The Month of Finishes

I have decided that November is going to be the month of finishes. There are several quilts that have been hanging over my head for a loooong time in the half-finished state. I really like to have one or two quilt project max on the go at the same time, with several smaller projects (think clothes or toys) to break things up a bit. In the last few years, however, I've had several half started projects sitting around collecting dust and cluttering up my brain. I've decided that this is going to be the month to finish up three of the six quilts I have on the go at present.

What precisely do I have on the go right now?

Well, there is my Mom's quilt that is a two-years late 70th birthday present. There is sarah and molly's free piecing study (on the design wall this moment). There is the star quilt that is for our bed. There is the windmill quilt that is supposed to be a toast and tea quilt (but may just be a windmill block quilt). There is Owen's baby quilt. AND there is my Threads Together Bee Quilt. Whew!

I have finished my Threads Together quilt, and I want to finish the quilt for my Mom and the sarah and molly's quilt this month.  Then I will take a break from those to make a quilt for my in-laws for Christmas (I think) and next will be Owen's quilt. After that we shall see. But really, 6 quilts on the go is pretty silly.

Oh, you want to see my finished quilt? Well, I might just happen to have a few photos for you:

Here it is, all washed and folded, showing off its pretty scrappy binding. Since I had added a scrappy border, I finished it with a scrappy binding as well. Some fabrics are from the quilt, but I thought it would be fun to also add a brand new fabric that Cindy sent me a few weeks back with my swap quilt.

All except one of these blocks were made a few years back by the Threads Together Quilting Bee. The original plan was to receive 16 blocks, but I only ever got 12. One really didn't mesh with the others, and for a long time I just sat on the blocks, wondering what to do with them. Finally, I decided to make one more block, sash them with Kona Bone, add a scrappy border, and settle with a smallish 50 X 62 quilt.

I quilted it in what I choose to call organic straight lines (it could also be known as the "quilting with a baby on your lap and a toddler climbing on your back lines). I left it unbound for a coulple of weeks while I tried to finish my Mom's quilt (see above) and made Halloween costumes.

Here is the prettiest part of the back - the top 20". The rest is just Kona Aloe, which is a sort of weird blue-green that I love. I am really glad I finished this quilt - I've always loved these fabrics, and I chose them to remind me of a particularly peaceful moment we had on the trip to Ireland Dave and I took 8 years ago (with a baby Andrew in tow).

So, finish #1. Let's see if I can manage two more this month, shall we?