Friday Finish - 06/16/17

I actually finished this quilt on June 5th, but life has just been busy and I've not gotten it photographed until today. And today's pictures aren't wonderful, but I will take what I can get. The quilt is Hollywood's Zombie quilt, and the story behind it is...Cole calls Hollywood his zombie apocalypse dog. Hollywood is supposed to protect him in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Now I don't do zombies, I don't watch the Walking Dead, really I don't do scary stuff at all. But when I saw a bundle of Riley Blake Zombie Apocalypse fabric on sale at Fat Quarter Shop, I just couldn't resist. I have had the fabric for about 3 years, and it just never worked it ways to the top of my to do list, but it was my June project and so I had to work on it.

I debated about doing something more complicated, but since the real stars of the fabrics were the zombies I wanted to make sure they were really seen. And as much as I'm not into to zombies, these are pretty cute. I went with a simple sashed block pattern that let me get the most out of the 9 fat quarters that were in the bundle.

I love that some of the fabrics gave important zombie facts, like zombies are attracted by loud noises and lights. So I will be hiding in a dark room if there is an apocalypse.

I am very happy to have finished this one early in the month because it gives me time to work on a few projects not on my monthly list. It will be a little bit before it get's quilted, but that is ok, Hollywood is very patient. I am hoping to get injections in my knees later this month which should help so that I can get some quilting done. It isn't a large quilt, only 55 x 55, so it might move up the list of quilts, just because I can get it done easier.

Well that is my finish for today...yeah!!! I am linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, TGIFF: Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday @ Cut & Alter and Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts. And since this is my OMG for June, I will be linking up with Elm Street Quilts.

Friday Finish - 06/02/17

Well Sharla finished her True Colors quilt....Yeah!!!! We didn't really have a pattern for this one, Sharla saw a quilt she liked on Pinterest, but the link didn't lead to a pattern, so I used EQ to create one. We just played with the sizes until we got the best use of a fat quarter. Then she decided to sash it, which the original quilt did do. When we started to cut the quilt we realized the kit she purchased had more quarter yard cuts not fat quarters. So I gave her my FQ bundle to use. The pattern I plan on using can use either/or. She also decided she didn't want to use all the fabrics in the bundle, but the kit she got had some 1/2 yard cuts in it as well, so we cut the extras from those fabrics. I think it turned out very nice.

I think I may have converted her to a Tula Pink fan. She really loves the bright colors in this one. I saw her scoping out the latest bundle by Tula. But we are on a strict fabric diet until July when we count up our piggy banks. We too the top to the gazebo to photograph because it was late afternoon and the sun was really bright and we needed the shade.

We snapped a few photos and were on our way. She picked the orange and pink fabric in bottom row for her backing and the lazy yellow stripe for the binding. It will definitely be a bright and cheerful quilt. It is pretty large too, I think it is 80 x 100 right now, so after quilting and washing it will most like be used on her bed. She didn't get her other May quilt done, but I think she still is happy, because she really wanted to do this one.

We are still both making good progress on our #100days100blocks2017, we've posted 27 days as of today, and both have worked ahead so that we can be prepared and not sewing at the last minute. I've already started working on my June quilt, and she will start hers this weekend. So we are doing good!!! I am linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, and Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday @ chezzetcook. I'll be back on Sunday to report my numbers for the week and show you our blocks for the week.

Friday Finish - 05/19/17

I'm excited about today's finish because it is the oldest UFO, well that isn't exactly true, I have a couple of tops that are older, but no other UFOs or fabric bundles older than this one. I received a jelly roll for Christmas in 2012 from Tom and Mecca. I knew right away I wanted to make a coin quilt out of it, and so I sewed the strips together, then sub cut those into groups and made the groups into columns and then it sat and sat and sat. I couldn't make up my mind on what to use for the sashing. I thought black, then grey, then white, and then another batik, but just couldn't commit to any of them. Every time I would straighten the sewing room I would find these and think I need to finish that, but then I would go around and around with myself on what color to do for the sashing.

