Month: June 2011

Well, I finished Brandi’s quilt in time for graduation!

Here it is, straight out of the dryer:

A closeup of the border quilting:

And because I couldn’t resist… The Rail Fence quilt ON THE FENCE!!! Ah, quilters, we’re just so PUNNY.

And here she is, getting ready to open her quilt the night before graduation:

Holding it and refusing to make eye contact because she was in tears:

I’m so glad she liked it! She said she slept all wrapped up in it both nights that I was there over the weekend. She and her roommate had apparently decided to have a yellow theme in their dorm room; I guess B had forgotten that she chose the colors she did last November. No worries; I’m sure she’ll use the quilt when it gets cool in the fall.

Here’s the one I did for the last Mug Rug Swap earlier this year… It was about 8.5″x10.5″ with 80 (!!) half-square triangles. With all the quilting, it was pretty stiff, but I was SO happy with it. The person who got it seemed to like it as well. 🙂

And then I was in a Doll Quilt Swap in March. This one was harder for me, because I was having a difficult time focusing at that time with all the other stuff going on in my life. But I managed to meet the deadline and get the little quilt sent off. I intended to make a blue/green quilt, but then the orange fabric with daisies appeared and I was completely distracted. The recipient’s photo is better than mine, so here’s a picture Tiffany posted of it around Easter:

I almost liked the back better than the front:

So now I’m stalking Flickr to see when the next Doll Quilt Swap is and when the next Mug Rug Swap is (even though the current round isn’t quite over yet)… I really like working in these small sizes because I can try out a technique without a huge commitment and know if it’s something I want to explore more.

Periodically I participate in some online swaps through Flickr, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I vastly prefer the start-to-finish swaps — the ones where you send a completed project to someone and get a completed project in return — to the block swaps. I’m too persnickety about my piecing to do very well in block swaps, because I’ve discovered that many people do not share my neuroses about seam allowances. So blocks come back all different sizes and then I feel guilty if I can’t use them or have to remake them, which is ridiculous.

So. Recently I participated in my second “mug rug” swap — where you make a completed mini-placemat for a coffee mug based on the preferences of the person with whom you were matched. It’s a blind swap, so you don’t know who is making a mug rug for you. This time I was matched with Annie, who has preferences very similar to mine. In her profile, comments to others’ mug rugs, and survey answers, she basically told me to “go for it!” So I did.

I decided to try a new technique that I’ve been wanting to experiment with (the Silly BooDilly‘s non-pattern pattern. When I posted the picture of it, Annie was one of the first responders and was so enthusiastic! It made me so happy!

Annie sent to Sooz and Sooz sent to me and I sent to Annie, so we apparently were a little triangle of similar tastes… 🙂

Here’s what Sooz sent to me — isn’t it AWESOME!?

And here’s the one Annie sent Sooz:

I’d say we had a pretty rockin’ little group… 🙂

(I love working in this size — small enough to finish reasonably fast, but big enough to feel like you’ve done something… But if something happens and it doesn’t get delivered to its destination, you’re not completely crushed — you can just make another one.)

I haven’t had a Finishing Frenzy in a while. So I’m going to have one this summer. I’ve decided. Mostly because my UFO list has gotten too long.

So. Here’s what’s on the docket. My goal is to finish at least five. The first one is the one I HAVE to have done by the time I leave for my niece’s graduation, but the others are in no particular order:

1. Brandi’s graduation quilt (top is done, will pin-baste tomorrow)
2. Tulips king-sized quilt (in process of being machine quilted)
3. Stormy Night (in process of being machine quilted)
4. Air Show (top made, back made, ready to be pin-basted)
5. Poinsettia (the name is because I will quilt them into the open areas) (this one is layered and ready for quilting. I’m just chicken)
6. Too Jazz Hands for Jerry (top made, needs a back)
7. MSH’s Storm at Sea (commissioned piece with no deadline) (top made, needs a back)
8. Houses (top made, trying to decide if it needs a border or if I’m done)
9. Mystery Quilt (top is not done yet, will need a back)
10. Mod Bento Box (top is not done yet, will need a back)
11. Mom and Me (borders need to be attached, needs a back)
12. Alison’s Table Runner (top is not done yet, will need a back)
13. Merry Go Round Goes Southwest (top is done, needs a back)
14. Waterfalls Nine-Patch (top is done, needs a back)
15. Tessellations quilt (top is done, needs a back)

I also would like to start the Linus (our Collie) quilt that I’ve been percolating about for the past 6 years. It’s time. He’s 10. I don’t want this to be something I’m making while I grieve.

And I’d like to create/develop a quilt block using the Fibonacci sequence. I’ve experimented twice, but it’s time to actually DO it for the front of a quilt.

And I just thought of two more that are in process, but the tops aren’t done yet. I’ll post photos of those later, but they’re lower down on the food chain than these are. 🙂

You all have permission to heckle me about my progress on these.