My first quilt along for 2012

Anybody see where on my UFO listing I noted that most of the outstanding projects were quilt alongs? Well guess who is jumping into the first one that comes along in the new year?

Hello, my name is Diane, and I have a problem...

I am looking forward to seeing what Jodi has in store for us this year... last year she had lots of great tips and hints. I am thinking spider web, but.... since I dug out the 1" postage stamp and and working on it a spider web too could be overly ambitious...

Happy New Year!

Whoop for DD1's quilt!

This is DD1's Christmas present quilt. It was fun to do, lots of fun fabrics like this, Heather Ross Aliens...

when I got started quilting I decided to bubble the featured fishies... that was fun to do

This is Bjorn, the little guy who started this madness.... DD1 threatened to name her first born Bjorn if she didn't get a quilt with him some day which started my hunt for enough of the Heather Ross fish to make a quilt..

The free form blocks ended up being a bit more than expected when it came to making sure there was a white strip between each block... I finally came up with a plan but it was not easy peasy as I imagined it to be

The backing is a Michael Miller geo print that I got awhile ago and though you can't see it there is a 20" strip of solid turquoise through the backing

Another happy customer!

Sharing with Sarah for a whoop.

DD2's Christmas quilt

I made this fence rail quilt for my youngest daughter for Christmas.

It coordinates with the Owl Quilt I made for her last year. Lots of the same fabrics.

The backing is flannel, all warm and fuzzy!

I think she likes it!

2012 UFO Challenge

I am going to link up with Judy's 2012 UFO Challenge!

Here are my 12 UFO's:






11 .1. Rainbow Blocks: I started these last April, a late comer to Rachels quilt along. I have about 1/2 the color blocks still to go but I have the fabric ready to finish up.





2. Chubby Stars: This one is TracyJay's quilt along that I started August 2010... ugh... The little chain squares are all cut of else I would have re purposed the fabric awhile ago. A finish on this one will be either completing it or re-using the parts for some thing else.



DONE 10 3. Juki Spring: I started this last April as a first project for my new Juki machine. I have the queen sized top done and it needs a backing and quilted. - DONE





4. American Jane blocks: Also started last spring, this is all American Jane fabrics from different lines that I have about 1/2 the blocks done.




DONE 5.D9P Leaf: I tried to get this done this fall, it was a carry over from the past fall, but it got pushed aside when Christmas projects popped up. - DONE






6. 36 patch: This is Crazy Moms quilt along from this summer that I need more blocks completed to make into anything.






7. 1/2 Square Triangles: I started this with plans to do 5 blocks per day and be done in a month... yep, that worked out well.






DONE 8. This pattern was going around this fall for Kids Charities. I got one cut and started, but that's as far as it got before Christmas project got started. - DONE







9. New Wave: Oh Fransson pattern that I started last year and got as far as cutting it out.






310. Pinwheel Sampler: I finally got the top done but I still need to put together the backing and get it done.





DONE 1.11. 1-2-3 Country Fair: Pattern is from Modern Basics. I enlarged to make a generous queen, but then stalled at trying to quilt it... Backing may be done, or just started, I just don't know for sure. - DONE





12. Hope Valley QAL: last.... this was Crazy Mom Quilts Round and Round QAL that I ran out of gas on... round and round, and I didn't want to make a twin, I wanted it bigger, so I need to review and get it done.





Bonus: This Quilt Along was started in Feb 2010, but I am not sure when I joined in. I long since decided this was a life long project, but I would like to make some progress.

So, that's my 12 UFO's, plus a bonus project. One trend I see is there are a lot of QAL on this list... I get suckered into the group project then lose interest since it was not my vision. This year I need to watch that trend.... but I am excited about some coming up in January that I have seen sneak peaks for.

Moms French General Christmas quilt

Merry Christmas one and all!

Now that presents have been opened I can share the other quilts that I made.

I will start with this quilt that I made for my mom... I chose the fabrics after visiting with her this summer. While sitting in her living room thinking 'hmm, what should I make for my mom'.... the French General reds and taupes came to mind so I started with a Layer Cake of this....

I love this pattern, I used it as an inspiration before on this quilt....

It is perfect for a layer cake... for this quilt I added some fabrics from a couple other French General lines to supplement the layer cake as well as stone kona cotton for the inside border as well as the binding. I used extra squares for the backing.

Sorry for the quality of the pictures, it was raining so I could not put it up on the fence or swing and I needed to get the quilt in the mail.

5 by 12 days

This is my 12 Days of Christmas quilt, all done, on my bed....

I started this quilt on Monday, in a ill advised rush of inspiration... I was packing up extra Christmas fabric and thought 'self --- if you don't use this fabric you might as well get rid of it"... and thus the madness began....

The fabric was all what I consider 'outsiders' from my stash, those that I bought cheap and didn't love and had no plan for... That included the focus print and backing... I still have no idea what I was thinking when I bought the 12 day panel. The exception is the black kona cotton I purchased for the binding.... it had to be black...

I may have rushed it a little, and I may have run over my thumb in the process, but all is well that ends well...

This is the largest quilt I have completed myself with FMQ to date. It went through the Jukki super easy (as did the thumb) and I am now ready to try the other two queen sized that I have been procrastinating on... but not until I get the remaining Christmas presents completed.

Sharing at Sarah's for a Whoop-Whoop.

FMQ injury

Needle went in on top and best I can tell bottom mark is not where it came out rather just where it ended and is like a little internal blood blister. Its red and swollen this morning but, I am still able to work on those 3 quilts that are in progress, just a little slower.

smart move?

I'll let you decide....

What does one do when it is two weeks before Christmas, you complete 2 more of the quilts you need to get done (pictures after they are received), but still have 2 more quilts to go?

Well of course you start another new, unrelated, here-to-fore un-thought of project.

In my defence, it is a Christmas quilt, so there is a time factor involved. And it is not a secret project like the other two that I am still working on, so I don't have to work on it only when the house is empty of other occupants....

And its going to be super easy and simple because it starts with 6 inch panel squares... and I have promised myself that if it is not done by Wednesday I have to put it away until the others are done.... but that is negotiable....

Its begining to look a lot like....

Christmas! Quilts that is... I have two that I am gifting done and they are ready to go into the mail as soon as the gift cards for nieces and nephews arrive to share shipping box!

This is a simple brick pattern made with the Holiday Happy line. I got a fair amount of this fabric last year in post holiday sales and then saw the simple pattern and it clicked for me... so much that I am making a second one with some variations for me....

I added a Denyse Schmidt print from Joann's for the backing... which can I just go down a rabbit hole and say that I loved the first DS Joann's line, the quality was wonderful, but they seem to be getting progressively worse... the second line was a little courser and the third feels like sand paper... just saying...

My Plus Christmas quilt is also completed... this was a hard one... not to make, but to figure out what to make...

I got this large scale print with some coordinates from the line Sheri Berry Holiday and could just not cut it...and could not find any more of the line... leaving me with few options... I ended up using it on the back and taking the color inspiration to the quilt pattern on the front...

I had doubts, as my husband walked in and admired the 'Easter' quilt while it was in progress... but I am thrilled with how it turned out.... I used many of my 'special' fabrics including FMF and pink as well as turquoise lady bugs.

Now only 3 gift quilts to get done and my Christmas quilt... How are your Christmas projects coming? Are you making projects for yourself as well?