A finish during the season of downsizing!

My 2016 row by row from Alewives Fabrics in Damariscotta, ME  is finally done!  I had the top done at the end of June and really thought I would have quilted it sooner, but it took awhile.

I love to go to Alewives Fabrics.  Rhea and her crew have great fabrics, samples and patterns.  They are quite busy in the summer season but her enthusiasm carries throughout the year!  Rhea worked at Cambridge Quilts (where I also worked) when she was attending school in Boston.  Her design and color sense are always spot on!

I really enjoyed quilting this.  

• For the outside border, straight lines
• For the inner border, a wavy, rounded zig zag line
• For the sky and grass/hills, a wavy line.

This shows you a close up of the binding.  I used a method I have used before and really like it from Sew Fresh Quilts.   My only problem was I was really close on fabric and kept praying it would work - measuring it out was not an assurance that turning those corners would make it.  In the end, I had about 6" of binding left - a little too close for my liking!

It's  a simple table runner and I'll use it in my Maine cottage.  I was thinking of hanging it over one of the doors in the upstairs, but I might need 4 to do that, so I will think about that and what I have left of other row by rows OR repeat one.

In the next week or so, I'll regroup on my UFOs.  First, I must register two quilts for our guild in the fall (and finish one of them).  I am really slowed up with the move, and my primary sewing study is a disaster.  My goal is to have room to sew by Labor Day weekend.  

Linking up to:  Wednesday Wait Loss 

A finished top #FreeFallQAL

My Free Fall Quilt Along project is done, well the top is done.  "Done" is a funny term for quilts, as there are often many stages of done in getting to the the finished quilt.  Here are a few things quilters consider a quilt done:  

1. finishing the blocks, 
2. piecing the blocks together, 
3. sometimes adding borders, 
4. quilting the quilt, 
5. adding the binding,
6. putting the label on - NOW IT IS REALLY DONE! 

I really love the way it turned out.  I hope to get it basted so I can quilt soon, but am traveling this weekend, so it won't happen until next week at the earliest.   I have a few ideas about quilting it, but haven't really settled on the plan just yet.

Thank you, Sandra @ mm quilts for a great QAL.  It was fun to see what others choose and an unexpected project that I really enjoyed - using up my stash/scraps is one of my goals this year - and I love this little quilt.

Linking up to Let's Bee Social

Things I am working on:

April and May UFOs (a little late on April)

-Prepping M3 (Meadow Mist Mystery) Quilt for quilting on 5/23

-finish shashiko block and make pillow cover

Ongoing

-pick some colors for La Passacagalia

-begin animal alphabet quilt

-label a few quilts (I think there are about 4 needing labels)

Finish It Up Friday & FreeFallQAL #4

I finished the 6 blocks for my #freefallqal.  I love they way they come together and most likely it will remain a smallish quilt.  I don't have enough background to float the quilt as I would like (only the equivalent of 3/4" so I don't think it is worth it, but I may try....  That decision will be for next week.

The last three blocks for the #FreeFallQAL

For this week's blocks there were actually 3 different layouts for the blocks.  Two blocks were hard (not paying attention), the next two easy, and the third set I cursed myself by saying to a co-worker, I am nearly done!  Only two seams had to be ripped out but interesting how easy it was for me to mis-sew or misplace a piece.

And here they are on the table ready to be sewn together!

The proposed layout for the blocks

Linking up to Sandra at mmm! quilts and Crazy Mom Quilts.

Finish it up Friday

The top is done for the M3 quilt, as I lovingly refer to it.   This was from Cheryl Brickey, Meadow Mist DesignsMystery Quilt.  I began the top in July 2016 and completed the it on Friday, the 24th of February.  Monthly instructions were sent on the first Thursday of the month.  Her directions and guidance on fabric choices was really helpful.  I may have the quilt quilted by April, but, am still not quite sure so I entered the top as it is.  

 

UFO #1 for 2016 is finished!

I am loving this UFO challenge.  I finished a nice little leaf applique quilt and can call it done!  I am thrilled to bits to be motivated this way.  One of my favorite things about this little quilt is the pieced fabric for the fall leaf.  I enjoyed quilting it and pushed myself to do something a little fancy in the border.  I almost always rush to finish the quilting and don't do anything elaborate, especially in my class samples.   It was a good exercise in patience and pushing myself when so often I go for the quick ending.

   

Begin as you mean to go on

On the last day of 2015 I finished a Diva Frame Wallet.

 I love the little wallet and think I learned a few things:

1. Do some prep work - I cut out the project.
2. Find the missing pieces - I found a zipper that would work.
3. Pick it up again and make it.

As I begin this year of quilting and occasional other crafts, I want to set a few goals for me:

1. MORE - quilt and knit more
2. SMARTER - learn to use EQ7
3. SHARE - resume my blog and begin to work on creating some 4 lessons/patterns 

I saw two blogs referring to this goal and one intrigued me.  The one I selected is a group of folks who will commit to finishing 12 projects (how could I have so many) through the year.  First you pick your 12 projects, then the monthly number is assigned and that's the one you work to finish.  You can find this challenge at All People Quilt.

Tomorrow, I'll post my list and a picture of the first project I'm tackling.