What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 I've completed a few more blocks for my Swoon quilt.  This is block #6.

Choosing the fabrics to use for each block is really a lot of fun.

I've been feeling really good about getting long awaiting projects crossed off my To Do list. This is the newest UFO to receive my attention.

Way back in 2014 I hosted the Primary Bee. My kids wanted to participate in some sewing and I thought this would be a great way for them to connect with other kids who were sewing too. We had 12 kids, including my 2, participating.

Jammer's month was towards the bottom of the list. He only received some of the Sawtooth Star blocks in Red, White and Blue that he requested.  These are ...

Block #5 for my Swoon quilt is done.

Don't these prints look great together?

 I finished another project on my To Do list so I got to make the next block for my Swoon quilt.

Four done, 8 more to go.  I'm thrilled with my progress so far.  This rewarding myself system is working well.  I just may continue to use it throughout the year to make sure I always make time for my own sewing projects.

I've completed another project on my To Do list (I can show it yet as it's a gift) so I was able to reward myself with making another block for my Swoon quilt. 

These are so fun to make.  Lucky for me I've also completed 2 other projects so I'll be working on 2 more Swoon blocks soon.

Once I put the final stitches in the binding on my Bella's Garden quilt, I got to reward myself by making another block for my Swoon quilt.

Aren't the colors so pretty?

I've got a long way to go on this project but I'm already getting a little excited.

 I've always wanted to make a Swoon quilt. I bought the pattern and the fabric many years ago.  And then it was another project that sat sitting on the shelf.

This past summer, there was another Swoon quilt along aka Swoonalong and I had hoped to join in, even if I wasn't able to keep up with the schedule.  Well it didn't happen at all, but the pattern and fabric stack was still on the corner of my cutting table....tempting me.

Recently I decided to start on this quilt, but only as a reward to myself ...

I'm sure you've heard the old saying "the shoemakers' kids have no shoes". That's what it's been like here, at least regarding our own bed.  While I've made plenty of snuggle quilts that reside on the couch and get used by all of us regularly, our own bed was neglected for far too long.

I'm a little embarrassed to show you the "before" picture but I'm so happy with the end result that I want you to see the huge difference my new quilt makes.

I had purchased this quilt from a store ...

I have a recent finish to share with you today - my Posh Pumpkins Placemats.

They started with these panels that I purchased way back in the summer of 2013.

I had also purchased these 1/2 yard pieces of coordinating prints. As usual, it all went into a project bag, onto my shelf, and there it sat waiting until now.

I did some simple borders around each of the centers, mixing them up so none of them were the same as another.

The piecing didn't take long to have them finished and ready for quilting.

Using one piece of ...

One of the things that has been very satisfying over the last year and a half has been the fact that I've been able to get a bunch of UFOs finished or previously un-started projects actually made and off my To Make list.  One of the items crossed off the UFO list was the pair table runners I pieced using a charm pack of Always and Forever by Deb Strain for Moda.

The last time I showed these here on the blog was February 2014, so a whopping 8 years ago.

They were both simple piecing but I still ...

 This is another recent finish and this one was for my younger sister Diane. 

Way back in Spring 2013, I signed up for my very first charm swap.  Little did I know the appeal of swapping charms at the time and I eventually ended up hosting a number of Kate Spain charm swaps in later years.  I had no plans for them at some point I added a Disappearing Nine Patch pattern printout to the baggie they were stored in and put them on my project shelf.

 Once upon a time, I saw a panel on a Facebook fabric selling group and new that instant that I had to buy it for my good friend Anne who is a huge Disney Villains fan.  Once the panel and the coordinating border and backing fabric arrive, I pieced it together and added it to the "to be quilted" pile and there it sat.  Forgotten about.  For way too long! 

One big thing the past year has brought front and center to my attention is to get my tail in high gear and get finished all these projects so that ...

I have 2 more finished and gifted quilts for my siblings to show you in a couple of upcoming posts but today I'm showing some work-in-process pics of the last one, which will be for my brother.  I've shared these on Instagram so if you follow me, you'll likely have already seen them.

It started with cutting 3 1/2" squares from 30 different fabrics that either were scraps leftover from other projects or fat quarters I had purchased over many years to round out the color palette for this quilt.  I'm using a range of ...

 When I bought the Villains panel and fabrics for my friend Anne, I also knew that I also needed to find something for my friend Sharon.  Her favorite character is Kermit the Frog but after an exhausting search online, I came up empty.  She's also a big Disney fan and I found out that Mickey is her favorite character. Mickey panels and prints were much easier to find.

This is her finished Mickey Mouse quilt.

Picking the right panto was tough.  I ...

 Since practically the beginning of my quilting journey I've had the plan to eventually make a quilt for each of my 4 siblings.  As with so many people this past year, I've thought long and hard about what I want to accomplish in my future and decided that these quilts needed to happen now, not in who knows how many years from now.

This first sibling quilt was for my oldest sister Tina, who also happens to be a quilter.  Long ago I started a quilt that I originally thought would be for her, but later decided it ...