I`m Playing Too

Sometime in the last month or so I found a hashtag on Instagram that took me to a blogger who is hosting a Finish A Long, with a bunch of other bloggers.

The idea is you make public the finishes you want to accomplish in the next 3 months. For every finish, there are a lot of great prizes to be won. You are entered for a prize for each item you finish - there is no penalty for not finishing an item on your list.

I need a little motivation sometimes, so I decided to play along and now the 2nd quarter (Q2) entries are open.

Here are my plans:

1.  This lovely charm square stack of Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille will become a dresden quilt for my bed. I`ve had this idea in the works for ages but haven`t taken the leap. I`m leaping. There is no pattern, I`m going to make a bunch of dresdens, then scatter them all over the white background and stitch them down.

2. This pile of fabric on the left, along with some from the right, and some from Buttons, will make a quilt for a young woman who is having a child.

The pattern is this one from a magazine (also borrowed from Buttons). I used this pattern last year for another baby quilt and it turned out great and was quick and easy.

I`m only setting two goals. That`s it. That`s all I have in the works that I think I can finish by the end of June, and my goal is to finish.

I think I`ve convinced Buttons and The Edgy Perfectionist to join too.  We`ll see.

I`m linking up, planning for finishes, and hoping for a win.

Sloooooooooooow Stitching

Not slow in a bad way, just slower than I've been going. I've finished the smaller blocks in Winter Wonderland and now I'm into a big block. And I had a very busy week.

This is my progress this week. (And this big block is traced out)

It's the left hand side of a pine tree. On the far left of the top panel

(photo from http://www.crabapplehillstudio.com/winter-wonderland.html)

This week coming up will be far less busy so I'm hoping to have more to show next weekend.

I'm linking up to Kathy`s Quilts

I Finished!

On Easter Sunday I finished sewing the binding on my Under The Stars quilt.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Some quilting close ups of the borders. I used the snowflakes I used on my HO, HO, HO quilt and added some loop-de-loops in between to join them together.

Around the squares in the centre I went horizontally and vertically row by row, and I went around each gold star.

In the dark blue band at the top I did a simple loop-de-loop again. I also quilted around the snowmen shapes and the big parts of their faces. Without that, they poofed up too much. With quilting the parts, there is much better definition to their faces.

I put a round label on the back that says: "Made by me, for me, then my name and the date".

I'm not sure I'd make this quilt again, or if I'll do another flannel top and bottom. I did like the mix of hand applique and sewn piecing. And the colours grew on my over time. On my current machine, quilting through two layers of flannel and batting was a bit tricky.

I've put this quilt away until next year when I'll bring it out for the couch. I refuse to accept that we have enough winter left that I still need a flannel quilt.

Just In Time?

A polar vortex has hit my part of the world this weekend. All our snow was gone, then we got some more yesterday - and it hasn't melted yet. I was just out for a walk and it feels cold. There are 3 boys tobogganing down a small hill just behind my house and judging by their shouts they are enjoying themselves. The weatherman is calling for more snow later today. This should be it for us for winter-like weather, but I'm not betting on it.

I finished another Winter Wonderland block this week - last night in fact.

It's up against the patio door, so you can see my carried threads behind. I'm pleased with how this block turned out. And I'm still enjoying the process.

Last night it looked pretty with the snow sticking to everything. But I'm ready for spring.

I'm linking up to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching.