I'll see another pile of blocks or scraps and I stop working on the first project and I'm off and running on the next one and so it goes and goes...... I do eventually get things done, but I almost always have many things going on at the same time. As a result I've got the center panels for two quilts for American Heroes finished. Haven't a clue what I want to do yet for borders, so they have been set aside so that ideas may germinate..... Pics of the two tops are below. Any suggestions for borders?

I'm making progress on my pineapple quilt and only have 7 more blocks to sew together (the fabric is all prepped. My thanks go to my friends Susan and to Gabriele for making blocks for me. Had designed a tuck panel, but then realized that something happened somewhere along the way when I sewed the strip sets together, phoeey..........so the design for that has morphed and shrunk a wee bit............Such is life. Will post a picture of the blocks and tuck panel when I've got them all done - hopefully by the end of this week. =)

Have finally found a 'background' fabric to use in the borders of Bekah's quilt. And I think that I've got a plan for what to do. I probably won't post another picture of the quilt until after she gets is so that she is surprised by the finished quilt. =)

Finally bought my plane ticket last week for the quilt retreat I'm going to in 2 weeks.....woohoo....I'm soooooooooo looking forward to it. Lots of time to quilt and lots of fun with my friends there in Wisconsin.

Pineapple Blocks in Progress

Several years ago I started a pineapple quilt for myself, and then because I didn't like the fabric I chose for that first block just let the quilt lanquish for several years. But this year I've been making a real effort to finish up some of my UFO's and this is one of them that I've pulled out to get finished up. I have an appt to have this quilted the end of October, so I've been working like a mad woman to get the blocks done.

I had figured that I needed 56 blocks total for the quilt, and after laying them out on my bed tonite to take a picture of the blocks completed so far I'm really looking forward to seeing what this will be when finished. All of the blocks will be a different fabric combination and all of the fabrics have come out of my stash - and nope, it hasn't made a dent in the amount of batiks that I have in my stash. There will be 2 inch wide sashing made from the same black kona cotton. And cornerstones cut from the left over batiks used in the blocks. Finally there will be a triple border of the black, a batik, and finally black. The binding will be another batik, also from my stash.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me get this going by making blocks for me!

Peaceful Saturday

This week has been productive quilt-wise for me, partially due to the fact that when things get stressful I quilt – and usually a lot! I’ve finished up a quilted postcard for a monthly swap that I'm in. For the theme this round, everyone picks a "holiday" or "day of" to design a postcard for. For September, I chose September 3rd - Skyscraper Day. As I was doing my postcard, I was thinking of Boston and the view of the skyscrapers in downtown from the Boston Commons. A view that I really miss a lot. This will go in the mail on Monday and will wing it's way to SC.

Today I spent several hours working to straighten up my cutting table so that I could actually see the top of it again and use it. Now what most people don't know is that I have what would normally be a kitchen island for my cutting table in my sewing room. It is 6 feet long by 40 inches wide or there abouts.........and I had managed to cover it almost totally. After all my work I can actually see the top of it......and no, I didn't manage to get it totally cleared off but at least there's a little bit of room now. Still to come is figuring out what projects I'm going to be taking with me to the quilt retreat that I'm going to in October. The only thing I know of at this point is the fabric for two sets of swap blocks and maybe a queen-size quilt for American Heros.

One of the other projects that I worked on today was putting together the center part of a quilt I'm making my niece Bekah. I've still got the borders to go yet but it's getting there. I'm happy with the way it is turning out even though it has driven me crazy at times........... I'm turning over ideas on how to quilt it in my mind, so if you've got ideas let me know in a comment. =)

Next week I'll start working on the CQ block that I've received for the round robin that I'm in. I've got some ideas in my head for what I want to do and am looking forward to working on it. =)

As for my pineapple quilt that is in the works, I've now finished 31 blocks and 2 more finished blocks will be heading my way before long. That means I've only got about 23 more blocks to get made before the end of September. Am trying to get at least one per day made, and aiming for 2 or 3.....now if only I don't get too distracted I can make it.