pressing issues

Wow! You guys seem to like scrappy quilts as much as I do! I'm pleased that so many of you stated that you were going to start your own version of a scrappy 4 patch quilt. That's exciting! Many thanks go to Jean Gilbertson for the wonderful inspiration!

Since I had so many questions about the pressing direction on my 4 patch blocks, I thought I would show my work. (ha!) The beauty of this quilt is that there is an alternate block that is not pieced, so pressing direction really doesn't matter. Woohoo! Right now I'm pressing to the dark fabric for step one and the center seam gets pressed to one side. Honestly, if the pressing would have been fussy, I probably wouldn't have attempted this quilt in the first place.

I also had a lot of questions about the background color. I'm not sure yet, but I do love the suggestion of the same color as my aqua desk. My one hesitation is that I have a LOT of aqua scraps, so they would fade to the background. Hmmmm. Thankfully, I have a lot of time before I need to make a final decision.

I'm happy to report that I'm making great progress, though. I have over 100 blocks done already! I decided that I'm going to bag them up in groups of 100 as I finish them. That will save me tons of time counting and re-counting. It will also help keep me motivated, I think.

Over the weekend we had lots of pretty SNOW and I had plenty of time to SEW! It was lovely! I started my last batch of log cabin blocks. When I say my last batch, I'm trying to be optimistic that I'm farther along that I really am. I have 70 blocks complete, I started the final 62. I guess any progress is good! I'm QUITE anxious to see this one as a quilt top!!!! (Block measurements can be found here. Last progress photo of the quilt can be found here.) The nice thing about working on these two projects at once is that they both use 1 1/2" pieces. Perfect!

Happy Monday to you!

small projects

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I made my first pincushion of the year! It's about time, no? I had 5 of the 6 sections pieced for months and then it got set aside. Yesterday I finally pieced the final section and finished it up. I got hung up on fabric placement, (and then distracted by 100 other things!) which is why it took me so long to finish it. Seems silly now, because I love how it turned out! It's scrap project #198. (Pattern can be found in Plenty of Pincushions, Volume 2.)

This week I finished my 10th block for my Mark Twain quilt. It's pretty exciting to see the pile growing! I have a low-key goal to make 5 blocks a month, so I'm about a week ahead of schedule. (I'm rarely ahead of schedule on ANYTHING, so I'll celebrate that miniscule victory. Ha!) I have been enjoying hand stitching so much!

I decided that this project needed a brand new WIP bag. (Pattern can be found here.) This version is extra large...it measures about 18" x 20"! I was happy to discover that it was very easy to upsize the pattern. (I have a post about sewing with vinyl and shortening zippers here, that you might find helpful.)

It's really hard to convey the size of the bag, so I took a photo of it on my 18" x 24" cutting mat for scale. It's HUGE! I look forward to filling it up with finished blocks!

If you have the Work In Progress Bag pattern and would like to make an 18" x 20" bag, here are the measurements you will need:
Use a 16" zipper.
Cut 1 piece of vinyl 2 1/2" x 18"
Cut 1 piece of vinyl 17" x 18".
Cut 1 piece of vinyl 18" x 20".
Cut 2 pieces of fabric 2" x 18" for the zipper casings
Cut 2 (or 3?) strips of fabric 2 1/4" x WOF for the binding
Zipper with tabs should measure 17 3/4".
Assemble the bag according to the pattern directions.

Alright! I think that's it for me today! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great weekend!