I knew that if I was going to get it done, I needed to put it on my list for this year and it became my May top to complete. Even then I still debated about what color to use for the sashing. I wanted something that would highlight the great colors of the jelly roll, but also blend in some too.

I finally took the strips an laid out on my long arm and then put the Kona Card and Bella Solids card that I have up against them, and finally picked Washed Black by Bella Solids. Then I had to order the fabric, so I started off a little late, but since it was only sashing it went together really quickly.

I finished the quilt on Monday, but the wind was blowing really hard, so no chance to photograph it. Then Sharla was sick, then errands after work and then rain predicted. I tried to snap a couple of photos before the rain came, but the wind was still playing tricks on me.

Every time I fixed one corner another one would curl up, so I gave up and said this is as good as it is going to get. I really love the colors in this and I think it is going to be a nice size lap quilt when I'm done. Since I had already dropped Sharla off at work it was just me against the wind and the wind won.

This is my one monthly goal for May, so yeah I met my goal. I'm still making progress on the #100days100blocks2017 and will show everyone week two block on Sunday. Sharla has battled a bug a couple of times this month, so she she has some work to do, but she is staying current with her 100 blocks too. I will link this up with Elm Street Quilts at the end of the month. And I am linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Thank Goodness It's Finshed Friday @ Quilting is More Fun than Housework and Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts. And I'll be back on Sunday to report my numbers for the week and show you our blocks for the week.

Friday Finish - 05/05/17

It is time to show everyone Callie and Beau's quilt. They have it in their hot little hands and love it!!!! So now I can show it to everyone else. And be prepared, there are lots of pictures today. Just a little history on the quilt. They asked me to make them a signature quilt for their wedding. Everyone signed blocks instead of a guest book, and then I put the blocks together and quilted them. Here is a picture of the setup at the wedding.

And here is the finished quilt. We took it back to the gazebo and I photographed from one side and Sharla from the other. The funny thing is the pictures look so different just because of the angle of the sun.

I used my standard corner label, which I like because it is sewn in with the binding. I also like that I can print it on my computer so it is more readable.

Now the only place on the quilt with Callie and Beau's name was going to be the label, but I thought it needed their names on it somewhere else. So I did a little paper piecing and added something to the back (and I didn't tell Callie/Beau, so it was a surprise).

I think my favorite block is the one that the signer added a batman to the block. Unfortunately part of it was in the seam allowance, but it still makes me smile every time I see it.

I love the way it looked on the swing with the sun on it. I think this one shows the colors the best of all the shots. I was a little afraid of an all solids quilt, this is my first one, but I think it turned out wonderfully. Callie picked the colors, and as always she did a great job.

After taking the photos at the gazebo we called Mecca and Tom to see if they wanted to see it before I sent to off to Callie and Beau. No one answered their phones, but since they are often outside on the weekends we ran over to their house, but no one was around. So we took a couple of photos on their bridge. We posted one showing only the backing, but here is one of the front. And yes we went back later that night so they could see it before it was boxed and shipped.

Over all I'm happy with the quilt and Callie and Beau love it which is all that matters. I learned lots from making this one. I learned that I should have taped the edges of the blocks because to many people wrote into the seam allowance. I learned that people gravitate to certain colors, I was surprised by how few people signed the red blocks. I learned that Callie and Beau are very patient people, because they waited two years for this quilt, but I'm hoping that it is something they will enjoy for 50 years or more. And lastly I learned that working with solid colors isn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Here is the last picture for today.

So that is all for today, I'm going to link up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts and Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts. Hopefully we will have more to show you next week. This is also my first finish for #2017FALQ2, and it was the first goal on my list.

