More Journals... another one bites the dust via the Mad Quilter... and a UFO challenge for me!

I whipped up some more journal covers a while back... you might notice that one is button-less. I forgot to include the stretch band for the closure!  Oh well... a sweet young lady loved the fabrics and took it just the way it is! The wild pink and purple one is mine and the other I made for my daughter. I like hers too!

The Mad Quilter (a.k.a my hubby) continues to work through finished tops that have stacked up over the past few years.  The latest one is a joint effort. I made the blocks... pieced them into rows... and then pushed them aside as I went on to bigger and better things. Hubby found them and put the rows into a top.. added a flange and borders... and then set it aside with a zillion other finished tops. Last week he pulled it out, we got it sandwiched and away he went with the quilting.

He does straight-line quilting and he has been having a blast trying new patterns.  He is an architect and it is showing in his quilting! I love the cranberry thread color.. looks so good.

Some online Quilt buddies and I have set a UFO challenge for ourselves for the first 3 months of 2011. I have "entered" 3 of my UFOs knowing full well that it will be a miracle if I get 1 done!  I have several new projects that have to be done, as well as my mom's GFG I am doing by hand that is running behind!

Even if they aren't all done by March 31, I hope to finish all of these by the end of 2011.

This is a Mile-a-Minute quilt I did a number of years ago. I attempted to quilt it. I failed. So heavy and so many seams... I only have a regular sewing machine... so I decided to tie it. Got bored after getting about 1/3 of it tied.  I need to start tying again!

I have this wonderful Fall Quilt top that is essentially done except I am adding some hand embroidered touches (leaf veins and such). About 1/2 done on that.

And lastly a redwork quilt I started years ago from an online free BOM called Child's Play. I have 11 of the 12 blocks embroidered and about 1/2 of the 12th one done. I even have fabric for the block borders and sashing and such.

The goal in the challenge is for them to be completely done.. quilted.. bound.. the works! I am shooting for the moon... hope I at least break the ozone layer!

"Belle"

Whole Lot of Quilting Going On...

Last weekend DH (who also quilts) and I pulled out all the completed tops that were waiting patiently to be quilted. We made a nice list with each quilt top on it... the size...recipient or purpose... and then noted if we had batting, backing, label... it is so nice to be organized! There is now a list on the side of my blog of pre-2009 tops ready to be quilted (including 2 we made this past week!) This will be a year of tying up loose ends.. getting these tops quilted and to their rightful owners. It will also be a year full of quilting! There is a wonderful local charity that God has knit my heart to called Buried Treasures (the link is down below all the lists on this page). The plan is to make a slew of quilts (12 - 15) for them by next Christmas. 2 of our pre-2009 tops will go in the pile and one of the 2 tops made this past week is for them. I am excited about this project. Quilting is fun, but it is so much better for me when I am giving them to others and I love that God has shown me how to use this as a ministry.



So about those 2 quilt tops pieced at the tail end of 2008... DH has been off work since Dec 22 (vacation time) and I have been swamped! I do finances for a small church part-time, but the end of the year is my craziest and busiest time. Add to that our kids went off with the church youth group to the Mountains of TN this week and DH has had a lot of alone time. He has wasted none of it! He grabbed scraps and created a scrappy version of a Chinese Coin quilt.. he calls it Bear Coins because of the novelty fabric he used for the border.





This picture doesn't do it justice, but there will be another pix soon. We sandwiched this one yesterday and he has already started quilting it! I bet he has it totally finished by tomorrow.. binding and all!
























I also tossed together a top at year's end... a baby quilt. A friend's dd is expecting her first child.. a little girl, Allison, due in January. I have been wanting to try the Disappearing Nine Patch (http://quiltsatcs.blogspot.com/2007/04/disappearing-9-patch-tutorial.html) and this seemed the perfect project for it. I am pleased with the results. I need to get some backing fabric and once Baby Allison arrives I will make up a label and get it quilted and on its way.


We also sandwiched one of our pre-2009 tops yesterday. My Mile-a-Minute top (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBq7eJCcz4yt2-r8qdGr2kkyGhc7iYBgwn8zKJAL-GpamT53voC1zgYXVzAxlt1Z-6IrGi9cEXsNqWlUuoGlydLYiUXu6qx9ToNcUQkhPHxzd83cwmUYjZz-fjkNZGfKKYJVuyYqpfXYis/s1600-h/mile+a+minute+top.jpg) I loved making this and thought I would keep it for me. But I have decided someone else will love it more.. so it will be going in with the Buried Treasures quilts. I will start quilting on it today. I am NOT as quick as DH, so it will be a while before I am done.


We have a rule for 2009... at least until we are caught up with the unquilted tops... for each new top you make, you have to finish a quilt before you can start a new one! We will see how long that lasts! LOL!

Happy Quilty New Year! Consider using the talent and gift and love of quilting God has given you to touch another life.. other lives.. there are many quilt charities online.. and you can look around your own part of the world. There are charities like Buried Treasures.. and there are individuals.. a friend with cancer.. someone grieving.. someone lonely.. wrap them in a quilt of love!




"Belle"