finish it up Friday, 2-23-18

1.	Michelle's Romantic Tangle	54.	K Sorensen Olympic quilt spiral quilting
2.	Melissa @ Happy Quilting	55.	Kat & Cat Quilts
3.	La Vida en Patchwork - Top quilt One Sis	56.	Laura
4.	Batik Tablerunners	57.	alidiza
5.	Smiles from Kate	58.	kate @ katiemaequilts
6.	The Fleming's Nine	59.	Erica @ Kitchen Table Quilting
7.	Texas Braids Pink Doxies	60.	Kelly Grace
8.	KatyQuilts	61.	Frankie Baldwin
9.	Roseanne @ Home Sewn By Us	62.	Blue Strip Twist
10.	Island Batik Shamrock	63.	Kim @PersimonDreams
11.	Chris @ The Art of Making Blog	64.	Vasudha @ Storied Quilts
12.	The Wool Collection Cinderella Bag	65.	Finally finished - it took 13 years
13.	Blood Blue Moon	66.	Jeep Adventure Quilt @ RicefordStreams
14.	Project 70273	67.	tubakk - Norway
15.	Brooke@SillyMamaQuilts	68.	K Sorensen's Beauties from dye dogs
16.	Knit 1, Make 2	69.	Mary Marcotte
17.	Laminate Scrap Pouch Tutorial	70.	TAMMY L STACK
18.	Micah 6:8 - Becclyn Quilts	71.	beth@lovelaughquilt
19.	2 Tablet Pouches Complete with Tutorial	72.	maggie fellow
20.	JBigg's Scrap Pieces	73.	Julie Bagamary Art - Bed Quit
21.	Karen	74.	Julie Bagamary Art - Big Buttons
22.	Nanette	75.	Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts
23.	Dizzy Quilts: Rainbow Quilt	76.	Ruth @Stitching Impressions
24.	Kim @ Lily Patch Quilts	77.	Quilting Gail
25.	unbeehaved - Free Pattern Friday	78.	Suzy Webster
26.	something rosemade	79.	Anja @ Anja Quilts
27.	Serape Weave	80.	Travel Baby Quilt
28.	FPP NZ Wren And A Forgotten Badger	81.	K Sorensen Olympic Medals In Dyeing!
29.	Em's Scrapbag	82.	Cathy Tomm - Spirals
30.	Diamonds, Rubies and Garnets	83.	Diamond Dance Busy Hands Quilts
31.	Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict	84.	#DIYfebruary, part 1
32.	Leanne @ Devoted Quilter	85.	rebecca@oneweebird
33.	Bambi	86.	dreamworthy quilts
34.	Handwrought Quilts	87.	Ann @ Fret Not Yourself
35.	Quilting is more fun than Housework	88.	Hubblebird's Quilt Blog
36.	Gretchen's Little Corner	89.	Friday Finish
37.	Spools Quilt	90.	Luna Lovequilts
38.	K Sorensen gorgeous original fabric	91.	steffishobbys
39.	Jen @ Branch & Vine Handmade	92.	My Sew-Called Quilts
40.	Gretchen @ Snug Harbor Quilts	93.	Adaliza
41.	Shannon Fraser	94.	Terri Faust Quilts
42.	viridian61	95.	Little Vest Finish @ LoGoQuilts
43.	charlotte@GrammieQ's	96.	K Sorensen It's all black and white!
44.	DonnaleeQ	97.	Treadlestitches Kid Stuff
45.	Sandy O	98.	Color Creating and Quilting
46.	Chrisknits	99.	Dawn Tornes
47.	Debora @ Studio Dragonfly	100.	Stacey @SLOstudio - joy quilt
48.	K Sorensen Quilt turned into pillow	101.	Jannette Binder
49.	Marti DIY	102.	Yellow by Design @Creatin' in the Sticks
50.	Medallion quilt - the lilac cat	103.	Kathy @ AlliKat Quilts Dear Jane
51.	Wendy's Quilts and More	104.	K Sorensen Ice Tapestry & Quilt show
52.	Joy - Fabric Baskets	105.	2 Friends, 2 Quilts
53.	Nina's Winter-Circles

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

lost in the crowd--the beginning

Last November I had the opportunity to speak to the St. Cloud Heritage Quilters. A woman named Jean Gilbertson brought this amazing quilt for show and tell that literally made my jaw drop...in the best way possible, of course!

If I recall correctly, this is at least a queen size quilt. It was truly stunning.

Each of the 4 patches finish around 2", so each individual square finishes at about an inch, I believe.