Friday Finish - 04/14/17

So far April is a hopping month for us, Sharla finished her Big & Tall - Lula Magnolia top (aka Big Blue Flowers) and I have finished Callie and Beau's wedding top.  Now since I don't want to show Callie's quilt until it is done today you're going to see Sharla's top. She bought the bundle a couple of years ago on a flash sale at Fat Quarter Shop, but once it arrive it just sat, she couldn't decide what she wanted to do with it. When we were trying to organize all of our projects and make sure we had all the pieces together (bundles, binding, backing, etc.) we were folding the backing fabric for this project and Hollywood would not leave it alone.  He kept trying to get up next to it. So I told Sharla it would have to be his quilt when it was done.  I'm not sure she is agreeing with that point, but we'll see. The photos aren't great it was windy and the sunlight was bright, but it was my only chance to photograph the top.

The pattern is called Big & Tall by Sunnyside Designs and Sharla saw it one day and thought it was right up her alley. Simple and easy, yet still pretty. We did modify the pattern, by making it larger. The pattern called for 12 fat quarters and we used 20, making it 76 x 82 1/2. The pattern is very quick to make, but you have to be careful of your pieces because some are very close in size. What Sharla did was lay them out and sewed them in groups to help keep them from getting mixed.

The fabric line is Lula Magnolia by Quilted Fish produced by Riley Blake. And I have to say I really love the flamingos in the line. They are just too cute. Sharla tried very hard to make sure they all were standing correctly, and that none were on their heads.  I just laughed because I'm pretty sure the finished quilt will be turned all which ways.

That is it for today, I'm hoping to work on quilting Callie's quilt this weekend into next week, so hopefully I will have pictures for it soon. But for now I'm linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts and Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts.

Friday Finish - 03/31/17

Well Sharla finished her Strip Box - Summerfest flimsy last Sunday. So that makes three finishes for her so far this year. She is even planning on trying for 2 in May since she will have a long weekend. Strip Box is a pattern by Frivolous Necessity and is a jelly roll pattern. But she didn't exactly follow the pattern. It is supposed to be random strips framing a rail fence, but she had in her mind it was supposed to all of the same fabric framing. So it doesn't really match the pattern, but it is still really pretty.

We had an added issue that she started this quilt before her eyes were fixed and although she didn't have to re-sew any seams, we found that she was taking a larger 1/4" seam before than she is now. So once all the blocks were made I squared them up for her. She love Fig Tree & Co. fabric and we laugh about this one being from her orange phase.

The fabrics are very pretty and she loves it.  The quilt is supposed to be 84" x 96", but since I had to trim about 1/4" off of each block, I'm guessing it is about two inches shorter all around.  I forgot to measure it to know the exact size. We carried it in the car for a week waiting for the wind to die down or it to not be raining, and it took until yesterday for that to happen. We had a couple of pretty big storms this week, in fact Sunday night we had some major hail. Enough that we will most likely need a new roof. And so we avoided laying the quilt on the ground for as long as possible so it could dry up some and even then we had to deal with some wind issues. But it wasn't as bad as last week.

We've already pulled Sharla's April project, that we call Big Blue Flowers. It is the only fabric that Hollywood has ever really reacted too, and for some reason he loves the backing fabric for the project. Every time we have it out he is all over it.  So I think in the end it will end up being his quilt, but maybe she won't share (hahah...he has her eating out of his paw). I made some progress already on my April project, so I might even get two projects done (I know wishful thinking, but I believe in dreaming big. For now I'm linking up with  Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Crazy Mom Quilts and Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts.

Friday Finish - 03/24/17

I have finished my City Streets - 2wenty Thr3e flimsy. It is a very simple pattern and the quilt goes together so fast. I should have been finished a week ago, but I was busy getting other things done. I love this quilt, however Sharla isn't as pleased with it as I am. It popped her in the face yesterday as we were trying to get photos of it.  The wind was blowing like mad, and I couldn't even get it on the ground.

We tried several times, but it just wouldn't lay down. So then I tried to hold it up and that was even worse. That is when it got sassy with Sharla and popped her.

I really like how the grey works with the other colors. The grey is Bella Solids Etchings Slate and is a nice deep grey. The quilt measures 72 x 83 1/2, so it will be a great snuggle quilt. I am going to try and get some better pictures of it this weekend, but I just couldn't wait to show it off to everyone.

