Finally it is quilted and bound!

 This queen-size is make entirely of scraps from my stash, except for the black sashing and borders. I had to purchase that, but had some backing that worked and batting. Feels good to get this one done. I tend to procrastinate on the larger quilts because they are physically not much fun to man-handle into place on the longarm. This one was easy to keep square. It is about 76 x 94, not too huge.

The pantograph is called Featheration by Golden Threads. It is perfect for a bed quilt, not too dense and so pretty. I'm glad to have this one done. It seemed to take me forever to just get at it! 

Btw, all is well with our health. We are so busy with to-do stuff that it cannot catch us! LOL.

 

Sample nearly done

This is my sample for the next pattern that will go on Etsy -- as soon as the pattern is written. There is more quilting to do in the V-shape at the bottom and the light was awful when taking this picture. Hopefully good daylight will show it off better. The fabrics look much nicer in real life.

The pattern will be fun for creative people as I've included various color schemes to spark unique ways to make this one. Besides that, it lends itself well to embelishments such as beads, lace, crazy patterned fabric and so on. I rather like this dark version, more of a Silent Night feel, but since it is not realistic but stylized, it can have sky fabric or an ombre for the sky or palm trees instead of no-name trees. Also, light in the windows, etc.

Just one color option of several

I made a few mistakes in the sample and will just point out one of them... Joseph is leaning backwards. This will be noted as a "watch out that you don't do it too" in the pattern.

Two projects and a Gift!

 I come down to my studio first thing every morning to have devotions. My latest nativity project is on the design wall and there is a small window on the opposite wall, high up. It rarely lets full sun in, but when I looked at the quilt, the sun was shining JUST on the manger. I gulped and grabbed my camera but by the time I got the picture, the sunshine made a rectangle on the quilt. Still it was as if the Lord was saying "Good Morning" to me.  Here is the picture.

 

Brown scrappy is on the longarm, finally. I watched a video that showed how to keep a quilt nice and square while using those plastic clips instead of pinning it to the leaders. It really helped. This top was square and I was afraid of making it wonky. So far so good.

The last picture is my birthday gift from my son. He picked the one with the most buds on it... so if they all bloom at once, there will be 20 or so. I took care of a neighbor's orchids once and that is all I know. Google is a great pal! I hope this one loves the place I put it and the care I give it because it is so dratted pretty! That son is getting more thoughtful day by day... another gift!

Projects on the go . . .

At this point, there is "Brown Scrappy" on the longarm (finally), a top finished and waiting while I find backing that works with it, a new nativity quilt that will be offered as a pattern on Etsy as soon as I finish the quilting, binding, and writing the instructions, a scavenger hunt that is crazy but fun and for a competition so I cannot show you yet, two bags of blocks from our guild that other quilters didn't want to put together, and a whole mess of yellow and accent prints/colored scraps on the design wall just begging for more. Here is a picture of 'so far' -- just tossed up there, about half of what is waiting to be sewn into chunks and in no particular order. Fun! It will make a twin and does anyone realize where all their scraps come from!!😮

I've also offered to make quilts for refugee families sponsored by four local churches. They will arrive about six months apart, and are usually a couple with 1-3 children in ages varying from little to adults. Their sponsors are finding out for me their color preferences and a bit of theme ideas (like one little boy does not like creepy crawlers, just the alphabet please). This is got my imagination in a whirl. So far, two queen-size -- one in solids, one red, and four smaller, a blue, a black, a yellow and an alphabet (I ordered a panel).

We are well. Semi-retired hubby is working some hours nearly every day. If I make cinnamon buns now and then, he is happy with "cook once, eat three times" or crock pot or take-out. I'm spoiled rotten. He even does the vacuuming now and then. 

Our family is okay. But we lost a friend and a second cousin to Covid. Two of our adult children had it, mild, recovered. It is cold here, like -20C in the morning. Kills the bugs but apparently not the virus. Hawaii sounds good but our government shut down flights to warm places. 😒

Hope to be back with more sooner, but life and that to-do list being what they are, no promises.