UFO Busting #111

It's Saturday and you know what that means...it's time to link up and show off all the hard work you have been doing...over the past two weeks.  I say two weeks because some one didn't show up for their own party last week.  Oops.  But I'm back this week.  The only actual sewing that showed up was finishing the binding on the Pin Wheel Quilt.

It feels good to cross another UFO off the list.  I'll tell you more more about this quilt soon.  

I did have some happy mail.  I have been drooling over Natalia Bonner's ruler set for quite some time now.  I could sit for hours and watch her quilt...wait I do sometimes.  I'm on her patreon page.  So as a reward of all the working I do, I decided to take the plunge and order them.

Not that I don't have a ton of rulers anyway, I can't image ever needing another one.  I think these cover all bases.  I'm super excited to give this a go!!!

But before I give them a test run, I have a few baby quilts that need a quick all over job before I tackle something custom and complex.

So I think I will start this weekend with this sweet little Bento Box quilt with my favorite Aurifil Dove thread.  I'm visioning a stipple or maybe some loops, but, 100%, a quick satisfying finish.

With July right around the corner, I hear Christmas fabric calling my name.  Who knows, as crazy as this year has been it may be snowing by then any way.  I pulled out some Holiday precuts I purchased last year and started contemplating.

First up is these beautiful charm packs of Cardinal Song Metallic, a wonderful gold shimmer.  Cardinals just happen to be my state's bird.  I love seeing their bright pops of red against a fresh Christmas snow.  I see them going into a free Moda Bake Shop pattern I've had downloaded for a while.  

Or I could cut into this yummy white and off white fabric with this strip set of Jingle Pop...also sporting the metallic dazzle but in silver tones.

This one will turn into a fun modern plus quilt, because I positively love the holidays.  I can practically smell the cookies now.

Now let's celebrate some finishes.  First up we  have Anja over at Anja Quilts and her flying geese quilt.

Anja designed this one while putting her EQ8 skills, learned at a workshop, to the test.  I love the way the hand quilting adds a cute little detail to those geese, but that's not the cutest little detail on the quilt.  Do you see it???  If you don't you've got to go read her post and let her point it out to you.  Anja, I think I need a tutorial on how you did that cute little finishing detail in the binding. 

Next up we have Gail over at Quilting Gail and a baby quilt finish.

Gail quilted this sweet little quilt with loops and stars and it will make the perfect snuggle quilt once the little bundle of joy is here.  I love visiting Gail's blog because she really is one of the most organized quilters in knowing what status her projects are in.  Seeing her lists always reminds me to check mine.  So if you haven't hop over and congratulate her on her finish and read about all the projects she's got going on.

Now it's your turn.  Link up below and show us what you've been up to this week.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

UFO Busting 110

It's Satur-yay!  It is time to get our party on.  It's been another slow week for me with no quilting at all.  It happens.  The only thing I did quilting related was to hang a quilt in my office.  After a year of working at my new job, I think it was well past time to make it look like I live there.

Sometimes it's the little things you have to embrace.  I've set the cutting table back up and have vowed today I WILL bind my latest quilt finish.  It has been waiting long enough and shouldn't have to wait a day more.

Speaking of waiting or rather not waiting...our gal over at Sew Yummy has the UFO's flying to a finish at warp speed!

As of the end of May she had 11 UFO finishes and 4 current project finishes.  Make sure you go over and check them out.  Who knows, while you're there maybe some of that project finishing mojo will rub off on you?

Next up we have Bernie over at Needle and Foot and her super cute panda baby quilt finish.

Like we all do from time to time, Bernie found herself in one of those tension gone wrong picking out sessions that just leaves you disgruntled with the project moments that you have to walk away from.  But the important thing is not the time that passed...it's the fact she came back and BOOM Y'ALL she's got a finish!  Make sure you congratulate her.  Unfortunately, she's out of kits for this darling little quilt, but I bet if you peruse her online fine fabric shop, you'll find something equally adorable to stitch up a quick project like this one.

