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Thursday, October 11, 2018

It is time to link up 4th Quarter finishes.

The last quarter of 2018 is here along with the 4th Quarter Finish -a-long linky.

Here is my final list for the quarter challenges this year.  I hope to finish the following:




1.  My Quilter's Garden - quilt and bind

The story:  
I designed this quilt one month at a time as a mystery swap.  If you completed at least one block the month the pattern released then you got the next one for free.  It was a fabulous group of ladies who joined in.  I swapped two blocks per row in this quilt:  one with a random person in the group and the other with my friend, Phyllis,  who wanted one of my blocks in every row in her quilt.  It was a grand time.

I LOVE this quilt!  I want it done badly.




2.  My mom's Quilter's Garden - quilt (My mother binds her quilts but doesn't machine quilt them)

The story:
Mom was in the group as well.  I like vibrant colors and she favors pastels.  You can feel the difference in our quilts even though many blocks were swapped and the group shared a color scheme.




3.   Bees Quilt - add a border, quilt, and bind

The story:
My dearest friend, Deb, and I set off in 2018 to make a couple of Buggy Barn pattern quilts together that we had seen online.  I finished the Santa/Reindeer in first quarter.  Her reindeer are done but her Santas are waiting in a box upstairs.  She loves them but doesn't like how many little pieces were involved.

The second one was this bee/flower quilt.  We just finished the tops last week.  She is making two:  one for a friend and one for herself.  Her friend's quilt is off to the quilter and mine is in this stage.  Deb's quilt needs the bees completed but her flowers are done.  
I LOVE IT!  




4 & 5.  TWO Bear in the Woods Log Cabin quilts- quilt and bind both of them.  They are identical.

The story:  
I designed this quilt as part of a family round robin for my sister a few years ago.  I decided I needed one too.  Last spring I went on a business trip and took the fabric with me to cut out.  I had been saving these colors in my stash and decided they were fitting for this project.  Well, when I got to the hotel the first night I quickly realized that I had enough fabric to make two quilts.  This one is for my son and the other for myself.  His is ready to quilt.




6.  Pieceful Country - assemble, border, quilt, and bind

The story:

I joined an online group where we were re-creating a quilt called "Sweet Land of Liberty".  I honestly didn't really like the quilt because it is busier than I prefer, but I loved the idea behind the project.  Each month the group would try to recreate the original quilt with some basic size guidelines, but there was no pattern.  We could improvise to fit out style and needs as desired.  Well, first off, I didn't have enough Americana fabrics to make the quilt.  I opted to make it anyway out of pastels because I had leftovers from my Dear Jane quilt.  

As the project moved along, I would change some blocks I didn't like or didn't think fit into my "different" theme.  For example, I used a chicken where an eagle belonged.  I embroidered a totally different angel that was supposed to be appliqued.  My house block was different.  I used a watering can instead of a basket, and my vine was different.  I converted a star into more of a flower - thinkgs like that.  Most of what I did came from patterns I already had in my house that I had either designed myself or had purchased.  

This quilt is still too busy for me, but I love the elements.  I wanted it to not get too big, but it will get bigger because I plan to add white space between major elements to make it easier on the eyes.  Wish me luck!




7.  Felicity's Log Cabin Star Quilt - quilt (Felicity will bind hers)

The story:

Felicity wants me to quilt this for her.  She is my dear sister-in-law who became a quilter only after joining the family.  We all make quilts.  She is not happy with it because she didn't disburse the light and dark blocks evenly and ended up with one section of all light blocks.  She likes things finished more than she likes them to be perfect, so she sent it off with me.

On a side note, I think we all do that sometimes.  We have to choose between perfect or finished.  Quilts that really matter to me go the "almost perfect" route while other quilts go the finished route.  As many quilts as I make, I sometimes just need them to be done as I'm sure Felicity can agree with.




In order to do this I will need to quilt two a month.  I do my own quilting so that may be a stiff  goal for me because I work full time.  I am going for it.

Most of these quilts were on my 18 in 2018 list except for the bees and Pieceful Country.  They have to be done because I started them this year.  My PHD challenge requires that I finish anything I start this year.  It has pushed me to finish but has not completely stopped me from starting new projects.  That is inevitable!

I am linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday.


11 comments:

  1. I admire your challenge of finishing what you start in the same year. Your work is just fabulous. I like the border you have chosen for the bee quilt. It was also fun to see the contrast between the pastel and bright quilts. Both look great. I'm glad to see you doing a second quilt of your sister's design. I loved that one.

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  2. Good luck with all the quilting. Don't make the designs too complicated; go easy on yourself!

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  3. Such lovely projects! Can't wait to see how they turn out. I love your challenge of finishing what you start this year. The theme quilt will be so nice with some white space.

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  4. Love your quilts, especially your Quilters Garden. Great work and good luck on your finishes!

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  5. I love all your different quilts.
    Thanks for all the stories, they are great to read.

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  6. Wow some really great projects to finish here!

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  7. Your quilts are all so fun and so cute! I love the Bee quilt...I just may have to look that pattern up :)

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  8. I love this list! I *think* my favorite is the bear log cabin - maybe. I like every single choice here. And Felicity's quilt at the bottom - I honestly didn't see anything stand out until I specifically looked for a light area after reading what she was unhappy with. It honestly looks great as it is!

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  9. How fun to share quilting in the family. I wish someone else in my family was a quilter. I love your Pieceful Quilt just the way it is, but I wouldn't want many quilts that busy.

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  10. You've got your hands full for sure, and yes, there is wisdom in finished being better than perfect, a saying I quilted for my sewing room!

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