Another Christmas Quilt Finished

This is my second finish for the third quarter of the 2014 FAL.
When I picked up this quilt yesterday to work on it, all the straight line quilting had already been completed, So all I had to do was the free motion quilting and add the binding.

I started this quilt in December of 2012.

Last night I finished the quilting and this morning I added the binding.

I have made three Christmas quilts this year so far.

It feels good to use up my Christmas fabric and know

that I have three quilts ready to go for December.

I am linking up to Handmade Christmas.

This link party encourages us to make our Christmas gifts through out the year.

This quilt started out as 2.5 inch strips. I cut a couple from all of my Christmas fabrics then

I sewed one red and one green strip together to make a 4.5 inch wide long strip.

After that I cut a 4.5 inch white strip and placed it on top and sewed down both side making a tube.

I used A Bright Corner's tutorial on how to cute strip tubes and then had lots of fancy HST blocks.

I played around with the layout and took pictures of a few,

but finally ended up with what you see at the top.

Stripe tube piecing is a quick and easy way to make a Christmas quilt.

I just may make another and use the pinwheel layout.  I am really liking that one too.

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Mondo Bags - Done!

After I made my Q3 FAL list yesterday I hit the sewing machine
and spent the afternoon finishing up these three Mondo bags. 

I decided to use darker fabrics for the lining this time around and it makes the bags look totally different from the other mondo bags I made, which had yellow/orange on the inisde. 

These will be going out to these three wonderful women.

I didn't tell them I was making them for them, so hopefully it will be a nice surprise for them.

I still need to make one more. Next time I head to the beach I'll pick up that last interfacing.

The bag can made without it, but it makes it so much easier having it.

These bags are my first finish for the third quarter of the 2014 Finish along.  

I am glad to have them finished and I am hoping their new owners will love them just as much as I do.

Linked up at Freemotion by the River and Quilt Story's Tuesday link parties.

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Q3 Goals for the 2014 FAL

I completed three of my twelve goals last quarter.  With me finishing up college and the start of summer, I didn't spend as much time at the machine as I normally do. This third quarter will be during the rest of summer. I know I have lots of summer plans this quarter, but I am still going to put twelve projects on the list.  I like having options to work with.

I am keeping the ones that didn't get finished and adding three new ones. 

Here they are...

Mondo Bag x 3

Started Summer 2013
 Made some progress on these last quarter,
they are number 1 on my list this quarter.

Christmas Quilt

Started December 2012
This one is still so close to being done.

Jewel Box Quilt

Started November 2011
Border fabric has been picked out so I am good to go on this one.

Baby Cakes Quilt

Started April 2012

Christmas Dresdens

Started December 2012

Colorful Lone Stars

Started January 2014

Stripe Tube Quilt
Started April 2012

Do something with this top. 

Started May 2012

I am going to change the sashing.

I don't like it so much and that is why it became a UFO.

Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along

Started September 2011

The three new projects making their debut are:

Pythagoras' Lute Quilt
Started March 2014

One block wonder
Stated June 2014

Polk-A-Dot Dresden Quilt
Started September 2012

I'm itching to sew and have grand visions of finishing the whole list this quarter.

 Ha, I always feel that way when I make my list. 

Let's see if I can keep my momentum up and get at least half of it done this quarter.

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ALYOF June Completion and July Goal

Phew, finished this at 11pm last night, just in time to post my finish for the ALYOF for June. I took a quick picture last night, so I had something to post on the link party,  but I had to use the flash and the quilting didn't show up so great.  This morning I was able to get some better pictures.

I basted this quilt yesterday Morning around 9am.  

I was lucky to get it all quilted and bound in one day.  

The blocks came from a swap from the old IFQ (International Friendship Quilters) group.

The first six blocks came from:

Me -   Pamela M.  - Beatrice M.

Pauline G. - Tarnyia S. - Carole B.

The last six come fromL

Me - Val D. - Karin F.

Maureen M. - Ann M. - Nancy N.

I had to sign up for two groups to get 12 blocks.  That is why there are two done by me.