I was foolish and asked the only question that came to mind, which was: "how long did it take you to make that?" (I should know better. Hahahaha!) No surprise that her response was: "a long time". After seeing this EPIC quilt, I knew I had to make something inspired by it....someday. After a mandatory three month waiting period, I STILL want to make it, so....

...I pulled out some scraps and started sewing! I had a small bin of 1 1/2" squares that I had previously cut, so I was able to sit down and sew.....no prep needed. How fantastic!!! Of course I've already blown through my supply of pre-cut squares, but that means I'm making good progress! I made it a point to not overthink the fabric selection. I know that some day in the future I will look at some of these blocks and think, "what was I thinking", and other days I will think, "hey, those aren't bad at all". I waver back and forth, depending on the day, or my mood, I suppose. (Does that happen to anyone else???)

The pieces are small, but not unmanageable. That's a good combo! (Quarter in the photo for scale.)

There are a lot of things to love about this project:

-There is only one seam in the center to match up.
-Playing with fabric combinations within each block is a delight.
-They are small, so you can get away with finger pressing the seams during the block construction. (I  do press them with an iron once a bunch of blocks are finished.)
-They are addictive. As I was sewing, I found that I kept telling myself, 'just one more'.
-They are QUICK to make.
-It's easy to check the block for accuracy with a 2 1/2" square.

Did I mention that it's FUN sewing up scraps??? I'm having a blast!

A friend asked me, "how many blocks do you need to make?" I think this is one case where it's better to NOT do the math quite yet. Why take all the fun out of it so soon? Hahaha!

 

I decided to name my quilt "Lost in the Crowd", for a few reasons. One, because it would be really easy to camouflage ugly scraps and get away with it. Two, if you wanted to point out a favorite fabric to someone, good luck finding it!

 

Rarely do I have a name for a quilt this early in the game, so that's pretty exciting! I think I'm going to go sew just a few more blocks now. :)

 

 

Abby's sunset quilt-complete

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

Abby's sunset quilt is complete! I LOVE the simplicity of this quilt. It's made of just plain squares and just solid fabrics, but it's anything but boring. Hurray!

This is a variation of my Hot and Cold quilt. (The original pattern can be found in my book No Scrap Left Behind.) I loved playing with the contrast of warm and cool colors again, but this time I wanted to let the colors mingle a bit more than the original, yet still be separate. (I talked about the construction of the quilt top in this post, if you care to read more about it.) I can only guess how many different colors are represented in this quilt top. (It's a LOT!) As with any scrap quilt, the more the better!

For the backing I used some of my good neighbor's yardage in this lovely lime green. I love how it looks like a field of flowers. A row of patchwork squares breaks up the repeat, so no fancy piecing is needed to match up the print exactly. (I did think about trying, but then I came to my senses. Phew!)

I quilted it on my Janome Horizon with a walking foot. Normally when I machine quilt, I use the same colored thread in the top and the bobbin. Why invite unnecessary trouble? Well, this time I decided to use two different colors of thread: green in the bobbin and silvery gray in the top. It's not perfect, but it's not an eye sore, either. In the end, I'm glad that I made that choice. The straight line quilting, however.....it's. not. easy. In fact, when I started quilting this on Saturday, I got soooooooo spun up and frustrated at how poorly I was quilting it. Thankfully I had enough good sense to walk away and take a break. (I normally don't!) The next day I assessed the situation again. When I showed my husband where I was going to pick out some stitches, he scolded me....and he even used my middle name!!! I guess I was being a little bit unreasonable. (what??!?!) Let me tell you, I have a perfectionist streak that runs DEEP and I got to stare it right in the face. (It wasn't pretty....sigh.) Anyway, I carried on and finished the quilting. It's definitely not perfect. I did go back and pick out some slightly crooked lines...and then I tried to let go of the rest. Again, not. easy. I know that some people say that if you can't see it from a galloping horse 10 feet away, then it's good enough. (That one always drives me crazy!) I certainly don't agree. Somewhere in the middle there has to be a happy medium, right?

