We're back! And an Aloha Quilt finish.

 It's been a couple of weeks since my last post because the family and I were on vacation.  We went on our first cruise.  It was so much fun.  Nice to get away with just each other and no devices. :)

 Since I was going to be away and unable to work on my projects, I decided I needed to be "productive" by having some of my quilts quilted while I was gone. A fabulous idea because this was waiting for me when I got back home.

Remember this quilt?

I really loved how it turned out, but I wasn't happy with the size.  Too big for my wall and too small to really snuggle under.  I wanted to make it bigger but wasn't sure how. 

I finally decided to add a border of flying geese with lots of the background fabric to keep it light and then another border of that gorgeous blue.  Perfection!

I'm so happy I decided to make it bigger.  My friend Cyndi quilted it all over with flowers.  Now it just needs the blue binding and it will be ready for snuggles.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Tracy

From Pinterest to Reality

If you are like me, your Pinterest boards are packed with ideas and "to do" lists. If only I could figure out a way to inject more time into each day!  But here is an actual Pinterest idea that made its way to reality...

 I love scrap quilts, and I especially love the way the white diamond in this quilt frames all of the chaos and gives your eyes a place to rest. 

It all started with this quilt I found through Pinterest.
Potluck

I fell in love with it immediately, AND it was named Potluck, AND I had 2 charm packs by the same name just sitting in my stash begging to be made into something lovely.  So, it had to be done.  Of course I had to add A LOT more fabric to make this quilt complete.  But, the charm packs were a great start.  Just look at all of the fun fabrics.... rulers, strawberries, cherries and chickens.  Squeal.

Since this was made with 5 inch squares it finished quite large, just the way I like it.  I measures approximately 85 x 95 inches right now.

Now I just have to figure out how to quilt it.  Hmmm....

Hand Quilting vs. Machine Quilting

I am a hand quilter and always have been.

 I enjoy the process, I love the final product and I feel like it makes my quilts seem "heirloom worthy".

 And, if I am being honest I don't like change.  This is how I started quilting and it is hard for me to let go.

You might be wondering why I am even writing this post if I am so content with the process and results of my hand quilting.

Well, here is why...

That is a stack of 17 unfinished quilt tops.  In that stack is a beautiful Swoon quilt, a Row Along by Lori Holt and my version of Tula Pink's City Sampler.  There is also a quilt top that I pieced about 15 years ago.  They are all just sitting, waiting to become a real quilt and to be used and loved.  The problem is that I can piece together those tops a lot faster than I can get them quilted.  And there are sooo many cute patterns, and sooo many beautiful fabrics that my list of quilts to make just keeps growing.

So, I took a leap.  That stack was 20 tall a couple of months ago.  I took one in to our local quilt shop whose owner has a long arm.  I handed over my lap-sized great granny and held my breath. 

And....I love that the quilting pattern is traditional.  I love that it was done in like a week - while I was still quilting another quilt.  And after its first wash, it wrinkled up just a beautifully as a hand quilted quilt.

I also sent 2 quilts to my friend Shirley who just bought her own long arm.  She does free motion, so I picked out a couple of quilts that I thought would be perfect with some cute little squiggles.

 Aren't these little squiggles and loops adorable?

 This top would have just lingered in that stack for a long time while I tried to figure out how I wanted to quilt it.

But now it is a finished quilt.  Ready to be used.  And I love it.

I'll share the second quilt I sent Shirley later when it's finished.  I am going to be adding some hand quilting to the machine quilting she did.

I still feel like I have cheated a little having someone else quilt my quilt for me.  But...

I have 2 finished quilts that would otherwise still be lingering in my unfinished pile!