Now it's your turn.  Link up below and show us what you've been into this week.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

That's it for me this weekend.  Time to (hopefully) get my stitch on!

UFO Busting #109

Happy Saturday!  I almost didn't show up today.  This week over all has been one of the blahs.  It was just hard to be upbeat and quilty when there is so much hurt right now.  But you know what, the world needs love and quilts equal love!  I don't have much to show this week but some happy mail.

Recently I had pre-ordered Natalia Bonner's 365 Quilt Block Designs book and it arrived this week.  I LOVE it!  Now, if you are not familiar with her amazing quilting, you must pause to go check out her Instagram here.  So much eye candy on that feed it's not funny.  I've also ordered a bundle of her quilting rulers (on sale right now) and I think they will be well worth the investment. 

Quilting on the pinwheel quilt is complete with hopes of binding today and showing you the finish very soon.  Now let's see what you were up to last week.

Chris at Chris Knits Sews found some time to do some UFO busting and finished up two zippered pouches.

I just love this one!!  She also has been bit by a mini bug...a quilt along bug for making mini quilts.  Hey if you have to have a bug that's a great one to have.  Make sure you hop over and read about the mini's she's making and the free quilt alongs that go with them.

Next up we have Anja at Anja Quilts finishing up another project for Hands2Help.

This 40" beauty is called Diamond Run.  Anja quilted it with a beautiful stipple that looks like it gives this quilt a perfect amount of cuddle.  Visit Anja to congratulate her on her finish and find out where you can get this pattern for yourself.  

Now it's your turn.  Link up below and show us what you've been up to this past week.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

UFO Busting #108

Happy Saturday!  It looks like we made it through another week.  I can definitely say I'm ready for this weekend.  With temperatures reaching the mid 80's (that's 26 C I believe) I hid inside as much as I could.  I pulled out the pinwheel UFO and decided it was time to make that outer border dance.

Once I realized trying a mathematical approach wasn't going to work for me in figuring out how many scallops per side and what size, I was golden.  There was no need for all that math and headache.  Instead I focused on the piecing of the blocks to space my scallops.

Add some echos and filler stitches and boom, almost finished borders.  Because I love me a good piano key, I decided to fill the area  from the scallops to the outside edge of the quilt with piano key lines.

I went with a thread that more so matched the fabric to help those scallops stand alone better.

I still have three sides to go, but this quilt could be showing itself as a finish in the next few weeks.

Today I decided to highlight two posts from last week's party that make a point...good behavior (and sometimes bad) needs rewarded.  Donna Lee at DONNALEEQ is rewarding herself with some new fabrics and a new project.

Over the past couple of weeks she has finished a few UFO's and decided it was high time to indulge in some beautiful William Morris fabrics and possibly a little applique.  I love it!  I can't wait to see what project she decides on.  With these fabrics (plus a few more she's pulled) it will be fabulous for sure!

Next up we have Gail at Quilting Gail  who also has some UFO finishes to celebrate (go visit her to see them) and is rewarding herself with a new project that she will host as a quilt along.

The project will be the rockin' Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilt's free Winnie the Pooh and Friends Quilt.  I love me a good ol' Lorna pattern and this one does not disappoint.  Perfect for a little one or new born or just a Winnie the Pooh fan.  I adore both of these ladies, so if you have some free time join in, stop complaining about losing that tail...make a new one!  Gail has the details for the quilt along here on the blog.

Now it's your turn.  Link up below and show us what you've been up to this week.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

UFO Busting #107

Welcome to UFO Busting!  It's Saturday and it's time to celebrate everything we did and didn't to this week.  I'm still flying on a quilty high from hosting the TGIFF party yesterday.  Who needs sleep?  Not this gal (lying...yes I do).  Yesterday I celebrated the finish of a UFO dating back to 2018.  It is my Flying Geese baby quilt.

Read more about this quilt here.

