I Got a New Finish, Update on H2H and RSC

 I am so excited for my latest finish! In April I finished this quilt to the flimsy stage but then I wasn't sure about how to quilt it. I felt that it would be a good candidate for an all-over design. The only all-over design that I have previously attempted was a meander. I decided to try the lilypad design by Christina Cameli of @afewscraps. 

I practiced a bit on this piece of glass with a dry erase marker. Once I was pretty comfortable, I started on my quilt...not totally confident...but I went for it.

I was surprised about how easy it was and the overall effect of the design. 

(I quilt on my domestic machine)

I put the last stitches in the binding last night and put it through the washer and dryer before going to bed. This morning I took it out of the dryer. Here it is textured with all its crinkly goodness!

This pattern is Sparrows by @penandpaperpatterns. It is all machine pieced and free motion quilted. 

All of the solids fabrics are Kona cottons. The small accent triangles, the backing prints and binding are purchased coordinating prints. 

I really wanted the floral print for the backing but all that was left was just under 2 yards. So I found a geometric print that coordinated and pieced the back. 

My newest favorite finishes at 65" x 70"

Linking to Off the Wall Friday @Creations-Quilts, Art, Whatever, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or Not Fridays @Alycia Quilts, Link Party @Patchwork and Quilts, Wednesday Wait Loss @the inquiring quilter and Favorite Finish Monthly Link Up @Meadow Mist Designs

Tomorrow is check in for the Hand2Help Challenge @Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Right now, I have 2 quilts that I have ready for this challenge that I will send to Little Lambs Foundation for Kids.

This is my Squiggles quilt that I made as part of the RSC in 2022. You can read more about it here.

This quilt is Play Nice quilt and it was made as part of the Stash Buster Challenge in 2022. You can read about it here.
I'm super excited to be participating in this wonderful charity quilt drive hosted by Sarah from Confessions of a Fabric Addict. I hope to be able to add one more quilt to this group!

I will link to H2H check-in.

I also worked on my button blocks with the new May color-ORANGE

Here are my first 2 blocks.

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday @SoScrappy

I'm also excited to say I earned another badge from Wednesday Wait Loss for my mini quilts! 

A finish and RSC and Sparrows QAL

 This week I finished the quilting and binding on the second quilt from last year's Stash Buster Challenge. The original quilt was so big that I wasn't comfortable quilting it. I intended to send it out to charity as a flimsy but the postage was so much. I ended up taking it apart and making 2 quilts instead. The first (larger) quilt was gifted to friends. This quilt will be sent to charity as part of the Hands2Help 2023 campaign hosted by Sarah @Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  

I changed the layout to a 4 x 5 grid and quilted vertically in straight lines about 1" apart.

I used a piece from my stash for the backing and a coordinating piece for the binding. 

I'm calling this quilt Play Nice!

Linking to Finished or Not Friday @Alycia Quilts, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Linky Party @Patchwork & Quilts, and Wednesday Wait Loss @The Inquiring Quilter

I also finished 2 of the purple button blocks for this months RSC.

2 more purple buttons to stitch! Linking to ScrapHappy Saturday @SoScrappy.

My Sparrows top is all put together! I'm loving it. More to come soon!

Melodic Mystery finish, birds, and buttons

 I just realized that I never posted about my Melodic Mystery finished quilt, Jolly Holly Christmas, that I finished in February. Yikes, I'm just in time to not miss the parade over @MeadowMistDesigns!

Since I had a lot of Christmas fabrics, I choose to make this mystery in Christmas colors! I am happy with how it turned out! Bonus: It is ready for next Christmas without the usual last minute rush!

This is my 4th QAL @MeadowMistDesigns and I have enjoyed them all. Cheryl makes the QALs easy and at a great pace. Her designs are great and come together precisely.

It is all machine pieced and quilted by me using fabric from my stash. 

I FMQ poinsettias in the star blocks and holly leaves and berries elsewhere. 

This quilt finishes at 69" square.

I'm linking to the linking party here.

Even though it is April and the new color was announced as purple, I was out of town and unable to post my last green buttons. So here it is

That make 4 of each color!

I'm linking to ScrapHappySaturday @So Scrappy!

Now moving on to purple buttons!

I also joined the Sparrows QAL with @penandpaperpatterns on Instagram! I love Lindsey's designs and have several of her patterns. I bought the Sparrows pattern a while back and even most of the fabric but then it sat. When Lindsey announced the QAL, it was just what I needed to get it done! 

Aren't they cute!

Four different color combinations for the sparrows. All facing the same directions.

All sewn together in rows.

Now to make the same sparrows facing in the opposite direction. 

These little birds are so fun to sew! I'm trying to pace myself with the QAL. Going out of town for a few days helped! 

Another project I've been working on is a commissioned jacket by a music teacher and banjo player (she plays many instruments). She wanted a banjo quilt square quilted onto the back of her jean jacket. The colors were to be bright rainbow. She requested the chorus to a song stitched onto the back. The inspiration came from here. I didn't want to applique it so I needed to design it so it could be pieced.

A few attempts during the design process. (Notice the white out.)

Fabric selection-14 different colors

I pieced in sections (also a few attempts.) Then marked, cut and sewed the white sections.

Once assembled, I needed to determine the placement of the lyrics.

Here it is sewn on to the jacket.

I hope she likes it!