Border or no?

This churndash top is from the UFO box I opened yesterday.

While the Masters was on yesterday I pressed my stash of Cherrywood fabrics to see if I could piece together a border...

One option is a brick border

or a piano key...

or a crazy pieced...

or of course...no border at all...

I think putting the top in the UFO box was my way of avoiding making this decision last time!

I do think I am going to quilt this with a combination of machine and hand quilting.  I'll machine quilt it in the ditch then use some perle cotton and do some big stitch quilting in the setting triangles and the centers of the churn dash.

Golf has taken over Augusta...making it difficult for me to think of much else this weekend!

The challenge for my guild's show this fall is "picture this"...a small quilt inspired by a photograph.  I keep looked at golf photos wondering if I could incorporate one...my husband would like that!

On the UFO front (which I really should be focusing on instead of a new project!)  I finished piecing 3 backings this week.  That is a lot of yardage out of the stash.  Most of it was from fabric I bought on sale with the purpose of using it for backing.  One was made up of a bit of everything...

I finished up the liberated squares.  I decided to make a table runner.  I have a back all ready and plan to quilt it this week.  I may have some real (as in quilted and bound) finishes for April!

A glutton for punishment I put another UFO on the board.  I think this was Bonnie Hunter's leader and ender project for last year.  I was all gun-ho for a month getting lot of baggies of bits cut out and then for some reason it was put away...well, you know what happens then!

I like how it has so many of my favorite repro fabrics in it.  When finished it will be a good reminder or record of my stash.

I did sort of break my rules this time.  The first box/basket I opened had three projects in it!  Two are finished tops and one still needs a pieced border.  The two tops are in the "need a backing" pile and the one that needs a border is back into the UFO stack.  I think I need to order some Cherrywood fabric before I can finish that one! (far right in the photo!)

Finally on the Dobby front...he is doing better.  Still recovering.  He at least lets me check his scrapes now.  They all seem to be healing well.  This morning he stole Watson's breakfast so another step closer to normal!

Rock and Checkers Quilts

Today is a rest day after the photo workshop on Friday and some "cleaning" in the sewing room Saturday.  Another UFO, checkers Quilt, is up on the design wall and will be my April finish.

I also got all the parts cut out for my guild's Mystery Quilt at the Masters Workshop later this month.

I bought the fabric at our LQS which was having a sale on Saturday that forced even my sore body out into public!

When I got home I was surprised to see the fabrics I chose were so close the photos I had taken at Heggies Rock!  Shows how much our environment influences our color choices!  Think I may call this my Heggies Rock Quilt!

Most amazing of all...the pieces are all cut, labeled, and neatly stowed away...I'm never this far ahead!

Back to my UFO...this is at least 5 years old!  Today I decided to do a variation on the setting triangles...I think I like it.  Brightens up the repros a bit.

I do love how some of these little 25 patch blocks look like tiny quilts (1-inch blocks)...great inspiration for future color combinations.

A top finished!

Who says making a list doesn't get you motivated?  Not me!

After thinking long and hard about the quilt show in November and my lack of any finished quilts to enter I made a plan.  And today I have my first result!

I took out the UFO box with my large 1904 applique project.

First I made sure I still had all the "parts."

 Amazing how bits and pieces can go on walk-about when left sitting in a corner of the closet!  This project just needed borders.  Mitered borders.  I think I put it away when got halfway through the pieced border and decided to go with a solid piece of fabric.  Since I was mitering I also took out my go-to book by Onion Mountain.

Helps me to stay organized...even it it is only math!

Also had to do lots of pressing and measuring before any cutting...and made sure to have lots of pins handy.

Then it was simply measure, cut, sew, press and then repeat for a couple hours...boy my shoulders are sore but I have a top ready to go to the long-armer!

So one down and three more to go this month...progress feels good!

oh no...the show!

Oh no...just realized that my guild's quilt show is five months away and I haven't finished one thing to enter!

I have lots of UFO's...so I need a plan!

First I have two that just need bindings...my Miss Muffet Spider web and an Autumn leaves.  So today I pulled fabrics to make the bindings (already have the gray cut for the spiderweb quilt...)

Next I need to select the two "blocks in boxes" that I can finish up in the next couple of weeks.  There is an unnerving number of options in the closet!

Then I want to finish a small quilt for our "How do you take your quilt?' challenge.

My goal is to enter at least 5 quilts.  I would like to finish three tops in June and get the binding on the two that are already quilted.  That should be doable!

The last few month I have been focused on making quilts for the local VA and have totally lost focus of the show.  The quilt above was the last of the patriotic blocks from a guild event last year.  This is on its way to be quilted for a vet...

Also been spending time in the garden...both with a trowel and the camera!

So by the end of today...a plan.  Three UFO's from the box pile and put the challenge back up on the design wall!  phew....

making the cut...

I am determined not to pile everything that came out of my sewing room back into the new room.  This means some difficult decisions need to be made...

The good news - my guild has committed to making 80 quilts for a veterans home in town.  That is a lot of quilts!

(scrappy trip around the world in batiks...I made 3 of these!)

So I went through the top pile (at least the top pile I could find!)

(a chinese coins...hope there is a vet that like music!)

I found a few that will work.

Of course if they have female vets there I will have a few more to add to this!

The new space is about 3 weeks out...yesterday they broke through the wall!  It looks much larger from the inside.

I'm going to measure it this week and really start my planning.  The "plans" changed so many times I didn't put anything down on paper...now that I have walls I feel more confident of the measurements!

Photo files...throwback to August...

One of the thing I like about the digital world is how easy it is to access old photos...like going back and seeing what you were working on in august of other years...like 2009

Like this quilt back in August of 2010!  won a third place ribbon at our 2011 show!

 remember the Bonnie Hunter "Floribunda" Jacobs Ladder summer?!

three years ago (a set of doll quilts to donate...finished 6 using orphan blocks and scraps)

two years ago (finished and using on the bed right now!)

 one year ago...

Which reminds me I still have to put that final border on this top...and where did I put it anyway?