Over all this makes the 3rd flimsy I've completed this year, and so I'm on track to make my goal of finishing at least 12 flimsy in 2017. I've already started working on the next one, but haven't made much progress this week.  It was one of those where on my days off I was forced to do life things like oil changes, car inspections, getting the car tags and lots of fun other fun things. I do hope to make more progress next week.

For now I'm linking up with  Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation and Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts.  And I am linking to Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal Finish March Linkup since was my OMG for March.

Friday Finish - 03/17/17 (A Little Early)

First I know it is not Friday just yet, but I am so very happy to have this all finished and gifted that I just couldn't wait until Friday. Plus I've been teasing it for so long, I know several of you have been waiting to see the final results. It was a little late for Christmas, but I got it too her before her birthday...Mecca's Courtyard Tiles quilt....tada!!!!

So before I start the big picture fest, let me tell you a little about this quilt. The pattern is Courtyard Tiles by My Quilt Infatuation. I bought the pattern last May during May is for Makers and when my sister-in-law saw it she asked if I would make it for her. I said yes. And then we had to choose fabric, and I had to modify the pattern because she wanted a king sized quilt. I started working on it in July or August, hoping to have it finished by Christmas, but only had the top done then. So she received a photo of the top at Christmas. But now it is quilted and matching shams are done.

This puppy is big, it was 108 x 108 before washing and I forgot to measure it when I took it out of the dryer. The fabric line is Bread 'n Butter by American Jane for Moda and the colors are just so pretty. I did do some calculations on this baby, the top has 1296 pieces in it and matching shams have 270, with the backing and binding it comes to 1580 pieces. Lots and lots of pieces, but each one sewn with love. I couldn't get a great picture of it all spread out, so here are some of my favorites in smaller sections.

I made matching shams, but I don't really like them. I was smart enough to make them, quilt them and wash them before piecing them. But I wasn't smart enough to realize the pattern wouldn't match the way I did it. Mecca doesn't mind, but it is one of those things I see. I am working hard on giving myself a break on things like this, so as long as Mecca is happy, I'm happy.

It is hard to see the quilting but it is just an all over meander in a white thread. Sharla and I took it out Sunday to photograph and deliver, but when we got to Mecca and Tom's house no one was home. So we decided to tease them a little and took a picture of it on a little bridge Tom built in the front yard.

This is by far the largest quilt I've ever done and it stretched my machine and me to the max, but it was so worth it. The pattern is really well written and I will make another one of these in the future for sure, just maybe not king sized. It is far from perfect, but it is just so pretty that I can ignore the flaws.

I used a red polka dot for the back and red diamond grid fabric for the binding, both of which look really great. I even remembered to label it.

We found this great gazebo just down the road from us. It is outside of a small church and was a perfect spot to photograph the quilt.  I'm sure we will use it again in the future. Someday I would love to have a gazebo like this one. Going through the photos I realized I didn't get a picture of the whole gazebo, but here is one of the bottom part.

I'm so happy this one is done, and I'm so happy that Mecca loves it. Now it is time for me to get working on more projects. My list is slowing getting done. This is the second quilt on my 2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 1 list, and I hope to get at least one more done before the quarter is done. I'm making lots of progress on tops, but not as much as finished quilts, but I happy with where I stand.

I will be linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.

Friday Finish...Not Quite

I do have a finish this week, the binding is on the Courtyard Tiles quilt and it just needs to be washed and photographed. The sham fabric has been quilted, trimmed and the edges sewn down so that it can be washed before I sew them together (don't want it to shrink after it is sewn). But since my sister-in-law reads this blog and I want the reveal to be a little special I'm not showing any photos today...sorry Mecca!!!

This is the biggest quilt I've made to date and will be the biggest I make for a long time. I have a 10 foot table on my Avante and I learned some real lessons with this one.  In my head I thought 10 foot table meant I had 120 inches to work, but I forgot to take into account the carriage where the machine sits, which is about 6 inches wide, which means I have to take 12 inches off of the 120 (6 inches each side). So that leave 108 inches needle area, and this quilt is 108 inches. Now that means I had no wiggle room at all, and it also meant I needed to purchase some narrow side clamps, to allow for the backing being larger than 108 inches.