I used two different colors of Kona cotton for the binding: cerise and dark violet. I used cerise for the top section, in the warm area, and the dark violet in the cool area. I was pleased that I could come up with a decent solution from the stash. I did all the hand binding in a marathon session...less than 4 hours. (I love to savor the binding process, but yesterday it was a race against the clock, and the sunset!)

When my daughter and I were taking photos it was CRAZY windy. Here are some of the outtakes...just for fun.

 

I LOVE how the front and the back look together!!!

At the end of the photoshoot, my daughter was holding the quilt and I thought it would be fun to add a quick snapshot of her, since the quilt IS named after her and all. I love this photo so much! She posed like that all on her own. :) I also love the fish house in the background and the little bit of sunset, too. It sure sums up a Minnesota winter!

The quilt measures 62" x 74" and it's scrap project #197. This is also my first completed quilt for my "salute to solids" challenge. (You can read more about that here.) It feels good to have one done!

 

Here's a few sunsets from the past few months, taken right outside my patio door. Of course a camera doesn't capture half of the awesomeness of the sunsets....but you have to try, right?

Alright! Now it's your turn! Please link up your finished projects for the week. Thank you, as always for reading, commenting and joining me for finish it up Friday! I sure appreciate it! Have a great and safe weekend. xo

finish it up Friday, 2-16-18

1.	kate @ katiemaequilts	59.	Wendy's Quilts and More
2.	Bambi	60.	Quilting Gail
3.	Kat & Cat Quilts	61.	Smiles From Kate
4.	Luna Lovequilts - Noodlehead Tote bag	62.	cath@wombat quilts
5.	Mari @ The Academic Quilter	63.	Zee Quilt @ QuiltFabrication
6.	The Fleming's Nine	64.	Hunter's Star @ Riceford Streams
7.	Home Sweet Home	65.	Sally's Angelworks - Valentine's finish
8.	Chris @ The Art of Making Blog	66.	Woven Together quilt
9.	Sew Preeti Quilts - Captivated by Love	67.	Adaliza
10.	Michelle's Romantic Tangle	68.	Jolly Rogeena
11.	Colleen @ piecemakerquilts	69.	Mihaela
12.	Candygram Mini Quilt - Knit 1, Make 2	70.	Johnna @ Yellow Bird Stitches
13.	A Sweetheart of a Quilt: Pink Doxies	71.	Ann @ FretNotYourself
14.	LA vida en PAtchwork - Embroderie table	72.	rebecca@oneweebird
15.	Gail at the Cozy Quilter	73.	Laura
16.	The Mystery Salem Witches 3	74.	Jasmine @ Quilt Kisses 1
17.	My Imperfect Life	75.	Jasmine @ Quilt Kisses 2
18.	Em's Scrapbag	76.	Erin @ MakeItSew
19.	something rosemade	77.	Brenda@Scraps and Strings
20.	Pomada	78.	Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts
21.	Brooke@SillyMamaQuilts	79.	Outback Wife Folio - the lilac cat
22.	Rene'	80.	triangles & squares
23.	Alison @ LBQ - Four Square Mini Quilt	81.	Dizzy Quilts: Magnolia Mystery
24.	Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs	82.	Dizzy Quilts: Table Runner
25.	Sandy O	83.	Pack Rat With A Plan
26.	K Sorensen Olympic Gold Medal Quilt!	84.	K Sorensen heart quilts
27.	Karen	85.	Cathy Tomm Quilts
28.	Roseanne @ Home Sewn By Us	86.	Sandra@mmm! quilts
29.	Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts	87.	Suzy Webster
30.	L'arc en Ciel @ Savor Every Stitch	88.	Quilt labels done with a laser printer
31.	The Colorful Fabriholic	89.	Marla @ The Quilted Puzzle
32.	Gretchen's Little Corner	90.	Molli Sparkles
33.	Frankie Baldwin	91.	Mini Bags @ Elm Street Quilts
34.	tubakk - Norway	92.	Kat@Rose Prairie Quilts
35.	Erica @ Kitchen Table Quilting	93.	dreamworthy quilts
36.	Tanya Quilts in CO	94.	The Joyful Quilter
37.	KatyQuilts	95.	Miss Alissa--Camper's Quilt Take Two
38.	Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict	96.	Anja @ Anja Quilts
39.	viridian61	97.	Anja Clyke
40.	Veronica Norris	98.	GeminiJen NZ art quilt
41.	Pincushion Tutorial With Free Pattern	99.	Mary @ Fleur de Lis Quilts
42.	9658textiles : Grannies Around the World	100.	Pamela
43.	DonnaleeQ	101.	steffishobbys
44.	Hunter's Star Quilt	102.	JuliaBagamaryArt - Inner Thresholds
45.	Carla @ Creatin' in the Sticks	103.	Amanda @ fabric engineer
46.	Q-Bits - Pathways	104.	Janice@singreadsew
47.	New WIP bags & sewing organizers	105.	Emily- Tennessee Waltz
48.	Gretchen @ Snug Harbor Quilts	106.	Jess @ Quilty Habit
49.	charlotte@GrammieQ's	107.	Laney at Sugarplum Patchwork
50.	unbeehaved-Free Pattern Friday	108.	Maria Shell
51.	K Sorensen Olympic quilt 2	109.	Tammy travelinsewl
52.	Debora @ Studio Dragonfly	110.	Dawn
53.	Quilting is more fun than Housework	111.	Walkers Road Quilts
54.	maggie fellow	112.	Charm About You - reverse applique
55.	Chezvies Fishy Trifold Wallet	113.	Quilts in the 'hood
56.	Ruth @Stitching Impressions	114.	Triple Play
57.	Bee @ Buzzing Around	115.	Color, Creating and Quilting
58.	Lizzie Lenard

