Black PreCut Charm Challenge Checkerboard - UFO finish #24

This quilt was started in January when Heartstrings/Stashbusters announced a precut challenge for the year and the shape chosen for January was nickels. Cool, I had tons of them. I chose to work with the brights on black stack.

I just love these fabrics. So cheerful even though they are on black.

I found the perfect back in my stash. Black with bright planets. It's a fleece. I had read that people often don't use a batting when using a fleece backing. So I quilted it without a batting. It's OK but feels extremely thin and I won't do it like this again.

This one is 44x58.

2019 #24 finish of 67 quilt top UFOs.  43 to go!

Finish-A-Long Q1 - #19

https://quiltninwilton.blogspot.com/2019/01/finish-long-2019.html

Purple PreCut Charm Challenge - UFO Finish #23

This quilt came about in an attempt to use up some of the 9000 five inch charms as well as participate in the PreCut charm challenge going on at Heartstring/Stashbuster Facebook pages.

Having hosted a nickel swap for several years in the early 2000s resulted in my having over 10,000 charms. I have been slowly working on reducing those stacks so this challenge was perfect for me. I pulled out the purple charms, and put together this quilt.

This quilt used around 160 charms and only reduced the size of the purple charms pile by about 25%.  😲  I guess the are more purple charm quilts in the future.

The top was completed in January and then quilted now. It has a pieced back of solid purple and a cute polka dot. I used the polka dot for the binding.

2019 #23 finish of 67 quilt top UFOs.  44 to go!

Finish-A-Long Q1 - #18

https://quiltninwilton.blogspot.com/2019/01/finish-long-2019.html

Quilt of Valor

I like to say that I’ve been busy doing nothing. You know, life! Family comes first and fills up the days sometimes. I have been trying to keep up with quilting but I’ve been alternating my many quilt tops with QOV tops from Christie’s. She is trying to get 20 quilts finished by early May. A big project.

This week I quilted a lovely panel. I forgot to take a picture till I was out the door so I just threw the quilt on my car. Haha

I also made six 12” blocks for th QOV sampler tops they make.

Flannel Log Cabin - UFO finish #22

Today's UFO finish started with blocks of unknown origin. I believe they showed up in a bin of our collection of charity fabrics. Nobody knew where they came from. These are all flannels.

Somebody put the top together at least five years ago and then it waited.

The back and binding are also flannel. I did not have an easy time making the normal 
2 1/2" binding fit. I will do a smaller seam allowance when attaching the binding if I do another all flannel quilt.  

This is 56 x 68.
2019 #22 finish of 67 quilt top UFOs.  45 to go!

Finish-A-Long Q1 - #17

https://quiltninwilton.blogspot.com/2019/01/finish-long-2019.html

Weekend in VA

As any grandparent knows, there is nothing better than seeing the grandkids. We have four and two of them live in Virginia, outside of DC. This past weekend we made the 5 1/2 hour trip to see them. It was such great fun.

First we had a delicious lunch out at Manhattan Pizza.

Next we opened some belated gifts and then Connelly boys put together a Matchbox race set. It was tons of fun.

Of course, there was some very competitive games of Chutes and Ladders, Guess Who and UNO.

The kids thoroughly enjoyed the hotel pool and hot tub. Paige has become quite a fish, with beautiful swimming strokes.  Landon is just getting the beginning steps of swimming. But they both would have spent the entire day in the pool.

However, there was still open skating for the whole family. Even Nicole is getting into skating. It really is a wonderful family activity.

Absolutely no quilting got accomplished all weekend. Time to catch up.

Snow! and Doggie Strippie #2 - UFO finish #21

We woke up to the first real snow of the Winter. We got about 6 inches in early November but nothing since. Such an unusual winter for us, especially considering the Midwest has been assaulted with snow. Last night we got about 8" of beautiful fluffy snow.

Joe caught this beautiful picture early this morning. We just love bird watching and this cardinal is exceptionally stunning in the snow backdrop.

Today I got Doggie Strippie #2 finished. Elaine pieced this one.

It is the same as the first one except for a different backing.

Backing and Binding from stash. Poly batting. Large meander and serpentine binding. 41x54

2019 #21 finish of 67 quilt top UFOs.  46 to go!

Finish-A-Long Q1 - #16

https://quiltninwilton.blogspot.com/2019/01/finish-long-2019.html

Quilt of Valor

Christie’s Quilting Boutique will be hosting a Quilt of Valor presentation on May 18, 2019. In the preparation for that day 20 QOV quilts need to be made. I offered to quilt a few of the tops that were already finished. 

The first one is this beautiful top which appears to be a disappearing nine patch.

I found a lovely blue fabric in my stash for the back and binding. I used the poly batting that Debbie gifted us and I quilted freehand loops and stars. Hadn’t done that in many year so don’t look too closely.

 I machine bound with a serpentine stitch.

Doggie Strippie - UFO finish #20

Today I have another Strippie Quilt.

Aren't these dogs adorable.

I found a perfect fabric in my stash for the backing.

Debbie bought a roll of polyester batting by mistake but I will use it for these comfort quilts. 41x53

2019 #20 finish of 67 quilt top UFOs.  47 to go!

Finish-A-Long Q1 - #15

https://quiltninwilton.blogspot.com/2019/01/finish-long-2019.html