This quilt is also on my second quarter finish a-long list.  

That gives me three finishes so far for Q2.

I still have until the 6th of this month to finish more projects on my list.

Let's see how much sewing I can cram in this week.  :)

AS for my July Goal for ALYOF, I plan to finish my quilt from the Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along.

It was on my Q2 FAL list, but I know it will be moving to my Q3 list for the 2014 FAL so putting it as my July Goal should help get this one off the UFO list.

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Progress on Mondo Bags.

Finally made some progress on my three Mondo Bags. Most of the month of June has been busy with traveling and game playing.  I did sew a few minutes a day, and when I say few I mean one seam a day sometimes.  That makes for some slow progress, but I finally have all the sections sewn together and all the inside fabric cut and ironed onto the fusible fleece.   I have to travel again this weekend so I might not get these done in time to be added as a finish for my second quarter Finish-A-Long. 

I also still need to finish my goal for A lovely year of Finishes too.  Egads, I only have three and half days of the month left. I might not make my June goal for ALYOF.  Ah well, too much playing around in the month of June I suppose. I have been enjoying the summer.

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Guild Quilt Show

Yesterday was my quilt guild's show.  It was at the Hartsville Museum in SC and the quilts will hang all summer, so if you are close by, stop on in.  The theme this year was "A Little Color In My Life"

I entered my Lollipop Orchard quilt in the show.  I had also entered my floating pinwheels, but we had so many big quilts this year that the museum didn't have space for all the double entries so they asked us to only submit one, I picked my smaller one.

There were also a few quilts in the show that I quilted for my guild mates. 

 I quilted June's cat quilt last summer which she entered and won first place for applique. 

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I also quilted Tish's hand pieced Mississippi Wheel of Fortune II Quilt.

The back, which you can't see at the show was made from different shirts. I think that idea is fabulous.

 A close up of some of the blocks.

I actually quilted two of these for her.
One was done in December and the other in April.
Here are both of them on on my fence.

She gave the first one away already,


and after the show this one will be given away.

There were only two special ladies who got to hang two quilts in the show.
They have been long time guild members and definitely deserved it.  

Sara is one of those ladies and I had the privilege of quilting both her quilts.
She named this one "Check the Box"

The quilting shows up great on the back of the quilt

This one she named "Wear Purple"

I also quilted one of Joan's quilts. Unfortunately it didn't get in the show either due to the 1 quilt limit.
She chose to show her smaller one like I did, but I would like to show her large quilt here anyway.

It is a lovely blossoming 4 patch done in beautiful fabrics.

There were lots of wonderful quilts at the show.  I am honored to have been able to work on these.

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The Start of Something New and Old

Last week when I had my sewing machine stuck in a corner due to some sewing room re-vamping, I decided to spend the quiet time in the morning cutting out a new project.  Ever since I saw Carla's universe themed quilt for Project Quilting project done in February, I have wanted to make one of my own.

 I went out and bought the exact same fabric and cut out all my triangles. They are waiting in stacks of 20 for their turn at the machine. This quilt is a one block wonder quilt and I am super excited to start the sewing.  I just need to finish the flooring in the closet and then I can put my sewing room back together and get back to actual sewing.

I also need to list my June Goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes.
For June I want to quilt my butterfly quilt top.
This was started in 2008 and you can read more about it and where the blocks came from here.

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Mondo Bags in Progress

After finishing up my Slide Show quilt I went to my Q2 Finish A-Long list to pick a new project to finish up. I decided to go with the Mondo bags.  I have some packages I want to mail out and it would be great to be able to have the Mondo bags ready so they can go in the boxes as well.

Each bag uses 208 squares.  I had most of them already cut so I only had to cut a few charm squares to get the remaining squares I needed for all three bags.  I made some good progress, but finishing them up will have to wait a bit since my machine is shoved in a corner and inaccessible.

I spent yesterday pulling up the old carpet in my sewing room which means the sewing machine has to go on vacation for a bit till things get put back together.  Hubby and I will be laying new floor in the evenings when he gets off work.  It shouldn't take too long... I hope.  :)

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