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

WIP Wednesday

a very purple quilt-completed

Welcome to finish it up Friday! I'm thrilled that the very purple quilt is complete!

As you may have read, I started this quilt on Monday. I put the last stitches in the binding, added a hand-written label and washed & dried it on Thursday afternoon. I plan to pop in into the mail later today! Time was of the essence, as this is a comfort quilt for a friend's sister, who is currently undergoing cancer treatments. A lot of stitches and prayers went into this quilt.

Once again, I'm amazed at what a little (or a lot) of focus can do! Don't worry....I still fed my family, did laundry, walked my dogs, tended a sick child and kept things going around the house. Oh, and I slept, too. :)

All of the fabric (except the backing) came from my stash. That felt amazing and I was happy to actually USE it, you know?

The backing is a chambray/cross weave fabric by Andover. I found it on clearance at my local quilt shop. (Hurray!) It's super soft and very calm compared to the front. Hahaha! In order to keep the back interesting, I added a strip of patchwork. I'm so glad I did! It was nice to use up some scraps on the back. If I were to use this quilt, I would use the back side up! It's certainly not the first time I've liked the back of the quilt better than the front.

For the binding I used a purple colored fabric that reminds me of grape jelly, but it is actually a Kona called Hibiscus. :) I like the way it frames the quilt.

A few weeks ago, I purchased some labels from the Dutch Label Company. I can't tell you how official I feel now! I really like them. I put off ordering labels for YEARS because I didn't want to make a decision. Now I'm wondering why on earth I waited so long. Silly, but true!

I sewed the label to the back (strategically placed) and then I quilted it. I figured that it would be better to have a little bit of quilting over the label, rather than to have the label sewn through all the layers of the quilt and have an awkward rectangle of straight stitching showing on the front. (I hope that makes sense...it's hard to explain.) I also added a hand written label with the recipient's name, my name, the date and a get well sentiment on it. Label overkill? I hope not!

I free motion quilted it on my Juki with a simple stipple using a light lavender thread. (50 weight Aurifil color 2560)

I didn't keep an exact tally of the hours that I worked on this quilt, but I estimated it was around 18 hours. (That doesn't include the time it took for shopping for the backing.) I think that's pretty reasonable, especially since that time includes hand binding.

