piecing

A "completed to flimsy"---woohoo! I finished up my Bama Belles challenge quilt top yesterday. Those of us who participated will have the show and tell on Tuesday at our Christmas party so I just got done in the nick of time. Pattern source: Anne Wiens of Sweetgrass Creative Designs available on Quiltwoman.com.

I finished off the day by prepping the backing and binding. I was able to use the same stuff that I backed my Daisy Chain with and still have a bit leftover to go in the 30's stash. The binding will be that same stripe but cut on the bias as I love stripes, checks and plaids that way when possible. The color is a bit off in the picture---it looks more turquoise here when it is actually more towards the aqua and greenish tone. I also elected to use a fussy cut challenge print square for the larger cornerstone but all in all, the pattern is easy enough and went together easily. Initially I was going to go with the baby sized top but I had enough fabric so went with the lap which finishes at 56 x 68. It covers the top of my full sized mattress very well! The baby one instructions were a little short for what we shoot for in Wrap 'em quilts. Having made the first one, I know it could be adjusted to finish more in the 60 long range.

Some of the FABS and I have decided to work on "something" Christmas this weekend. I had any number of things I could work on but I elected to pull out this Patience Corner that I had cut out and kitted up some time back. Norma has one that is probably about 3/4 done and I am hoping that she will join me and get her top done. I just barely have a start on mine, as you can see. That is just 4 of the 42 blocks I will need for a full sized bed quilt. Actually Norma was whipping up another of Anne Wiens' patterns for a Christmas gift first. I'm waiting for her to show me a picture of it. I know Pat has been sewing on Christmas things this week and Cher will be joining us in a bit.

I have made Patience Corners before as donation quilts. Judy Hopkins offers this as a pro bono quilt pattern done as a mystery. The Belles and I made a good many of them one year in all manner of sizes, colors, etc. It is fun to insert pieced blocks in the open spaces. Good scrappy and good planned too. Really it is like making a souped up 4 patch but you do need to watch what you are doing. If it doesn't look like a figure of 8 laying on its side, then you have done something wrong-- get out the ripper, LOL. I know one of my pals would not consistently pick up the pieces in the same order and would seam the wrong side of the block. She got plenty of practice taking it apart.

Well, back to "work" for me...............cool, damp and ugly day outside so can you think of anything better to be doing than something you love? GO Auburn!