Getting ready to ring in the new year with 2019 UFO list

Well.......this year has been a very good year.  Busy, but good, in all aspects.  Last years list started at 42 UFOs with the goal to bring that down to 15.  I did a great job and brought the UFOs down to 17 by the end of this year.  This is GREAT!!! no?  It is great, if you don't count the 24 new quilts I started (lol), but who's counting.....😂😋😚

To my defense, 2018 has seen a lot of decluttering, even in my sewing room.  Twenty of the new quilts are NICU quilts that are made up of orphan blocks.  NICU quilts are only approx. 26" square, so will take very little time to finish, as the blocks are, for the most part, already done.  Because they are small, they are using up orphan blocks and they are going to a good cause, I don't really mind these types of additions.  

There was a guilt workshop quilt that I started and finished the top shortly after taking the class.  It just needs to be quilted now.  The last three were part of a coarse that I took to learn different styles of quilting on the longarm machine.  These three I consider learning the trade.  

Any of the other quilts I started throughout the year, I finished all the way.  Soooooo....now we come to December 31st, the time for the reckoning. 

**My 2019 UFO list - Starting the year with 41 UFOs, goal is to reduce this to 15**

1. Witch/pumpkin wall hanging (my own)
2. Reconstructed 1st & 2nd bow tie quilt (my own)
3. Reconstructed bright 6-point stars quilt (my own)
4. Gathering flowers quilt (my own)
5. Mel's romance & roses quilt (family)
6. Hexagon quilt (my own)
7. To grandmother's house we go (my own)
8. Scrappy flying geese quilt (charity)
9. Wild & goosey quilt (family, niece/nephew)
10. 30s fabric Omigosh quilt (no destination, yet)
11. Tumalo squares quilt (no destination, yet)
12. Reconstructed Dresden plate quilt (my own).
13. Stashbuster's ugly/sunshine BOM quilt (no destination, yet)

14. Tiny town quilt (my own)

15. Scrappy Carolina chain quilt (charity)

16. Monkey wrench quilt (my own)

17. Mini blocks log cabin (my own)
18. Traditional 3-way BOM quilt
19. Freehand 3-way BOM quilt
20. Modern 3-way BOM quilt
21. Radiant braid star quilt
22. NICU Blue rail fence quilt
23. NICU Easy street purple star quilt #1
24. NICU Easy street purple star quilt #2
25. NICU Easy street alternate block quilt
26. NICU Burgundy log cabin quilt
27. NICU Scrappy strips quilt
28. NICU Red lattice quilt
29. NICU Pastel log cabin quilt
30. NICU Checker board quilt
31. NICU Whirligig quilt
32. NICU Diamond chain quilt
33. NICU Pinwheel on diagonal quilt
34. NICU Blue X quilt
35. NICU Blue & green 4-patches quilt
36. NICU Green & blue checkerboard quilt
37. NICU Chainlink quilt
38. NICU Blue checkerboard quilt
39. NICU Green & red hearts quilt #1
40. NICU Green & red hearts quilt #2
41. NICU Purple pinwheel quilt

Total number of quilts completed - 0

Total number of quilts removed/dismantled - 0
Remaining quilts to do - 41

Total number of quilts left to be completed to achieve my goal - 26

Quilts completed:

My revelation regarding my UFO list

I realized yesturday that I was going about my UFO list all wrong.  I keep adding stuff to my list as I start them and that is just not fair.  I think I am going to redefine what a UFO is to me.  I am going to start a "total quilts" list and a separate "UFO" list.

This will keep the quilts rotating.  When I start the UFO challenge, I would only use the quilts that have been started the previous year or earlier.  If I start a quilt today and finish it in a month, that would not count as a UFO finish.  

I came to this conclusion while talking to my daughter last night.  We were talking about the fact that I now need to add 20 more quilts to my UFO list.  Yes....you read that right, 20.  I kept arguing that they are only little NICU quilts and they will be completed fairly quickly, but she wouldn't hear of it.

