Quiltathon

Nicky sent me a link to a interesting post and I decided that this is for me.  Every few years I seem to join something like this but never get too much finished.  So decided to get a list together for this and to my surprise/horror I have about 22 quilts that need to be quilted and bound.  Not sure how many I have in the making stage (not a great deal I'm thinking but then 22 was a shock).  So I'm on holidays at the moment and decided on a Quiltathon so that when I come home from work and too tired to go and sew I can sit and do the bindings.  Put one on yesterday and finished it today.  Threw another one on that dates back to the early 2000's and did that in a flash.  So have loaded another and it is started.

Some I would like to do custom work on but have to be realistic and decide if I want them finished or to hang in the cupboard for another 10 years of more.  If I don't finish them I should just give them away.  And it's a great feeling to have them finished.....I feel like I have permission to make something else....but not yet.  I'm really in the finishing mood so will keep going till that passes.

This one has been hanging around for years and years.  Finished binding it a few days ago.

 

Next one was a mystery quilt from the Fat Quarter Shop years ago....2009 I think (This is half the quilt).  Have started hand sewing the binding to it.  Quilted Baptist Fans on it - has to be one of my most favourite patterns.

 

 Nicky and I had a sewing day this week and I made the borders for this one.  Compared to the others this is a "New" quilt - only made about 2 or 3 years ago.  It's quilted and waiting to make the binding.

 

Eons ago I went to a teacher seminar with mary ellen, Kay England and an Australian teacher who for the life of me can't remember her name.  This was her class on colour.  Made in the early 2000's and I don't have binding for it.  Back in the days when I made a quilt and worried about the binding later.  Now I make the binding when I make the quilt.  So have no idea where I'll find something to bind this with.  And I just recently used that border fabric for a backing on the Fairy quilt $%*@

 

And on the maching at the moment is another fairly "new" (within the last 5 years) snowball.  Doing a panto I just purchased from Keryn Emmerson.  Bought a couple from her so thought I would try them out.

Finishing

Well, so pleased with my progress on finishing stuff.  Have finished 2 quilts and a bag - plus another one quilted today but not bound yet.  Binding is made and ready to be sewn to the quilt.  Will load another quilt tomorrow and hopefully get it done also.....not sure which one yet.

Finished spiky a few weeks ago and got the binding done but hadn't got around to taking photos.  So took a few photos of all the finished ones today.  Oh, it sure is a wonderful feeling.  I keep getting the urge to start a new quilt but come to my senses and get out an old project and finish it off.  I hang my quilts along with the backing and the wadding so they are all ready for quilting.  Looked in the cupboard and saw several and thought - hmm shouldn't take me long to get them done.  Then went looking for the binding for the one I quilted today and kept find more quilts.....so guess it will take me a BIT longer :-)


First off is spiky.....all Batiks and a tie-dye looking beautiful backing.

 

 

Next is my Amy Butler bag.  Wouldn't call it a great success.  My lining seems to be way, way to big for it.  And my pockets are all over the place.  Bag making is NOT my favourite thing to do.

 

The last is one of my designs and I'm pretty pleased with it.  Took me for ever to decide how to quilt the spotty area and the greys but once I decided it went pretty quick.

Christmas Stockings and Quilting

Recently my SIL asked me to make her some Christmas Stockings (and I have a feeling she asked me last Christmas but they didn't happen).  So last weekend I got into them and cut and pieced and also quited them.  This weekend I put them together so can get them in the post tomorrow.  They aren't world beaters but alas always in a hurry - and keep promising I will slow down and do things properly.

 

Today I finished quilting this one....waiting way, way too long to get finished.  Binding is cut and now just have to get it on the quilt.  Did some FMQ (Free Motion Quilting) in the greys.  Little messy in places but "it to do".  Or as Brenda says....Finished is better than Perfect.

The Urge To Quilt

I've been doing some surfing around Pinterest and found some wonderful sites from it.  I could never see the point of it before but suddenly it has hit home....for many years I have saved images of many and varied things I see on the net and so have them on different drives etc.  It suddenly hit me the other day that I could save them to Pinterest!  I know - I'm slow on the uptake many times.  So have been pinning a bit lately and found some great free motion quilting sites.............so now I have the bug.  It's been many a long year since I was excited about quilting and can't wait to get into it again.  Dragged out a practice piece which has been hidden in the cupboard for several years.  I had been testing out various threads for tension (which I had forgotten I had done anyway).  So will practice some today and then get into a quilt that has been waiting (patiently of course) for about 2 years I guess..........BUT in the spirit of the Finishing Frenzy I will finish off the Christmas Stockings I started for my SIL last weekend and then, and only then, will I load the quilt and start.  Thought I would load a few pics of the practice I did years ago....wish I would date things so I would know when I did stuff.