It measures approximately 63" x 72".

While I'm still not a huge fan of the color purple, I enjoyed making this quilt and I think that it came together pretty well. I'm praying it brings a lot of warmth, comfort and love.

Now, it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday. Have a wonderful weekend. xo

finish it up Friday, 2-9-18

1.	Bambi	60.	Quilting Gail
2.	Freefall maple leaves	61.	Miss Alissa--Open Heart Quilt
3.	Shine Quilt	62.	Angie in SoCal
4.	The Colorful Fabriholic	63.	Fabric Postcard tutorial
5.	Need New Name Hurricane Star PinkDoxies	64.	Cindy-liveacolorfullife
6.	Luna Lovequilts : a finished top	65.	Braided Tshirt Rug by tess at motenema
7.	Roseanne @ Home Sewn By Us	66.	RaspberryMaria
8.	Mari @ The Academic Quilter	67.	Charm About You - Lever Arch file cover
9.	K Sorensen Surprise quilt	68.	Carla @ Creatin' in the Sticks
10.	Michelle's Romantic Tangle	69.	Needle & Foot Quilting for Kids
11.	Dresde flower	70.	Valentine's hearts quilt
12.	La vida en patchwork - Block 9 seaside	71.	Color Inspiration Tuesday Collection 5
13.	A Pink Cloud ☁️ ...	72.	Lizzie Lenard
14.	KatyQuilts	73.	thatfabricreeling.com
15.	something rosemade	74.	Sally's Angelworks
16.	Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs	75.	Very Scrappy Heart Pillow
17.	PiecemakerQuilts	76.	Jamaica!
18.	Fit For A King 👑 ...	77.	9658 Textiles The Geese are gone!
19.	Alison @ LBQ - Gathering Quilt	78.	Treadlestitches Just the Scraps Ma'am
20.	Chrisknits	79.	Pack Rat With A Plan
21.	Scrappy Irish Chain	80.	Suzy Webster
22.	unbeehaved - Free Pattern Friday	81.	HappyFlowerQAL - ArabesqueScissors
23.	Chris @ The Art of Making Blog	82.	Marla @The Quilted Puzzle
24.	Kate @ Katie Mae Quilts	83.	Karen @runsewfun
25.	maggie fellow	84.	carol
26.	viridian61	85.	Squiggles: Off-Road Adventure Quilt
27.	Handwrought Quilts	86.	Crafty Ashley B
28.	Karen	87.	JanineMarie:DrEAMi Doll Quilts
29.	Shannon @ The Fleming's Nine	88.	Terri Faust Quilts
30.	JBigg's Scrap Pieces	89.	Anja @ Anja Quilts
31.	Sandra@mmm! quilts	90.	Deana
32.	Reversible Drawstring Bag Tutorial	91.	Małgorzata
33.	Erica @ Kitchen Table Quilting	92.	Mihaela
34.	K Sorensen...on creativity	93.	steffishobbys
35.	Joy - Free Block of the Month	94.	Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts
36.	Brooke@SillyMamaQuilts	95.	Twinchie Art Class
37.	Smiles from Kate	96.	Barb Mountain Quiltworks
38.	Bricks & Stepping Stones	97.	Angela@betterndogbiscuits stripe
39.	sylvia	98.	Kathy @ AlliKat Quilts Wedding Rings
40.	Diann@Little Penguin Quilts	99.	DonnaleeQ
41.	Double Up Giveaway | Finished or Not	100.	WayMooreFunQuilts
42.	Rainbow Pandas :)	101.	Zenia Rene @ A Quilted Passion
43.	elaine from Emily's Cupboard	102.	tammy
44.	Better looking string quilt, Part 2	103.	K Sorensen Quilter Doll
45.	Ruth @ Stitching Impressions	104.	K Sorensen's Olympic quilts
46.	Free quilt pattern: Colors of Spring	105.	Teresa
47.	Black and Gold quilt	106.	Bee @ Buzzing Around
48.	Tanya Quilts in CO	107.	Gretchen @ Snug Harbor Quilts
49.	Sapphire's Stitching Stanza	108.	Alison@thechainpiecer
50.	Love Match @ QuiltFabrication	109.	Patricia@ Faith, Trust & Cancer
51.	Quilting is more fun than Housework	110.	Mary @ Fleur de Lis Quilts
52.	Sandy O	111.	Maria Shell
53.	Yanicka Hachez	112.	Twinkle Star Top
54.	Improv Curvy Stripes Project	113.	chezvies
55.	Heidi @ ButtonsandButterflies	114.	Janice@singreadsew
56.	beth@lovelaughquilt	115.	Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl
57.	Frankie Baldwin	116.	tubakk - Norway
58.	Wendy’s Quilts and More	117.	Neat Stem Making Doohickey
59.	Brave and Bold Quilt - the lilac cat

