2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 3

For Quarter 2 I finished two out of three projects.  I'll be keeping my list small again this quarter, adding my one leftover project, a new quilt, a project sample, and one mini quilt.

This Anna Maria Horner scrappy trip really is a work in progress.  I need a good chunk of time to get it onto my design wall and then sewn together, but other projects with deadlines keep getting in the way.  I don't want to rush this one, so I'll just keep adding it to my list!

I'll be working on this Carnival quilt with fabrics from Lotta Jansdotter.

I'm teaching a class on y-seams and the eight point star in October and have to make a project sample, so I'll be working on something similar to one of these below.

My guild has a rainbow mini quilt swap going on this summer so that will be a secret project until it's gifted in September.  Maybe a mini pow wow quilt or a star?

Good luck with your Quarter 3 projects, link up here to join in!

Follow My Lead

Although I'm not a fan of batik style fabric, the fabrics designed by Alison Glass in her handcrafted line drew me in.  The saturated colors called to me first, but the second benefit is the patchwork motifs in the designs. I choose the Follow My Lead pattern for these fabrics because of the flying geese in the prints and the pattern.

As I was making this quilt I realized that it was time to update my 6 year old son's bed with a new quilt, and so I added navy borders to the pattern to make it fit a twin.  He's super happy that he has his own quilt now. I love having handmade items for our home and was glad to get this on his bed.

This is my second finish for Quarter 2 of the 2017 Finish-A-Long.  You can see my original list here. 

Machine quilting by Allison Black of AB Quilting Studio.   

Big Star Finish

Last weekend I gave away this lovely quilt to my cousin for her wedding shower.  This is the Big Star quilt pattern by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  It uses a large diamond template and the fabric is from Victoria's Mostly Manor collection.

I loved making this quilt, as it was a skill builder for me as a quilter.  I learned how to do y-seams confidently with this one.  I've already put that technique to use in another quilt I'm working on here with a mitered corner border.

At first I cringed at the amount of leftover fabric from the fussy cutting required for this kaleidoscope effect.  But the result was worth it.  Now I can't stop looking for fabrics to do this with again.  In the end, I've used a lot of the extra fabric for smaller versions of this block.  These finish at 40 inches square.

The fabulous rose floral quilting is by Alison Black at AB Quilting Studio.  Here's the backing fabric, from the Meadow Storm collection, also by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.

This is a finish for Quarter 2 of the 2017 Finish-A-Long.

Linking up with My Quilt Infatuation , Crazy Mom Quilts,  and TGIFF.

2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 2

My 2017 Quarter 2 Finish-A-Long list has three continuations from the first quarter.  I made a lot of progress with two of these and it's a good bet they'll make it to the finish line this quarter.

1.  Follow My Lead quilt is on its way home from being quilted, so it's just binding for this one.

2.  My Big Star quilt is also coming back from the quilter.  Had to change the background fabric from my original post of this one.  There may have been some seam ripping (more than once) to get this block right.  It's all good now and I can't wait to show it to you finished with all four big star blocks.

3.  Anna Maria Horner scrappy trip is still in progress, this could take a while...

I've a few other things in mind, but I'm going to leave this list short and sweet.

Happy sewing Finish-A-Long participants!

2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 1

The 2016 Finish-A-Long was really motivating to me last year.  It was a great way to set some goals without a lot of pressure, and there were prizes, thank you sponsors!

I'm participating again for the 2017 Finish-A-Long.  New hosts, more prizes, and community support, what more could you ask for?

Here's my quarter 1 list.  Some are continuing from last year, along with a few new projects in the works.

1.  My Anna Maria Horner Scrappy Trip Around the World is still out there.  All blocks are complete, but I had to take a break from this one, as I don't want to rush the final arrangement of blocks.  I may still resew a few of these blocks to get it just right.

2.  Follow My Lead is another holdover from last year, but progress is being made.  I've got all the cross blocks complete and am working on the flying geese blocks.

3.  I'm challenging myself this year to break out of my typical square and rectangle block quilts.  This is the Big Star Block quilt from Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  Each block finishes at over 40 inches, which is great, and I love the fussy cutting (I'm coming to terms with fabric waste...it's worth it sometimes.) Now I have to work to get these big blocks to lay flat, which is not easy.  But I am going to persevere here.

4.  Last is a quick quilt, and the one most likely to get finished this quarter.  It's a lovely design with solids by Emily Dennis.  This will be a special quilt for a friend who lost everything in a house fire last month.

I hope you join in the fun with the 2017 Finish-A-Long.  Link up here for quarter 1!