All in all this quilt taught me several things. First I learned what my machine can and can't do, I had never pushed the limits before this quilt. I learned how to move furniture around so that when I was piecing and binding to give me enough table space to work with such a large quilt and now I have a plan when I have to do this in the future. I learned that king sized quilts are just plain heavy, it is surprising how heavy. I learned I don't mind working with lots and lot of little pieces, but I'm not fast when doing so. And lastly I learned that while not easy, I can make really big quilts.

My goal is to wash the quilt and shams tomorrow morning. I don't want them to sit wet in the washer just in case some of the reds run. Since Sharla and I will both be home we can wash them and check them before putting them into the dryer. It will take both of us to check it since it is so big. Then I just have to cut and piece the shams, which shouldn't be too hard. And if all goes well I should be able to gift it late this weekend or early next week.

I have started working on my City Streets quilt and hope to have the flimsy done on it soon as well. I think the next quilt to go on the machine will be Sharla's City Street quilt because it isn't too big and I need a break from really big quilts. I would like to get at least one more flimsy quilted this quarter, and if possible two more. But for now I'm happy with where I stand.

I won't be linking up with any of the Friday Finishes linky parties, because although the quilt is finished I'm not showing it just yet. And because I hate post without pictures, here is Marley snuggled up in his quilt and Hollywood trying to look innocent.

Hollywood will be very glad when Mecca's quilt leaves the house, I have to bar him from the quilt room because his black hair gets everywhere and I've been trying to avoid it getting on/in the quilt since it has so much white.

Friday Finish - 03/03/17

I'm happy to say we have another finish. Sharla finished her Summerfest flimsy on Sunday afternoon and we finally got some photos of it yesterday. There is no real pattern it is simply layer cake squares sewn in columns with sashing between the columns.

The bright cheerful colors were hard to photograph in the afternoon sun, but we kept trying until we got at least a few good pictures. I know she is anxiously awaiting this one being quilted because it's spring colors will be perfect on her bed. The flimsy is 94 x 99 and used almost all of two layer cakes. I think she had 4 squares she didn't use.

For Sharla is doing so well finishing one quilt a month, I've told her I'm going to start pushing her to do 1 1/2 or 2 a month.  I'm not sure it will work, but I love pushing her just for the fun of it. We have also been looking for spots to get better photographs of the quilts, but since most of the time we are doing the photo sessions after work, we've not found any great spots. But we did stumble on a cute rusted fence yesterday and snapped a couple there.

As much as she wants this one quilted, I think it is going to be a little while. I have to finish binding Mecca's, then quilting the shams, then I want to do a couple that are not quite this large. But hopefully I will get this one done before Spring is over. Today and I am linking up my finish with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.

Friday Finish - 02/10/17

I really didn't expect to have anything to show today. I thought it would be next week before I finished my cross quilt and the week after that before Sharla finished her Summerfest quilt. But then the Super Bowl happened. I'm not a big sports fan, but I normally watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, but they just didn't hold my interest this year. So I started working on my cross quilt and low and behold it was done.

I started working on this quilt in November of 2014. It was the block I chose as queen in my very first bee, Compass Quilters. It was a small bee, and I knew I wouldn't get enough blocks to make the quilt the size I wanted, so I've been working away on it since then. I would put it aside every once in a while, but whenever I had new scraps, they immediately went into this quilt.  It is made up of 289 6-inch squares which means it is 102 x 102, or a very large queen.

Sharla was taking pictures for me, and got the one above as I was trying to get it laid out nicely. As I ironed it I notice a couple of spots where yellows were bunched together, but when I lay it out flat and see it all, I don't notice them as much.  I can still see them, but they don't bother me.

I love the mix of all the low volume fabrics with the bright crosses. I has some of my favorite fabrics in it, along with some really fun blocks from my bee mates. It is funny because one of my bee mates from this bee is the hive mama of my Stash Bee this year and another is the Stash Bee coordinator. The quilting community is a small world after all.

