February's finishes

Besides the retro fabric "Bindy" bag and the snowflake rail fence quilt, I finished a strippy teal tote and a Triple Barn Star quilt.  I am on a roll!

I got the kit (marked batting, instructions, handle webbing) from Sentimental Stitches online.  I had lots of teal fabric and hadn't made anything with it in a long time.  I still have lots after cutting 2.5" strips for the tote.  It is so nice to finish a project in a day or two!

This Triple Barn Star was designed by Amy Gibson, and I think I downloaded the .pdf from the Missouri Star Quilt Co.  It was actually very easy to make, and once I cut the pieces (which were big), it took about a day to put it all together.  My friend Marie quilted it in a swirly pattern with light blue thread.   My blue box is still full to the point of not being able to close it, but it did use up some scraps.  I love the speckled background fabric.  I used a navy blue striped fabric (part polyester I think) for the binding.  I'll get a better picture the next time I take it to quilt guild show and tell.

Today I'm planning to start cutting and maybe piecing the Wensleydale quilt, a Jen Kingwell design.  I'm making it in Christmas fabrics and hope to be done by then!  I found a way to cut the pieces on You Tube through the Quilted Chicken, but I also have foundation papers in case that pieced way is too difficult.  There are other sites that offer suggestions, too.  This looks like it will be a project I pick up and put down throughout the year,

As it's March, I will most likely start on a batch of Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks, too, although this month's official choice is red.  I have some log cabin blocks already made, so I will most likely just make two Traffic Jam blocks in red.  This is fine since our trip south beginning next week will cut into my sewing time anyway.
 

Finishing stuff!

Thursday I drove over to the quilt shop to pick up the black/orange throw Marie had quilted and to give her the blue and white snowflake rail fence throw to quilt.  I love the way the black/orange sampler turned out and will put a black binding on it soon.  I have one more top to take to Marie whenever the back arrives from Connecting Threads.  It's the blue and white speckled Triple Barn Star top that ended up being 72" x 72".  It's waiting in the closet for its back.

I got last year's block of the month Optimism top out of the closet and decided to make two borders for the sides so that it would end up about twin sized.  This was a pattern designed by Aby Dolinger whose BOMs I've followed for the last several years.  Her instructions are always spot on, and, being a sampler maven, I've enjoyed them.  

The question for me last week was whether or not to participate in Aby's 2026 BOM, and I guess not because I couldn't get up the energy to gather the fabric even though I have a very nice background all set aside.  I have too many other quilts I'd like to work on this year.  I'll use that background in one of them.

I made the two borders for Optimism and then pieced a back.  I bought another batt Thursday and started quilted that sampler myself.  Before I got to that, I made a couple of blue Traffic Jam blocks (a Pat Sloan pattern) using my box of 2" squares and cutting a few more blue squares.  This will be another monthly project for me this year.  I need to reduce my collection of blues and greens in particular.  I will most likely use a thin neutral to sash the blocks when I get sick of making them this year.

Besides finishing sandwiching, pin basting, and quilting today, I'll spend a little time with Louise Penny's latest mystery, The Black Wolf. "Everyone" else has finished it and I'm still about 1/3 of the way through.   Louise sure knows how to build suspense, though!   

I also have to write up the Friends of the Library meeting minutes and do a few other little things online.  The sun is shining but it's quite icy out, so I doubt if I'll get a chance to take a walk.   And then there are still a few Christmas decorations I need to take down...

Happy New Year!

I'm looking forward to a year with less conflict and stress.  If our national leader can't supply that, I will try to do as much as I can to bring peace to our home.  As a naturalized citizen (since age 3!), I am a bit worried about crossing the border into and out of Canada this summer, but that's far ahead.  I can think of worse places to be than Ontario!  My word for the year is "Explore," as we are planning quite a bit more travel than in 2025.

Yesterday I finished making blue log cabin blocks and put them away with the red blocks in an empty (yes!) project box until February rolls around.  I don't know if I'll stick to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge all year, but I'm starting out that way.

I moved on to work on the Triple Barn Star quilt in blues.  I have some speckly fabric for the background and then chose coordinating prints and solids.  I ended up cutting all the fabric I need, which is something I rarely do when starting a quilt.  My usual method is to cut as I go, but this appears to be a medallion starting in the middle.  The pattern is designed for layer cakes which I almost never buy, but I did use quite a bit of stash.  And I still can't close my blue tub!  I have plans for more blue quilts later in the year, though.

Today I'll do some housekeeping and get ready for our open house this afternoon.  I'm anxious to put the charcuterie board together, and I have lots of cookies to set out as well.  The ice for the punch is ready to go.  Hope you have a fun First Footing (a Scottish tradition bringing good luck) planned, too!