Quilting (piecing) progress

I have not been in the studio for a week. i had a Christmas party to attend and then was out of town for a couple days. then Thursday it snowed and i decided to just stay home for a bit and save the propane usage at the studio. it takes FOREVER to heat those tall-ceilinged rooms.

I dug out a couple projects in boxes to take to the house and work on. i got quite a bit accomplished in 3 days.

This 9 patch had most of the blocks finished. all the pieces were cut...i just had to piece about a dozen 9 patch blocks. then used some green scraps for a border and found a striped border to add also. it's not the most beautiful top but it got more stash out of the studio. it will be a donation quilt when it is quilted. i used my AccuQuilt machine to cut the blocks using scraps.

This top already had the columns all finished. it just needed trimming and adding the sashings and border. it was pieced with 30s fabrics. not my usual thing....but i like it.  it is called Cobblestones (or Garden Path) from the book Open a Can of Worms by Debbie Caffrey. her book shows quilts made from 2.5" strips. lots of cool stuff in that book. i recommend it.

My sister bought a huge stack of cross stitch books at a book sale. i was looking through some of them and found an Amish picture that i liked. actually there were 3 pictures...in 3 separate magazines. thankfully, she had managed to get all the parts so i abscounded with them so i could stitch them. i started the first one on december 17. my plan is to stitch from 9pm until i go to sleep...usually 1 or 2 am.  one night i stayed up till 2:45.  this really is addictive. i started with the picture of Hanging the Quilts.

and this is how much i have finished by December 25. it is slow going. i notice i sort of cut off the top of the picture ... i also have stitched that top border row. and i only has to un-stitch 3 times and only a few stitches. i am really, really trying to keep this correct.

I shall try and remember to show you how much i have advanced every month or so. if i forget...feel free to remind me.

And i don't think i have shown you the blue selvage quilt top. it is all pieced and ready for quilting. that one took a while since i would work on it for a while and then stop and do something else. but it is finally ready for quilting. i think the next selvage top will be with green selvages. i got an inspiration the other day while i was piecing something else and drew out the picture of what i wanted to do. i shall try a block and see if it works and then will be on another selvage journey.

Now that i think about it...i don't think i have actually started any new tops this year. i have been pretty religious about getting rid of UFOs and working with the selvages. it is all good.

Busted stash this year is pretty close to 500 yards. if i can do that again in 2011 i might actually be in control of this studio. i am joining Judy Laquidera in 2011 for her UFO Challenge  ( http://www.patchworktimes.com/ ) ...which will get 12 more quilts out of the studio. cross your fingers for me that it all works out. come join us if you have a mind to. we'll cover the world in quilts together in 2011.