I can't wait to get it quilted and put it on my bed. It is just so cheerful, that it will brighten my day every time I see it.  I also want to thank all my bee mates for their blocks. Although there blocks don't make up the majority of this quilt, they make it even more special because I will always remember my first bee.

Seeing this picture of it dancing in the wind make me smile. It was a struggle to get photos of the quilt because the light backgrounds wanted to blowout, but at the same time I love how the sunlight just makes it pop.

I'm hoping by the end of next week to have another finish to show you, but we will just have to wait and see if that happens. For now I'm linking up with  Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts , Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio and Sew Cute Tuesday @ Young Texas Mama.  And I will be linking up at Elm Street Quilts at the end of the month, because this finishes my One Monthly Goal for February.

Friday Finish - 02/03/17

I showed ya'll a hint of this finish on Sunday, but was I smart enough to get pictures of it before it turned cold, no I wasn't. I should have taken it outside on Sunday and photographed it since it was in the 70's no I wait until this morning when it is cloudy and 37 degrees.

The pattern is called City Streets and the fabric line is Ticklish by Me and My Sister Designs. Everything was purchased for this before Hollywood joined the family or I'm pretty sure Sharla wouldn't have selected white for the sashing. I'm sure this one won't stay on her bed during the rainy season. Sharla's January goal was to finish this top and she got it done on Saturday...so she squeaked in under the line.

The overcast sky work well for photographing the quilt because with as much white as is in it, the sun would have washed it out. But the wind really played with it. I struggled to get a good photo with it all laying flat. The wind kept picking it up and making it dance.

This is a very easy pattern using a layer cake and the fabric for the sashing. I plan on making one using this pattern as well, but my sashing is a dark purple.  But it is much further down on my list. Sharla purchased the fabric for this in 2013, so it is one of her older projects. Now I just have to get some white batting and hopefully get it quilted. But before it gets quilted I have to quilt Mecca's quilt, which also needs white batting. I got the narrower side clamps yesterday, so hopefully I can start moving ahead with Mecca's again.

Today and I am linking up my finish with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.

Friday Finish - 01/27/17

Well lookie here, I have another finish to report...yeah!!!!. I worked hard and finished quilting Sharla's Flirt/Jelly Roll'n quilt last Saturday. Then I got it bound on Monday. It felt good to get another quilt done. I rushed to get it washed so I could photograph on Tuesday before a cold front was supposed to hit.

I didn't get a chance to photograph it until I went to pick Sharla up from work, so the sun was just about to set. I wish I had some better places to photograph my quilts, but I've not found any place really fun.  I love the colors in this one. Sharla bought the kit at the Dallas Quilt show in 2013, but didn't work on it until 2015. I laughed because when I went to label it, I checked and we had printed a label for it last year, saying it was quilted in 2016. We just called it the lying label. No one will really know or care, but it makes us giggle.

As I was quilting it I realized that she most likely sewed this one while her eyes were bad. There were some definitely wonky spots, but I think I was able to work around them. And once it was washed and shrank up some, you don't notice them at all.  I think she will use this one in her chair for a while, as her TV quilt.

This was one of my 2017 Finish-A-Long goals for Quarter 1. So I'm making progress. I had hoped to put Mecca's quilt on the machine next, but I had to order some narrower side clamps because the quilt is so large and they are back ordered.  Not sure what will be next, but I hope to get something on the machine next week.

Today and I am linking up my finish with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.

Friday Finish - 01/20/17

I have been making progress, slow progress, but I will take it. This week I finished my OMG for January...yeah I finished it on Monday, so almost by the 15th. The pattern is Big and Bold and the fabric line is Soho Chic. The weather has been crappy all week, but the sun peeked out this morning and I grabbed a quick shot before work. I love the dark rich colors of this one, and I can't wait to get it quilted so that I can use it.

I will be linking up my finish at Elm Street Quilts. I can't even begin to say how happy I am to have completed this top. I am hoping it sets the right tone for the rest of the year and I get lots and lots done.