This revelation will also help with me actually seeing progress on completions, instead of the number of UFOs constantly going up and down throughout the year.  I say throughout the year, because my UFO list will begin each year January 1st with whatever quilts I was not able to complete in the year.  My total list will be everything that I start regardless of what stage it is at (started to me is anything that I have cut fabric for).

I think I like this idea a lot.  I am very motivated by progress.  This will help me see progress and help me to work on older projects too.  So....I am going to revamp my 2018 UFO list.  Here goes:

**My 2018 UFO list - Starting the year with 27 UFOs, goal is to reduce this to 15**

1. Quilting-Reconstructed Dresden plate quilt (my own).
2. Quilting-Stashbuster's ugly/sunshine BOM quilt (no destination, yet)

3. Quilting-Tiny town quilt (my own)

4. Quilting-Drunkard's path quilt (my own) ***AP&Q UFO#2 - SEPTEMBER***

7. Main work-Tumalo squares quilt (no destination, yet) ***AP&Q UFO#4*** 

11. Main work-Mel's romance & roses quilt (family) **AP&Q UFO*#8 - AUGUST***

12. Main work-Scrappy Carolina chain quilt (charity)
13. Main work-Reconstructed bright 6-point stars quilt (my own) 

14. Main work-Reconstructed 1st & 2nd bow tie quilt (my own)

15. Main work-30s fabric Omigosh quilt (no destination, yet)

16. Main work-Monkey wrench quilt (my own)
18. Main work-Witch/pumpkin wall hanging (my own)

19. Handwork-To grandmother's house we go (my own) ***AP&Q UFO#9 - FEBRUARY***

20. Handwork-Gathering flowers quilt (my own)

21. Handwork-Hexagon quilt (my own) ***Grab 'n go***

24. Paper piece-Scrappy flying geese quilt (charity) ***AP&Q UFO#1***

25. Paper piece-Pineapple quilt (family, niece/nephew) ***AP&Q UFO#10 - OCTOBER***

26. Paper piece-Wild & goosey quilt (family, niece/nephew) ***AP&Q UFO#11 - JUNE***

27. Paper piece-Mini blocks log cabin (my own)

Total number of quilts completed - 6

Total number of quilts removed/dismantled - 2
Remaining quilts to do - 19 

Total number of quilts left to be completed to achieve my goal - 4

Quilts completed:

23. Xmas pineapple blossom quilt (no destination, yet) 

8. Farmer's wife sampler quilt (no destination, yet) 

9. Texas braid quilt removed/gave to Sabryna

6. Brown bear paws quilt (my own)

17. Silk triangles quilt from Carol (no destination, yet)

10. Xmas/Solstice star quilt (my own)

5. Red hearts quilt (charity)

22. ?? Dismantled

Much shorter!  When I look at it this way, it's more manageable.  In the next two months I need to finish 4 quilts and for next year I will start with the total list again and again try to bring it down to 15.  Though it will continue to go up and down over time, I will try and concentrate on getting some of my older UFOs done, to keep them revolving.

Let's see if this new revelation works!  It's worth a try!

New layout for the pineapple quilt

I went back to the drawing board, sort of speak, and redesigned the pineapple quilt.  The first edition was with the blocks set on point, with side pieces and corners.   I had incorporated a 2" black boarder in the side pieces.  Unfortunately, when I started to put them together, I noted my measurements were off by a 1/4".  I couldn't get the side triangles to match the square pieces.

At the time I was sooooo upset.  I mean really, all that work only to find out near the end that I messed up.  I was so upset, I started tossing the side pieces off the design wall and vowed to myself I would not be defeated by this quilt.  I was also determined that it was NOT going into the time out box and put away again for another time.  

This quilt is my October's challenge quilt for the American, Patchwork & Quilting UFO challenge.  I've had this quilt since July/2009 and I am determined to get this done.  So......after all the side pieces were gone, I took the squares and set them side by side.

When I stepped back to look at it, I thought to myself that it wasn't that bad.  It may not have been my first choice of layouts, but plan B is nice too.  

