2017 Finish-A-Long: 2nd Quarter Results

Do these quarters seem to be going faster and faster?  I did manage to squeal out two finishes this quarter ~ mostly due to travel and other projects that got in the way that weren't on my list (also known as baby quilts for the twins our daughter is expecting!)

1 - Facets from the book Machine Quilting With Style by Christa Watson.  FINISHED!  Blogged here.

Next up ~ I'm still working with the Seasonal Silhouettes pattern book by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts and I've decided that each block is going to be its own mini-quilt so that I have something to hang each month.  Here's my basket of fabrics.  (BTW, this is the Oslo Craft Bag ~ a free pattern by Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness)

2 - Seasonal Silhouettes - May.  I have all the pieces fused, but it's been on the back burner since we got home from out west.

3 - Seasonal Silhouettes - June.  I have most of the pieces fused, but it's also on the back burner for a while.

4 - Sloan Travel Bag - This is a belated birthday present for my daughter (I haven't given it to her yet, so here's just a preview).  FINISHED!  Blogged here.

So two out of four this quarter ~ I like to think of it as my glass half full.  :)

2017 Finish-A-Long: 2nd Finish for Quarter 2 (shhh - it's a secret!)

Is there anything in the rules that says I have to show a full picture of something on my list that I haven't gifted yet?  I told my daughter Kelli I was going to make her a Sloan Travel Bag for her birthday which was January 2nd!  (Sorry, Kel ~ I've been buried in quilt-making).  I added it to my 2nd Quarter FAL list, thinking that would give me the push I needed to finish it.  

Well, it's finished, but I'm bringing it up to Michigan in July and I don't want her to see it until I give it to her.    So here is a picture of the pattern:

and here is a sneak peek of Kelli's bag:

Fingers crossed that it's good enough for the Finish-A-Long.  :)

p.s. I absolutely love this pattern by Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness ~ I made one for myself last year and it's Awesome!

Update:  OK ~ the bag has been gifted and is anxiously awaiting the trip to the hospital for the birth of Kelli and Mike's twins!  So here are a few more photos.

2017 Finish-A-Long: Finally ~ a Facets Finish!

I've been doing much more sewing than blogging this quarter ~ and that's a good thing, right?

Happy to say that I finished the Facets quilt for my grandson Mitchell.  I love this pattern, but struggled with the making of the improv fabric for the diamonds.  Despite that, I actually love this quilt!

The fabrics were chosen by my daughter ~ most of the fabrics from the Pink Castle Fabrics in Ann Arbor, MI.  The background is Sew Hope Full Letters and Numbers by Whistler Studios for Windham Fabrics.  The red was a Linea Tonal by Henley Studio for Makower UK.  

This was the beginning of my improv fabric:

 and here are my first blocks ready to be sewn together:

The back really shows off some of the fabrics I used for the improv.

I did simple walking-foot quilting on this one, just echoing the zigzag sashing lines and then doing a big diamond in each of the improv diamonds.  

And here's the finish!

So this is my one (and probably only) finish for this 2nd Quarter of the 2017 FAL.  (In my defense, I did make two baby quilts that didn't get put on the FAL list, so I really haven't been slackin'!)  

A big Thank You to Christ Watson for this great pattern!!