Done and what's up next

Color me happy---I am done with that round robin applique and it did not kill me. I can post this because the person who will receive it in the end is not online and is not likely to be reading my blog. I took the last stitch in the silk ribbon embroidered bees at 5 p.m. I see the little things did not show up terribly well in this picture. Looks like a little speck of dirt in this shot, LOL but trust me, they are there! The flight paths I made with two strands of embroidery floss show up better in person as well.

So it will give me great pleasure to cross this off my April goals. I revised the April, May and June goals a couple days ago--much of April had to be moved to May because this applique thing was so time consuming.

Next up? I will be completing a Christmas quilt top that our friend and fellow Bama Belles started for one of her sons. She passed away 2 plus years ago and left about a third of the top completed with some loose blocks included. I was asked to complete it as I have the book that some of the patterns came from. Betsy had already made one for her other son and I know on the second go round she had already decided to make some changes in the design. There is a folded flower block that we did as a group, a friendship star in log cabin that her secret pal made for her and she left the cookie letter off the cookie jar on round 2 as that about drove her around the bend the first time. Good plan!

I have re-drawn it in EQ to accomodate those changes. I should also say that I have one of these started for myself---another UFO on the list. Her son called about this not long ago so it is time to get his mom's top moved along. His dad can take it on to the machine quilter in Birmingham that did her long arm work for her once I'm done.

The patterns were one of those "buy two packets each month" format from Oxmoor House--one was pieced and the other appliqued. The original quilt was designed by Jeanne Kimball. Oxmoor House is based in Birmingham and some of the featured stitchers in the book are quilters that we know from the area. One owns Quiltmaker's Workshop, one is the the long armer I mentioned, another owns Heart to Heart Quilt Shop and designed that "Nine Patch Fun" pattern I referred to in my "Whatever" block post a few days ago as a matter of fact.

Anyway, where you see a gap it is meant to be an appliqued block place holder that I didn't want to try to draw but it should be a little like this with borders. It has been a while since I looked at my notes so some review will be in order before starting it up. I am setting a goal of May 10 to get this done.

I'm taking the rest of the night off!