Quality Quilting Time

Today was a no-school day, and I got to stay home.   And played "hooky" from the grading that I brought home to get done over the weekend.   Will have to work on that tonite and tomorrow, but that's okay because I had fun today.  =)  

I finished up one UFO that had been in progress this year - a set of BOM blocks that I made using block patterns from the BOM on my Quilted Snail website.   I started making the blocks as a part of a group of friends from a yahoo group that I am in called QuiltChicks.   I wanted to use up a set of FQ's in Halloween colors that I had inherited from an online friend 8 yrs or so ago.  I used a candy corn print as the common fabric in all of the blocks.    I had finished the blocks yesterday, but then ran into a momentary block because I couldn't decide what color to use as the sashing between the blocks.   I'd initially thought that I would sash them in white, but once I laid them out I realized that wasn't going to work.   Ended up going to bed thinking about it and by the time I work up this morning I had decided to use a bright lime green stripe as the sashing.   Cornerstones are more of the candy corn print.   The middle border is the final bits of the 5 different FQ's that I used in the quilt. Am happy with how the quilt turned out.    Haven't decided if I'll donate this one or quilt it and see if I can sell it.  Colors in the quilt are much brighter than in the pic above.

Am still thinking about what to do next to the teddy bear quilt.   I had a bunch of 3.5" blocks (unfinished) in my orphan block tote in colors that coordinate with the panel and what I've added so far.   They have a muslin background which works perfectly with the cream background in the panels.  The pic to the left shows one possible layout.

The problem is that I need to add more width to the quilt before adding more to the length.   So I'm thinking I need to just add the blocks to the sides of the quilt.   there is a small size variation between the blocks so I will border them with more muslin and then trim them to a final size (probably about 5" or 5.5") so that they are all the same.   Then will sew them together and the strips to the quilt.   Once this one is finished, I already have the perfect fabric for backing because I found the coordinating yardage in my stash this morning when I was looking for something else.   This one will likely be a donation quilt for Sunshine Quilts.   Or I may send it to the ministry to single moms that a friend of mine in Phoenix is the executive director of.

Next up to work on though is to prep 4 more blocks from the pumpkin BOM that has been a UFO for way too may years and finish getting stuff ready for the quilt  retreat I'm headed to this next weekend.  I also need to start thinking about what I want to donate for a silent auction for the building fund at the church I attended in Garland.   Need to go through the ones I've already got finished up to see if I have something finished that will work.

Gratitudes -
1. My niece graduated from AIT for the Army Reserve and is headed home.   And I get to see her abnd her mom tomorrow when they'll stay overnite with me.  =)
2. For God's provision of all that I need even when funds are tighter than I'd like them to be.