Today I worked on getting some of the blocks sewn together in four patch style.  I now have the top more than half way completed.  I'm still going to put a black small border on and a green border that my daughter and I selected.

There is still a very good chance that this quilt will get done for October, or at least the top will be.

Yay!!!  Wish me luck!

Another version of the Radiant Braided Star quilt

With the Halton Hills Quilter's Guild we had a workshop to make this quilt called Radiant Braided Star.  I showed a few different examples, of pictures I took during the class, in a previous post.  

This was one version that I didn't have a chance to take a picture.  It belongs to one of the members and she asked me to quilt it for her.  It's a beautiful quilt.  The pictures do not do this quilt justice.  In person, the blues have more of a presence, as some of the brown fabrics also have blue in them and the yellows blend very nicely with the blues.  They seem to highlight each other.

Here is a close up of the quilting design.  The design is an edge to edge pantograph called Jessica's Swirls Simplified.  It adds a lovely amount of texture to the quilt, without overwhelming it.

This is going to look great on someone's bed.  I think it looks gorgeous!  It still amazes me how the same pattern can look completely different dependent on the fabrics and colour chooses you use.

Mine hasn't been quilted yet and that one will take me a while.  I have too many other quilts to get done first and obviously, customer quilts get done first.  I can't wait to see some of the other people's quilts completed and what kind of border treatment they decided to do!

Progress on the pineapple quilt blocks

Now that I am in the swing of things with the pineapple blocks, my workstation is messier.  I find it impossible to keep it clean as I pull fabric for each piece.  The only neat piles are the blocks left to be done, the very small scraps, in a little pile and the too skinny strips in the shoe box.

I have been working away at the blocks ever since the number has been called for the American Patchwork &Quilting UFO Challenge for October.  When I started, I had about half of the blocks left still to do.  Picture can be found on a previous post.

I worked out what needed to be done. How many blocks I had to do daily in order to finish by the 20th.  The 20th, just being a random day that fell on a weekend, with enough time remaining of the month to work on assembling the rows and finishing the quilt top.  Whenever I had some extra time, I worked a bit ahead, so I was left with only having to do two blocks a day.  This was more manageable for me.

As I worked on finishing the paper piece blocks, I also kept up with the paper removal of the blocks.  Nothing was allowed on the design wall that did not have the paper removed.

So, this is my progress.  I separated the blocks since the last picture, and worked on the blocks to finish the perimeter first.  It helped me keep things neat and in perspective, of what needed to be done.  That would be the "need to keep things organized" bit in me.  My daughter and I jokingly refer to it as our OCDness.....lol.  It's funny really, how I work in a mess (can't help it), but still have to have some parts in order.

When I took the picture above, there were another eight blocks completed, but waiting to have the paper removed.  So as of now, I am ahead of the game, as I only have eight more blocks to do.  That equates to four days, leaving me with 3 days to spare (provided I get the required 2 per day done).  I'll have to find something for the border.

Yay!!!  It looks very promising that this quilt will be finished in October, for the challenge.

3-way BOM Free motion version coming along

Now, I am finally caught up on the 3-way BOM for the Free Motion version.  I have all nine blocks done, plus an extra one.  I still haven't had the time to figure out the last two blocks, so I'll just wait for them to come around. 

These blocks are a bit more tame than the modern version, with the white background fabric instead of the blue with skating dogs.  My daughter likes the modern version better though.

Here are the four new blocks I made to catch up.

Now I am on to the last set of blocks, the traditional version.

3-way BOM Modern version coming along

I am finally caught up on the 3-way BOM for the Modern version.  I have all nine blocks done, plus an extra one.  The flying geese chasing each other was easy enough to make, so I went ahead and made it.  I didn't have the time to figure out the last two blocks, so I'll just wait for them to come around.  I'm hoping they will be blocks October and November, so that I have all of December to play with all the quilting designs on the machine.

These are the blocks for July, August & September, in no particulate order.  I changes up some of the colour placements in order to get as many colours of my chosen fabrics in each block.

Now to get the other two versions done.....stay tunes.