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

a very purple quilt top

Last week I had the random thought, "I can see making a purple quilt someday." I don't know about you, but that thought sure surprised me! I have never had a thought like that before! I'm not a fan of purple...it's definitely one of the hardest colors for me to work with. About 2-3 days later I got a phone call from a friend, who's sister is battling cancer. My friend asked me if I would I be willing to make a purple comfort quilt for her sister to use during the chemo treatments. (Coincidence? I think NOT!)

So, I pulled a bunch of purple (and violet) from my stash....

...and I pulled some purple scraps to round things out and got to work! There is no time to waste.

Here's my block layout....

...and the completed quilt top. The blocks are 9" finished. The quilt top measures 63" x 72" or so. I started cutting the fabric about 10:30am and I had the top pieced around 6pm. I purposely kept the pattern simple and the pieces fairly large so I can get it completed and to the recipient as soon as possible. I'm pleased with how it's coming along.

It's been awhile since I have had this much time to sew and I have to say, it's fun to make an entire quilt top in a day! (Even if it is purple. Hahaha!) Honestly, I'm just happy that I can help in some small way, you know?

finish it up Friday, 2-2-18

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This week I finished my business taxes, which is probably the happiest finish of the whole entire year!!!! (Can I hear a "you betcha"?) That means that I've had very little time for sewing, which really stinks, but it's got to get better soon. (That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.) I worked on my log cabin blocks for a little bit last Saturday and I have 70/132 blocks complete, which feels AMAZING! I'm going to try to push through and get them all made instead of putting this project back in hibernation. We shall see...  (Measurements for the log cabin blocks can be found here.)

Yesterday morning I finished up this cheery dishtowel (tutorial here) in a few minutes. I had the patchwork strip mostly finished....I just had to add one more block to the strip and then assemble it. (More "cleaning up the slow way"!) Making one dishtowel at a time sure beats making 14 at a time, like I did here. For this version, I used 2" x 2 1/2" rectangles and then I pressed the patchwork down 1/2", so the patchwork is smaller (and cuter). You can use any size pieces you'd like, which is part of the fun! This is scrap project #196.

That's it for me this week! Please link up your finishes. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great weekend!

