TGIFF--Pinwheel Quilt

Welcome to Wonderland, where today we are celebrating Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.

This is a special quilt that turned into a UFO.  I'm a girl of good quilty intentions and we all know what road is paved with good intentions.  This quilt, like most of mine, started out with the very best intentions.

Travel with me back to April of 2017.  A dear friend of mine is in charge of the Family Resource Network for our county.  

Each May for National Foster Care Month and in awareness to prevent Child Abuse, the FRN places blue pinwheels around the city to raise awareness for both causes.  So many children desperately need safe and loving homes.

Since, these events would be kicking off the next month, my friend approached me about making a quilt to raffle and, like every quilter I know, I was like OF COURSE!!!  It was April, I totally felt I could have made from start to finish a quilt to raffle in May...wrong.

I found the perfect pinwheel pattern, a free quilt by Sew Mama Sew, called Pinwheels in the Park.  The quilt pieced up quickly and a custom quilt job ensued.  All was well, until I noticed there was puckering on the back of the quilt.  My balloon deflated and I decided there was no way this quilt could be good enough.  In my frustration I banished it to the pile of I'll finish you later.  That was totally unfair of me on many levels.

So three years pass and COVID break hits and I decided, hey, I should finish that pinwheel quilt.  Here's the funny part...I thought I had a ton more to quilt on this quilt and that was why I had put it up.  I had completely forgot about the puckers.  So I pulled the quilt out to assess.

Caroline, was pretty quick to point out, it was the borders.  The borders was what I got stuck on.  All the white parts were finished.  And those puckers on the back...barely noticeable.  

I'm on a huge Natalia Bonner kick right now.  I cannot get enough of her quilting.  I had just recently purchased her class on quilting scallops in borders and figured now was the time.  I tried to use math to figure out how many and how wide and how tall and.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!  It was just too hard.  I was making it too hard. The easiest way to tackle scallops is to use your pieced blocks and sashing to place them.  Once I figured that out, it was smoothish sailing.

Now let's talk thread.

For the center of the quilt I decided to use a neutral that would blend nicely all over.  Aurifil #2600 Dove never disappoints.  It's my go to color.  For my border scallops, if I was going to do all that work, I wanted it to show.  I chose Aurifil #2715 Robins Egg to pop off that dark blue Moda Grunge.  For a little more pizzazz, I went with Aurifil #2785 Dark Navy to sink some lines into the background of the borders. 

   
I finished the quilt off with my favorite binding technique...the flange binding.  That tiny strip of light blue fabric adds just the right touch to finish things off.

So you might be asking, how does the story end for this one?  I contacted my friend to let her know that her 2017 dontation quilt was finally finished!!!  I told her I want her to keep it.  Since the making of this quilt, my dear sweet niece, Pickle, has officially became part of the family! (unofficially she always has been)  And Aunt Tish is behind on quilts for forts. Pickle needs more quilts!!!! and forts!!!

I got to take this little quilt on a quilty photo shoot.  Another dear friend of mine has one of the most beautiful charismatic houses in town and gladly let me bring it by for a few glamour shots.  I hope we will be seeing more of this porch!

 Okay, enough about my finish.  I want to hear all about yours!!!  Link up below and tell us all about your finish, big or small.  

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Don't have a finish?  Not done partying?  Come back tomorrow for my weekly linky party UFO Busting.  Don't let that title fool you, not UFO required.  We celebrate those finishes new and old and all those little things that distract us from finishes and creates UFO's.  Everyone welcome!

Thank you so much for stopping by!  My gate is always open to you.

Except when there is a quilt hanging on it.  Then it's closed.  But its totally unlocked...come on in!!

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.

TGIFF--Star Blossom Baby Quilt

Well hello, everyone!  If you are new to my little neck of the woods, I welcome you and hope you will stay a little bit. 

This is my first time hosting TGIFF and thank goodness I had a finish to share with you.

I allowed this sweet little baby quilt to become a UFO.  She originally started out life to be used as a class sample for teaching a class on my and David's (my quilty husband) Star Blossom Quilt at a local quilt shop. 

After the class was over, her bits and pieces made their way with me to a weekend retreat at my friend Julie's (Pink Doxies)  and she became a cute little quilt top.

And then her story ends, November 17, 2017.  I neatly folded her up and stuffed her in the back room.  How sad.

Fast forward to now.  I'm trying to get a long arm my uncle purchased up and running correctly.  Feeling pretty certain I had the tension issues worked out to an expectable level, I decided to jump in with both feet and work on a real quilt.  So on the frames she went.

I decided on an over all edge to edge design of loops.  I'm a beginner, you know.  Every thing went pretty smoothly until the end.  There seems to be an issue with the machine but we are working on it.

I did have some weirdness in the borders.  I'm chalking it up to my first time doing this.

 

 

But for my first time trying, I'm pretty proud of it.  She's not a show quilt, but hopefully she will be a loved quilt. 

 

 

I just love this soft lavender background.  Lots of little flowers for those butterflies on the front.

 

 

Hopefully, we will have the long arm, buzzing again soon.  This quick and easy finish has me itching and begging for another one.

 

How about you?  What finishes are you celebrating today?  Link up below and tell us all about it.

 

An InLinkz Link-up

 

Before you leave I'd like to tell you a little more about me, every Saturday I host a linky party called UFO Busting to celebrate our works in progress and finished UFO's.  You'll find I'm very lenient in my definition of a unfinished object, so I hope you will come back sometime and party with us again.  I also have a mystery quilt along that has just started called Fireburst Mystery Quilt.

  You can find more information about it here.  Thanks again for stopping by for TGIFF.  I hope we will see you again soon.