Working on a Scrappy Carolina Chain quilt

Sometime in September, when I needed a break from something...?  I was obviously not doing what I was supposed to be doing, but having fun while doing it anyways....lol.  Sometimes you just need to play hooky from the 'must do', to play with the 'want to do'.  This was one of those times.

It was a rare lazy Saturday (or as lazy as my Saturday's can ever get).  It was mid day around 2:30-3:00pm, when your energy level does a spiraling dive down, you need a caffeine boost and some form of sustenance to tie you over until dinner time.

Around this time, is usually the time I start getting bored with what I have been working on all day (usually something I am supposed to have been working on), and I am looking for a distraction.  So.....once I take care of my energy boost and mossy down to my quilt room, I spy the box I have holding all the pieces for my Carolina chain blocks.

I needed no further distraction, just seeing the box was enough to grab my attention.  Above I have some of the dark blocks laid out ready to sew.  I sew them almost like a nine patch block with a twist once I get to the third row.  Below you see how many I managed to get done, before my conscious took over to remind me, that I was not supposed to be working on these blocks right now.

So, away they went into my large jar that I have, to sit and look pretty, until the next time I get distracted or until the number for this quilt is pulled.  I think the next time I will work on some of the alternate light blocks.

Enjoy your long weekend, for those in Canada celebrating Thanksgiving.

American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge for October

My American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge for October is my pineapple quilt.

I was given theses blocks from a past friend, who was a piecer, but decides she preferred doing log cabin blocks versus pineapple blocks.  I received these blocks back in 2009 with the centre and a light round started on each block.

Since, I have added a round of darks to all the blocks, decided I wanted to put these blocks on a diagonal, so made the half square side blocks plus the corners.  I'm not sure if you can see it from the picture, but the side units and the corners incorporate the first border in black.

Later, I figured out that It was daunting the amount of blocks there were and how one round on each block really didn't show.  At the end of it, you still felt like you didn't do anything.  That is when I decided to concentrate on a few blocks at a time.  That seemed to work better, as now I have this many done.  This is approx. 50% completely done.  It's more motivating to see progress as you go.

These couple of blocks were completed the last time I had this project out.  It's really been a while since this quilt has seen the light of day.  The number for this quilt has come up and I am gearing up to make a substantial amount of progress on this one.  I really want to see this one done and gifted to someone to snuggle under.

So, now I am all prepared to work on these this month.  I have the remaining paper foundations ready to go.  I have my scraps all lined up.  Let's see how much I can get done this month.

Another block for the Tumalo Trail quilt

Here is another block for the Tumalo Trail quilt from Bonnie Hunter/Quiltville.  These shirting fabrics are looking really nice.  The blocks have a different feel to them.

At this point, I have all of the half square triangles sewn and a good stack of the nine patches.

On my unit behind my sewing chair are all the sets of nine patches that I still have to do.  Yes.....it is a lot.  Altogether there are 350 nine patches to do and I think I have just over 300 left to do.

For now though, I have to put this one aside.  The American Patchwork & Quilting UFO challenge quilt for October was not this one.  Too bad as I was really getting into it.  I think I will leave these sets where they are for now and maybe do them as leader/enders when I can.

Stay tuned for the reveal of my AP&Q UFO Challenge quilt for October.

Getting a head start on one of the challenge quilts

As I finished the September's American, Patchwork & Quilting UFO challenge quilt. I figured I'd get a head start on another quilt on that list.  I am not sure what the next quilt will be.  It's out of three quilts (October, November & December).  Out of the three, this quilt is the one that has the most work to be done.  I've cut out all the pieces, sorted out the fabrics for the 350 nine-patches and the 70 half square triangle units.  I also wanted to see what the blocks would look like, so I made one up.  It looks good.  At least I think so.

This quilt is special.  This is a quilt using up shirting fabrics from the men in my life.  Everyone contributing their shirts as they finish with them.  My husband, my brother, my nephew, my sister-law's brother-in-law, I also have a few female shirts from my sister's mother-in-law.  Some even came from friends that knew I was collections shirts.

