Happy New Year!

Okay...I'm a little late.  Yes, it is the middle of January, but as the saying goes, "better late than never".  Right?

I've been working on a Block of the Month with Jo's Country Junction called "Quilt Square Quilt Along".  We will be using 3 different patterns from Lori Smith's designs, specifically Quilt Squares #1, Quilt Squares #4, and Quilt Squares #6.  Each month, Jo will select a block to make from one of these patterns.  This is the block for January.  I used my leftover Kansas Troubles fabrics.  The block measures 12" square. Why don't you hop on over to Jo's Country Junction and join the fun!

UFO Finale

I finished my final UFO, "Fallen Leaves", today! It is my 8th finished project of the 15 on my list. Not a bad finish...just over half of my listed UFO's are now complete, some have even been given away as gifts. The UFO Challenge ends on Tuesday, but none of the 7 remaining items will be done before then. In addition to these 8, I have also completed numerous other UFO projects. It feels good, and as Martha would say, "It's a good thing"!!! Hooray!

Small Finishes

This weekend, I finished a couple of small quilts...finished, at least, to the "top" stage! They still need to be quilted.

The first is from a pattern called "Bloom" by Renee Plains of Liberty Star patterns. It measures approximately 25" x 29" and was made with 30's reproduction fabrics. It is sweet, and I made this almost entirely from my stash...almost!!

The second mini quilt was a kit I received while at retreat. We had a Brown Bag Swap, were one or more items of $15 to $20 value were placed in a sealed bag, and then swapped among participants! You didn't know what you were getting until you opened your bag!! It was so much fun, and the bags were filled with oodles of quality quilting stuff. My bag contained this kit, a spool of thread, and a package of cute cupcake note cards. The kit is called "Pat's Fresh Farm Flowers" by Pat Sloan. It was quick and easy to make, but I'm still trying to decide how I want to quilt it.

It's A Squishy Day!

It has rained so hard...and for so long...that the ground is soggy and squishy! We've already had 10" of rain in the past 2 days, with more on the way! Kinda makes for a gloomy day! That is until the mailman comes and leaves a "squishy" in the mailbox! I received a prize package in the mail, not only for having the messiest sewing room, but also for cleaning it up! As you can see, I received a fun Christmas charm pack and a pretty purple fat quarter!

As a result of cleaning up my sewing room, I was able to finish 1 UFO. This UFO was started several months ago for a retreat that I went to. We were exchanging mini quilts, and this is the second quilt that I made for the retreat. The first one is still a mini quilt top, and the third one I made was actually exchanged at the retreat! Why I made 3, I don't know...maybe I was feeling a little inadequate with my quilting skills (so many GREAT quilters at retreat and I didn't want someone to be disappointed). But this one will be used in my guest room, that has a 30's theme to it. The pineapple symbolizes hospitality, and says, "Welcome!". I hope my guests will truly feel welcome in my home!

Retreat Delight

I recently went on a quilting retreat with an online quilting group. One of the highlights of this retreat was a mini quilt swap. The minis could be no smaller than 8" square and no larger than 12" square, and must be made from 30's reproduction fabrics. Each person put their mini in a plain paper bag, and a number was assigned to each bag. Then, each person drew a number, and received the corresponding brown bag for their mini!

Here is the mini I made and swapped...










...and this is the adorable mini I received!