2018 Finish-A-Long ~ #1 Finish: Chocolatier BOM

Chocolatier is finished ~ just in time for the Naples Quilters Guild Quilt Show!  Such a gorgeous pattern by AnneMarie Chaney ~ I'm so happy I could finish it in time so that lots of people can see it.

I did straight line quilting with the walking foot for the background.  For the blocks, I did some simple free motion quilting using theads to match the colors in the blocks.  It's the most FMQ I've ever done, but I'm happy with the result!

I love a scrappy binding.

The back looks like some crazy road map.

Quilt stats:
Size:  73" x 73" (approx.)
Pattern:   Chocolatier Block of the Month by AnneMarie Chany (GenX Quilters)
Fabrics:   Toscana fabrics by Deborah Edwards for Northcott (blocks)
               Odds and Ends Crackle by Patrick Lose for RJR Fabrics (background)
Backing:  Quilters Candy Basics Swirl Black by Connecting Threads
Batting:   Warm & White
Thread:   Aurifil 50 wt.

This is finish #1 for the First Quarter!

Linking up with Needle & Thread Thursday (NTT)

UPDATE (3/1/2018):  This quilt was blessed with an Honorable Mention ribbon at the Naples Quilters Guild Quilt Show last week!  Yay!

BOMs in the works

I now have two Block of the Month projects that I'm working on.  The Chocolatier BOM is in the finishing stages ~ I'm in the process of quilting this one!  It usually takes me a long time to decide how to quilt my projects, so I just got started on some walking foot quilting for the background.  At 73" x 73", it's not a monster, but it still takes a lot of shifting back and forth using the walking foot.  I'm calling it my workout for this week.  :)

I added another BOM to my list of project for this year ~ it's the Patchwork Barn Block of the Month by Edyta Sitar.  I've always wanted to make a blue and white/cream quilt and this one is just beautiful!  I had two of her layer cakes in my stash ~ Blue Barn and Silver Linings.  I know I'll need some more of her blue fabrics before I'm finished (what a shame, I'll have to go shopping!)  I have the first blocks cut out, so I'm anxious to get started!  I promised myself that I wouldn't wait 10 months to start this one like I did with Chocolatier.  :)

Linking up with BOMs Away!

2018 Finish-A-Long ~ First Quarter List

Here we go!  A new year of (hopefully) great finishes!!  I started this journey in 2013 and have loved every minute of it.  

1 - Chocolatier Block of the Month.   This is #1 on my list this quarter, because I'm hoping to put in in the Naples Quilters Guild Quilt Show this year (Feb. 23-24).  I have the top finished, so I just need to add batting and backing and get this thing quilted!

2 - C'est La Vie.  I used this pattern by Lella Boutique (from Fat Quarter Shop's November Sew Sampler Box) for a Christmas Mini.  I've been wanting to make this into a lap-size quilt ~ just like the pattern shows.  I'm going to use charm packs of Olive's Flower Garden (just because I LOVE these fabrics!).  

3 - Freshly Picked Table Runner.  I love Bonnie and Camille fabrics, so when I opened up my September 2017 Sew Sampler Box I decided that I HAVE to make this gorgeous table runner!  I finished the top and the back ~ just need to baste and quilt it.

4 - Eldon Quilt by Edyta Sitar.  I attended a workshop for this pattern almost 2 years ago, and it's on my list to work on after the Naples Quilt Show is finished.  I have some of the fabrics cut and two blocks done so far.

 

So 4 projects for this 1st quarter of 2018 ~ that's a good start!  I actually have more UFOs, but I always feel too overwhelmed if they're on this list staring at me.  :)

2017 Finish-A-Long: Fourth (and last!) Quarter Results

Well I didn't finish as much as I had planned for this quarter, and it's probably because of a BOM from January (which I started cutting out in October) and forgot to put it on my FAL list!  It's now a flimsy, so it's going to be a 2018 finish.

Here are my results for the end of this year:

1 - Seasonal Silhouettes - December.  Still working with the Seasonal Silhouettes pattern book by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts.  I love this month's pattern ~ haven't started it yet, but I have all the fabrics and I'm hoping to get it up by Christmas.  NO PROGRESS.

2 - Seasonal Silhouettes - January.  I have this one fused ~ hoping to finish it this quarter ~ it's one of my favorites!  NO PROGRESS.

3 - Christmas stockings for the twins.  Out of all the things on this list, these were really the most important.  FINISHED!  Blogged here.

4 - C'est La Vie.  I used this pattern by Lella Boutique (from Fat Quarter Shop's November Sew Sampler Box) for a Christmas Mini.  I've been wanting to make this into a lap-size quilt ~ just like the pattern shows, I'm going to use charm packs of Olive's Flower Garden (just because I LOVE these fabrics!).  NO PROGRESS.

5 - Freshly Picked Table Runner.  I love Bonnie and Camille fabrics, so when I opened up my September 2017 Sew Sampler Box I decided that I HAVE to make this gorgeous table runner!  I finished the top and the back ~ just need to baste and quilt it.

So I only finished one out of 5 this month, but that's OK because I still got a lot done on other things!  Looking forward to 2018!

Chocolatier BOM ~ it's a flimsie!

I know I got a late start on this one, but I was able to catch up and now all the blocks are finished and I have a real quilt top!   

I really love this pattern by AnneMarie Chany over at GenX Quilters and it came together faster than I thought it would.  

Now to decide on the backing and how to quilt it ~ but I think that will have to wait until after Christmas and a trip to Michigan for family time and some snuggles with these two!

WIP ~ Chocolatier BOM ~ Almost caught up!

Just a few pics of the progress I've made on the Chocolatier BOM.  I've finished months 6 through 10 since my last WIP post, just one more month's worth of blocks and I'll be caught up!  Here are some pics:

Month 6

Month 7

Month 8

Month 9

So here are the blocks for months 1-9:

and I've just finished the argyle blocks for month 10.

I really love the rich colors of these Toscana fabrics by Deborah Edwards for Northcott and I'm hoping that they'll shine against the background fabric I chose.  I started putting them up on my design wall ~ I think I'm going to need a bigger wall!

Linking up with BOMs Away!

2017 Finish-A-Long: First 4th Quarter Finish ~ Christmas Stockings

Done and Done!  I went in a totally different direction with the fabric for the twins' stockings ~ I came across this fabric called Snowmen and Pets by Susan Winget and thought it was perfect!  I just did a little diagonal grid quilting on the outside.  The linings were fabrics that I had in my stash (lucky me!)  

I cross-stitched the girls' names on 18-count Aida fabric and trimmed those with the red and green fabrics I used to line the stockings.  A little crochet trim and a snowflake on each finished them off and gave them that "little girl" touch.

The stockings are on their way to Michigan ~ can't wait to snuggle with these two when we go up at Christmas.  💕  It's SOOOOO hard being so far away from them.  I can't believe they're 2 months old already!

This makes my first finish for this quarter.