These are all the sorted units.  A lot to sew up.  I'll do what I can until the next quilt number is called. I'm kind of hoping this is the next number called, though I also look forward to the other two quilts too.

Pattern for this quilt is one of Bonnie Hunter's from her book Scraps & Shirttails II called Tumalo Trail.  

Almost done my September's American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge quilt

We are nearing the end of September.  Just in time I finished my American, Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge quilt for the month of September.  I plan on waiting to quilt it, as my machine is occupied at the moment with a large practice piece.  I have a small window of time between clients to practice different technics in free hand, free motion quilting.

All the blocks are done and attached and the border fabric I chose below, is cut and attached as well.

Last post I showed you some samples of quilting options for the centre cream sections, but I am still trying to figure out exactly what I want for the chains and the borders.

Today I am working on a lot of loose ends and catching up on my 3-way BOM blocks for all three styles of quilting.  At this point I have only 2 1/2 more blocks to sew together to finish.  I also went ahead and did one other block that was easy enough to figure out the measurements for.  I'll share them all with you on another post.

Enjoy you day!

Playing around with quilting designs

I've been playing around with different ideas for quilting the cream sections of the drunkards path quilt. When all the blocks are together, you get this unusual shape, formed in the middle between the chains, when the blocks are sewn.

I drew this shape on paper to use with my homemade erasable plastic paper protector (table cover/protector).  I place the paper with the shape drawn on it under the plastic and start playing.  Once you make a design, you evaluate it, erase it and try again.  If I come across something that has potential, I will take a picture of it.  This way I can come back to it and choose later.

Above I used the organic petal feathers with a tendril/swirl to extend in the awkward space.  I like this, but I am afraid there may be too much thread buildup in the centre for my taste.

I came up with this possibility.  It's ok.......but a bit too simple.  I liked the fact that is wasn't quite so busy as the first design, but thought it lacked something to actually "fit" the space.  Later, after a few more options, I thought to use a combination of the first two designs.

I think I like this one better.  It is still simple, but the petal will "fit" the space better by contouring the curves.  I noted that in each of the samples I took a picture of, I always used the tendril/swirl in that odd shape.  It seems to be the best option to get up there to quilt that little area.

I will continue to play around with the design.  See what else I can come up with.  I don't usually commit to anything until I actually start quilting the quilt.  So, if anyone else has any other ideas, please pass them along.  I'd love to see what other people would come up with.

My green and red appliqué quilt

I have finally come up with and settled on the last four block designs for my green and red appliqué quilt, which as it turns out is no longer just green and red.

I've added a yellow, pink, double pink, and a blue.  I didn't want this quilt to look like a Christmas quilt. I think I will call this quilt my version of the Baltimore album appliqué quilt............or maybe not.  That is such a mouth full.      

This first block in the top picture is a bit outside of the usual Baltimore album style, with a more modern feel to it, with the curved hearts, instead if a simple solid heart.  This will be the "my version" part of the name I was thinking on calling this quilt.

I am really not good at names for my quilts.  I tend to go with the basic description as the name.  I think I need to start being more creative.  Think outside the box and come up with an individual name.  Maybe something like Gathering Flowers.  How does that sound?  Many of the blocks are of flowers or flowers in baskets, that sort of thing.  I think that works for me.

From this point onward this quilt will simply be called Gathering Flowers.

The one above is a variation of another block I have where the flower is in the middle.  This one though I decided to use berries and curved stems in the corners.  I am liking this one.

This next block is being added as a representation of my French heritage.  The fleur-de-lil will add in some more blue into the quilt.  I have a few blue baskets and now these fleur-de-lil.

This last block is back to flowers.  I have committed to this block, however I will be doing this one last.  I hesitate with this one, as I am thinking that in my subconscious I am not 100% sold on this block.  I am not sure about the single layer flowers, which is different than all the other blocks. We shall see....