I also got Sharla's Flirt quilt onto the long arm and began quilting it. But I only got a couple of rows done. I'm hoping to get more done this weekend. I am just happy to be quilting again.

If all goes well I will have another finish next week. So for me it was a very good week considering I didn't get to spend much time sewing or quilting. Today and I am linking up my finish with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.

Friday Finish - 01/06/17

I have my first finish for 2017 and the first completed quilt in way way too long. Now before I show it to you, let me tell you the quilt is for Marley, my dog. So I didn't go back and fix things that I would normally fix. I have had this quilt on the frame for months, but just never got around to quilting it.

It has been over 6 months since I quilted, and I thought it would be a good idea to use a meandering panto-graph to get me back in the groove. I was wrong, very very wrong. I was so stiff using the machine and I just couldn't relax working from the back of the machine.  I just don't like working like where I can't see what is being stitched. So what I found is I crossed over stitches, my flow was very jumpy and jagged, but I continued until I finished it.

From the back it doesn't look back, because the thread blends into the busy background. I love a nice busy background. I realized after completing the binding I didn't even label it.

However when you see the front, you can see all the mistakes and jagged moves. Normally I would have picked these all out and redone it, but I know that Marley could care less about the quilting, so I just decided to be done with it.

It is a fun little quilt and right now it is sitting on Sharla's chair and she and Marley cover up with it while watching TV at night. No pictures of Marley and the quilt yet, but I'll work on it. Most importantly it is off the machine so I can load something else. My plan had been to load Mecca's quilt next, but I think I want to do another quilt before that to get my groove back. So I think Sharla's monkey quilt will be next. It is larger than this one, but still relatively small, so it shouldn't be too hard to complete and will let me get back in practice quilting from the front of the machine.

I also got my bee block done for Stash Bee Hive #9 this week. So I am on a roll. I love this house block and it is appropriate for Tanyia because she just moved into a new home.

Lastly I made progress on my Big and Bold quilt top, but no photos of that yet, maybe by next week I will have photos of my progress. But that is it for today and I am linking up my finish with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.

Friday Finish - Tic Tac Toe Quilt

I was so happy earlier this week because I finished my Bee Hive 2015 quilt. Then all the events of last night happened and I was so sad.  I totally understand being angry enough at someone to hurt them, but I don't understand being angry and taking it out randomly on someone because of the uniform they wear, the color of their skin, the person they love or the religion they practice. I almost didn't do this post, because celebrating my little victory seemed shallow against the tragedy that occurred in Dallas last night. But then I decided that I wasn't going to let the stupidity of someone else rob me of my joy. So I will continue to pray for those involved, but I will also celebrate the joys in my life.

Last June I was the queen of Swarm Johanna for the The Bee Hive 2015 and I received some awesome blocks. I wanted the quilt to be my chair quilt for watching TV, so I added some extra blocks to it. I ended up making it approximately 60 x 72 (5 blocks by 6 blocks). I love the pattern, because the blocks are easy to make, and I love when it is put together you get a secondary pattern.

I asked for colorful "X's", grey corners, and low volume backgrounds and my bee mates did an awesome job.

I used a 108" backing I found at my LQS for the backing and binding. It is mixture of greys, black and blue which I thought worked well with the front.

I quilted it in a simple all over meander, and once it was washed it crinkled up very nicely. All in all, I'm very happy with this quilt and I can't wait until it is cool enough for me to use it. And I can't think all of my bee mates enough for their wonderful blocks!!!

And for those of you wondering what happened with my neighbor's dogs, well three of them were labeled as dangerous dogs (the full Akita and the 2 Akita mixed) and won't be returning unless my neighbor builds a fortress in his backyard. The judge originally labeled all four dogs as dangerous, but there was one lab mix that didn't have any Akita in it that we allowed to deemed safe and returned to the family. The lab mix was also not involved in the incident and had not shown any aggression at the shelter. All in all it was just a sad situation that could have been avoided if my neighbors would have fixed the fence and socialized their dogs.

I am linking up my finish with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday @ The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.