BLock-A-Palooza finish & more

Last week I finished quilting and binding my Block-A-Palooza quilt.  Although skeptical at first, I like the way it turned out.  It feels good to have a finish!

I like the back almost as much as the front!

And a few binding pictures...love it!

The quilting is an all over stippling.  

I also finished the flimsy of this quilt but no pictures yet. I need to sandwich and quilt it.  

In between sewing on quilts, I have a need to work on other projects whether it is stitching, knitting, crochet...These projects are hand projects that I can take in the car or relax and watch TV.  One of my latest is T-shirt yarn as mentioned in a previous post.  Here is the finished bath mat that I knitted for my D1's apartment. 

T-shirt yarn is fun to make knits up fast. Try it!

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter! I'll leave with a few pictures...

P.S. Just linked up to Charming Girls' Quilt Club over at Kelly's.  Hop over to see what everyone's been up too!

Updates...

It has been some time since I have posted, so I thought I better give an update of what I have been up to.  

First, the mariner's compass is on hold for a short while.  The top is completed, batting ready, backing washed and ready to sandwich.  I am waiting for the INTERNATIONAL QUILT FESTIVAL in Rosemont, IL this coming weekend, April 15 - 18.  There I plan on purchasing the template my husband has picked out and some thread for the quilting.  I love this inspiring festival and have been eagerly waiting for the annual event. Typically, I spend the first part of my day admiring the beautiful quilts on display - from traditional to art quilts, postcards to large sized, machine or hand pieced and/or quilted.  Such talent from around the world! Then, I visit the many merchants vending a myriad of products useful for quilters and crafters.   Every notion you can think of, fabrics galore, patterns, machines, etc.  Of coarse there are speakers, classes and other hands-on opportunities.  If you are in the area, don't miss it!  This is one nice thing about living in Chicagoland! 

I also completed a table runner that I purchased almost 2 years ago on a Shop Hop.  I wanted to learn the technique of adding piping to my quilts so I purchased this kit.  It has been on my 'to-do' list since.  Now it is a finish!

I also have been knitting for a service project in honor of a young mother from my church who lost the fight against cancer about a month ago.  The Monday Night Knitting Group will be using her yarn (donated by her husband) to make chemo caps.  I have completed 2 hats.

The week just before Easter, we took delivery of our new appliances.

And Easter weekend was full of family time....

Our beautiful daughters!

My brother and sister-in-law with their grandson, Izaak.

A very happy baby!

Finally, head over to Jandi in Stitches for a give-away!  She is giving away a charmpack of Moda's Fruitcake.  Delicious! And get ready for this Friday Night Sew-in!  What will you be doing? Go here or here to join the fun! Look for my results on Saturday and pictures from the Fest!

April's Friday Night Sew-In

It's coming soon!  The  April Friday Night Sew-In is April 16th.  Mark your calendars and get ready to join the fun!  This month Heidi and Bobbi added a tote pattern for everyone to sew along.  It is really cute.  Go here to get more information!

A little update on progress.  The Mariner's Compass is on hold for a little while.  Needs to be sandwiched and then quilted.  Started a new little project. It's ready for quilting.  Pictures soon.  Also been working on some stitchery and a few more red and white blocks.

My daughters are home for Easter break.  We are enjoying time with them.  Hope everyone has a Happy Easter!
Thanks be to God!  He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!  1 Corinthians 15:57

Progress Update!

Today I spotted a little birdie in my backyard.  Take a look...

A friend of mine gave me a little crochet project.  I haven't crocheted since I was a young girl.  So I picked through the instructions, not quite getting it right.  I remembered seeing this cute little birdie on another blog, Attic24, with a tutorial so I thought I should give it a try and practice a little crochet.  Not bad with a very good tutorial. Try it here!

Mariner's Compass Update:

I finished putting the the last background pieces on the compasses and sewed all the blocks together to 'finish' the top. It now needs borders. My husband doesn't really know what he wants except a small black and white narrow border to represent the border you would see on a navigational chart. I think it needs another border that will tie all the colors together. Looks kinda plain on the cream background. Just say'n. What do you think?

Thought I would share a little project I did for Easter last year...You can find the project here.

Give away!  Go on over  to AbbeyLaneQuilts for a great give away.  One of the prizes is the cutest  Abbey bag.  If you don't know what that is go on over and check it out! 

Leaving tomorrow with my DH for a business trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  While he is working, I'm checking out several quilt shops in the area.  Love doing this....I'll let you know what I find!