finish it up Friday, 2-2-18

1.	Stamp Collecting Quilt	65.	Joy - Harvest Spice Quilt
2.	Sandy O	66.	Quilting Gail
3.	Tanya Quilts in CO	67.	Cases for charity
4.	Mari @ The Academic Quilter	68.	Ruth @Stitching Impresisons
5.	Bambi	69.	Squares of Liberty
6.	Kat & Cat Quilts	70.	Triangle Quilt | Finished or Not Linky
7.	Alison @ LBQ - Placemat Tutorial	71.	The Inside Stori
8.	KatyQuilts	72.	Wendy’s Quilts and More
9.	Chris @ The Art of Making Blog	73.	Miss Alissa
10.	Chris	74.	Heidi @ Buttons and Butterflies
11.	unbeehaved - Free Pattern Friday	75.	Blue bear block pattern
12.	Luna Lovequilts - Improv' curves Top	76.	Regatta Quilt Progress
13.	Judy @ Busy Hands Are Happy Hands	77.	Sherrill
14.	Roseanne @ Home Sewn By Us	78.	lindasquiltmania-Digital Deer
15.	La Vida en Patchwork - cuaderno bordado	79.	Vera @negligentstyle
16.	Snood with sultano yarn	80.	rice bag tutorial
17.	jann @ making scraps	81.	Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs
18.	Adaliza	82.	Sue @ quilting the green star
19.	Inside Looking Out @ Savor Every Stitch	83.	DIY Quilted Jacket
20.	Southwest Beauty	84.	K Sorensen more pictures- blog journey
21.	Sylvia	85.	Johnna @ Yellow Bird Stitches
22.	Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty	86.	Kris@Sewsunshine
23.	Double Take	87.	Kimberly @PersimonDreams
24.	Lizzie Lenard Vintage Sewing	88.	Marla @ The Quilted Puzzle
25.	The Fleming's Nine - Double Up Pattern	89.	Suzy Webster
26.	Spool Quilt	90.	Patricia @Faith, Trust @ Breast Cancer
27.	Pink Doxies Flower Mandalas	91.	Yanicka
28.	Gumdrops - Rest in Peace	92.	PineappleMiniGiveaway!-ArabesqueScissors
29.	The Colorful Fabriholic	93.	PamelaQuilts
30.	DonnaleeQ	94.	Winter place mats @ Huntspatch Quilts
31.	Karen	95.	K Sorensen quilt journey photos
32.	Savanna @ Sew Preeti Quilts	96.	9658 Textiles: The Monster Mash is Done!
33.	Charm About You- houndstooth	97.	Laura
34.	Q-Bits Architectural Inspiration	98.	Luna Park quilt finish
35.	Simple Diamonds	99.	Jean in MN
36.	Tami @ Thrift Shop Commando	100.	Mary- Fleur de Lis Quilts: GSQA entries
37.	Carla @ Creatin' in the Sticks	101.	Anja @ Anja Quilts
38.	Dizzy Quilts: A Mini	102.	Shinersview
39.	Małgorzata/ Boho	103.	ribbon star @ pursuing joy
40.	In My Heart Baby Quilt	104.	steffishobbys
41.	Romantic Tangle - The Overlook Hotel	105.	elaine from Emily's Cupboard
42.	Lily Patch Quilts	106.	Back to making inchies...
43.	Lily Patch Quilts	107.	Take time to smell the roses...
44.	Vicki in MN	108.	JulieBagamaryArt-Challenge
45.	Sandra@mmm! quilts	109.	A Quilted Passion
46.	Brooke@SillyMamaQuilts	110.	Improv @ Elm Street Quilts
47.	Em's Scrapbag	111.	Kelly Cline Quilting
48.	Snowcatcher	112.	Churning Flower Baskets
49.	maggie fellow	113.	K Sorensen Starts with my dyed fabric
50.	Allison: Scrap Vortex inspiration	114.	charlotte@GrammieQ's
51.	Split Circles	115.	Cortney @ Knit 1, Make 2
52.	Transparency QAL @ Storied Quilts	116.	Pomada
53.	RaspberryMaria	117.	Frankie Baldwin
54.	K Sorensen Blog writing & photos	118.	Treadlestitches 2 x 3 equals 5
55.	Cath @ WombatQuilts	119.	tubakk - Norway
56.	Bernie @ Needle & Foot	120.	Maria Shell
57.	Veronica Norris	121.	Sew Me Something Good
58.	beth@lovelaughquilt	122.	Astrid at Museumscafe
59.	Bernie @ Needle & Foot - 2	123.	Janice@singreadsew
60.	Leanne @ Devoted Quilter	124.	Inch-Art: Babyquilt
61.	Gretchen's Little Corner	125.	Heide D
62.	Kate @ Katie Mae Quilts	126.	Nanette
63.	Quilting is more fun than Housework	127.	A new addition - the lilac cat
64.	viridian61

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