I am looking forward to getting back into this quilt.  I did so much on this quilt already with most of the green stems, outside of these blocks and a couple of others.  I also did all the blue stems of the basket blocks too.  The only reason I am holding myself off at this time is because I have so many other handwork quilt/projects on the go that I want to get it a bit more under control, so that when I get back to this one, I can sit and really enjoy it, without the guilt of knowing I should be working on other things.  The To Grandmother's House We Go quilt being one of them.

Soon though, as I am making great progress on a lot of my quilts.  My UFO list is shrinking. Yay!

Progress on September's UFO challenge

The countdown is started.........not many days left of September!

This is my September's UFO challenge quilt.  I had all of the little curved units done and just needing to assemble the blocks.  So I thought it would be a snap, but by mid September this is all I have done.

All I can say is, I'd better get a move on it, if I want to finish this quilt in September!

Though I would settle for just having the quilt top done too.  I'm still working out different ideas on how I want to quilt this quilt, so that may not happen in September.

Finished the last red hearts quilt

Here are the last of the red heart blocks that were given to me by a friend.  She made a total of 20 of them and in the end changed her mind about the quilt she was going to make.  I figure she gave them to me knowing that I do charity quilts.

This is the last quilt of three that I made out of the blocks.  The first two were small NICU quilts.  This quilt is larger at 45" square, a good size for a cuddle quilt.

I took this picture while I was working on the blocks, a long time ago and thought I would have posted about it a lot earlier than now.   Since this picture, I've finished the top, as you see below.

I am a bit behind on my posts, but eventually I will catch up.  I don't always get a chance to do quilting each day, but when I do I take pictures.  You may find some of them posted out of order, but they will be posted.  For me posting is my sort of quilting diary, where I keep track of what I've been up to.  I like sometimes going back and checking things out. Sometimes I get motivated and spurred on to finishing more of my UFOs.

So, since the above picture, which was taken a while ago, I've even quilted the quilt and binded it too!  Label is on as well and it is ready to be delivered to Project Linus for distribution.

I quilted the above quilt using an edge to edge pantograph called Be Mine, that I purchased from Urban Elementz.  It has hearts in the shape of flowers with leaves and ribbon swirls.  It's very pretty.

Below is the last NICU quilt that I did, that didn't make the previous post, when I spoke about finishing it, as I hadn't finished the quilting yet.  This one is also quilted with an edge to edge pantograph.  I chose to quilt this quilt using the Painted Daisies design.

Enjoy this lovely morning and have a great day!

Got bitten by the hexies again

When we were on our way to the cottage for the Jenkins' family reunion, I took my hexagons with me.  I finished the one diamond along the way and a bit while there.

Well......that didn't satisfy my need and desire to get back into doing my handwork projects.  In the week that followed that trip, I got two more floret sections done, including the borders beside the florets.  This whole section is all attached together.  Yay!

I don't feel like the need to do handwork has left my system quite yet, so not only did I hang my finished section on my design wall, but I also took out the section that I had already completed to put up on the wall with it.  Soon I will take the time to attach these two sections together.

Together it looks big, however this does not even represent an eighth of the quilt top.  Though to my credit, I also have the florets for the top border done and assembled together, as well as the bottom florets.  I even have some of the second borders for these florets completed too!

The florets further down the design wall are the upcoming parts to complete.  The piece in the top picture goes just below the yellow floret that you see in the bottom picture.  I am currently working on the side pieces for the next floret, the blue one.

But......first I have to sewing down the binding by hand on three quilts, before the next guild meeting.

September's American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge

September's American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge number is 2.  Number 2 is my Drunkards path quilt.  Pattern also known as Old Maids Puzzle, amongst other names.

This is going to be my light weight summer quilt.  The colours in the picture appear a bit darker than in person.  The day was a bit dreary, so the lack of sunlight made a difference.   The colours I've chosen are light almost pastel colours with about 1/3 heading toward a darker medium.

I started the month with two blocks done.  I did them as samples.  Through these samples I realized that the colours need to have enough contrast with the cream that I am using to make the chain pattern show up.  So sometime before I assemble the rows, I'll need to remove three of the pieces within these two blocks.