Now it's time to get serious and quilt some more.  I have a ton of UFO's that aren't going to quilt themselves.  So this week, I went through the piles and settled on my next few quilting projects.

Three more smaller quilts are basted, with two more waiting on deck.  I'm thinking the quilting will be simpler on these, using an edge to edge design.  My biggest problem is over thinking things and I'm trying very hard not to.

I laid the pinwheel quilt out on my tables so I could assess those 5.5" borders and figure out how to quilt them.  I've deiced to use the piecing of the top to help place scallops to frame the quilt.  I've never tried this before.  My initial plan just wasn't math-ing for me and I was getting frustrated.  I realized I was making it way harder than I needed too.  Rulers have markings for a reason...so you can use them.  Once I embraced this idea, scallops seemed much easier and less mathematical.  This made me very happy.

Now lets take a look at what made you happy last week.

First up we have my dear friend Sandra at mmm!quilts and her finishes for the Island Batik The Ultimate Home Decor blog hop.  And as she always does, she knocked it out of the park.

Using the Island Batik River Valley collection, Sandra created all kinds of goodies (coasters, napkins, bolsters, a basket and cushions) to make time spent on her deck even better.  I'm always impressed with the creative things she whips up.  Sandra, darling, you do realize the only thing missing in these pictures is me, you and a bottle of wine (also dogs).  Love you and miss you!!!!!

Next up we have Deana at Dreamworthy Quilts and her Arizona quilt.  Not only is this quilt beautiful but it will be a quilt that in generations to come, will tell a very cool story.

The pieces in this quilt log an adventure she and her husband took on together (and sometimes separate) to walk/bike/hike from their home to the Arizona border.  Each little log tells a story of their journey.  Make sure you hop over and read about how this quilt tells their story.  Those panels in the corner are just perfect!  I can't wait to see this on all finished up.

Now I can't wait to see what you've been up to this week.  Link up below and tell us all about it.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Flying Geese Baby Quilt TGIFF Party

Welcome to TGIFF--Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday!

If you've never been here before, my name is Tish and every Saturday I host a UFO Busting party.  But really it's a party for everyone.  I want to celebrate finishing those UFO's, ignoring those UFO's, what ever you want to show us.  But today we are celebrating those ever so sweet Friday Finishes.  Today I'm sharing my Flying Geese Baby Quilt...and yes it was a UFO.

This quilt started life as a guild challenge project back in 2018; make anything using flying geese.  I wanted something simple and modern.  It was super easy to piece.  So why did it become an UnFinished Object?  Simple answer.

All of that open background negative space.  It seemed like a good idea when I was piecing it.  But when it came down to quilting I let all of that white get in my head and had no idea what to do with it.  Should I do something all over?  Should I try something custom?  Too scary...bye bye.

So it sat until now.  It's time.  And the funny part?  Once I started quilting I couldn't stop!  I decided on a divide and conquer method.  When in doubt start with some straight lines and echo them.

An echo makes everything better.  Then take those straight lines and add a small safe curve.

And before you know it you are swirling.

Then, BAM, a finished quilt that leaves you saying, but I want to quilt more.

I quilted this one using my favorite go to neutral Aurifil 50wt #2600 Dove.  

I love how this shade provides just the right amount of contrast without screaming "LOOK AT ME" on the white background.  I used a fun green/blue print from my stash to finish this one off.

  

How about a few more pictures?

I'll admit, I'm in love with this one.  I don't have a home in mind for it yet, so I'll probably hang on to it and pull it out and pet it occasionally.  It also serves as a reminder of, don't put it off.  You CAN do it.  Backgrounds are not to be feared.  So maybe I'll hang it in my sewing room?

Ok, enough about me.  Let's see your finishes!!!  Link up below and show us what has you doing a happy dance today.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

A huge thank you for stopping by today!  Come back tomorrow and party with us, and every Saturday, for UFO Busting, to celebrate what you've done for the week....UFO or not.