By this point, I now have seven blocks done.  All the units are done and organized.  Below I have them all sorted in block piles and the piles are sorted in position order.  All but two from the top row are done.  Not to confuse anyone, the picture below is sideways, so the top row is the left hand column.

I've really been waiting patiently for this number to come up.  I am so excited that it is here.  I wanted to work on this one for a little while and thought it would never come up.

This weekend I didn't get a chance to work on this, but I am so excited to see this quilt done, that I don't think I will have a problem finishing the top at least.  That's if I can find fabric for the borders.

Is there anyone else working on the American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge?

Blue stars quilt block completed

During the month of August, I had abandoned the quilt listed on the American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge list.  I really do not care for it and don't want to dismantle it.  I just need to be in the mood for it.  Maybe another time.....

So......I thought I would just take a break from this list and try to get a bucnch of other things off my main list of UFOs.  I'm glad I did, because I got a lot of stuff done.

One of the items was this.  I started back to work on these blue star quilt blocks.  It may sound pathetic, but I only had four of these blocks to do.  I know, pretty sad, but I thing that is when life got busy and I had to put this one away.

During the last years' season of the guild meetings, I purchased a large zip loc bag full of material, mainly in blues.  Imagine to my surprise, when I opened it up and found numerous blocks and pieces already completed.

I didn't have a pattern with it, I only had various types of blocks and pieced strips.  I spoke about this in previous blog posts, as I made at least five NICU quilts with some of the blocks and pieces.  As I had more of these particular blocks, I put them aside to come up with something larger.

With the two types of blocks, I came up with this design.  The one block makes a chain grid across the quilt and the stars went in between the chains.  As I said earlier, I only needed to make the four star blocks to complete the centre.  I used many of the pieces from the bag plus a few from my own stash.

I even had a long enough piece, of this double row, of 2" finished blocks to make the border.  I just had to measure where to cut it off and measure the next one.  There is still a small piece of this strip left. Lol.  It must have been destined for a big bed quilt, however now it has been relegated to be the border of this cute quilt instead.

I wonder what the person who initially owned this fabric was going to use all those pieces for.  I wonder if she would like my take on the use of these fabrics.  Who knows?  

One thing for sure, is some young child will have the pleasure of snuggling under this cute quilt when it is done.  Now the next step is to assemble the rows and attach the borders.

Family reunion at the cottage

A couple of weekends ago, we had our yearly family reunion.  This year my grandkids were down from Moncton, NB.  So exiting!  We haven't seen them since 2 yrs ago.  Oh my!  How fast they have grown. 

Above is my granddaughter and below is the unphotogenic grandson.  He prefers not taking pictures, but that's ok, you can get a glimpse of him anyways.

As this is a quilting blog I will keep it minimal about the reunion, other than to say everyone enjoyed themselves.  The place is so peaceful and the kids big and small enjoyed the water and all the other activities they did.  Some of the cousins only see each other this one time during the year, but you'd never know it, as they get allow great and seem to just pick up where they left off.  I am sure it has a bit to do with social media, that keeps them informed of what each other is doing.

I am thankful for this time to see everyone.  Until next year.....

On the way up to the cottage, hubby drove, so I got to do some hexies.  I got some of a diamond done and finished it off while the bigger kids got into a three hour game of Risk (this was before the grandkids arrived).  It's not much, but it was enough to give me the itch to bring this quilt out again and do it more than just as a grab 'n go.  We will see how long I can hold out for.

Later that week, I worked on the NICU hearts quilt.  The top is done.  I even started working on the second hearts quilt, though this next one will be bigger.

So, now the kids are back in school vacations are over, time to get back into routines.  Not that I have many, but things did seem to run smoother when everyone had there tasks to do.  Adults dig into work, kids get down to homework and pets feeling more relaxed knowing the routine of regular times for walks, being fed and general activities. 

I will also be starting up the guild meetings in Halton and the longarm group in Oshawa.  I am looking forward to seeing everything everyone has been up to, during the summer break.