A Challenge–2013 Finishes

I’ve joined  “A Lovely Year of Finishes” for 2013 hosted by Fiber of All Sorts and Bittersweet Designs.

Maybe with this challenge I can finish at least 12 of my unfinished projects.  I’m not sure that’s going to happen, but I’m going to try.

My goal for January is to finish “The Blue and the Grey: Quilting America’s Great Divide.”

I laid out some thread and glitzy netting to see if that would help my drab and dull start.

I haven’t used the netting yet and I’m not sure that I will. I’m still quilting and quilting and quilting.

Quilt Disaster

This quilt has turned into another disaster for me. It is so dull and drab. I’m looking for ways to give it some zing. Maybe with the quilting thread since it is already pieced.

Here I have already quilted straight lines about 1/8” apart on the dark blue and red strips. But, it hasn’t done a thing for the quilt.“

I’m longing for it to have the pizzaz of something bright and bold. Any ideas out there on what to do?

I’m wondering if all the other contestants in the challenge “The Blue & the Grey: Quilting America’s Great Divide” are struggling with the same thing.

PTQ’s “Square in a Square Pineapple”

Back in May I gave a demonstration to the PTQ on how to make this easy, what I call a “Square in a Square Pineapple” block. We worked on the blocks after our meetings and at workshops and finally got the quilt top finished. I volunteered to take it home to quilt it.

Over the holidays I cranked up my Bernina and went to work.

Now it’s all finished and ready to take back to the PTQ for our inventory of charity quilts

I ironed fabric to freezer paper and sent it through the printer to make the label.

Ashton was such a good sport helping me get a photo of it.

Enough is enough … and away he went!

I love the rainbow colors and I think the bright yellow binding sets it off perfectly for a “happy” quilt.

StaticsName: Square in a Square Pineapple
Size: 52” X 39”
Technique: Machine pieced & machine quilted
Fiber: 100% cotton
Made by the Possum Town Quilters
2012

Merry Christmas

May you each experience the blessings of Christmas.

--Julia

Camera

Paul got me a new camera for Christmas.  I really like the Canon Power Shot but what I had was a heavy old clunker. Georgi loved taking pictures with it so a bequeathed it to her for her 2nd birthday. I showed her how to load the 4 AA batteries and gave her the battery charger with all the extras. It seems like a big heavy camera for a little girl, but she likes it.

Amy helped me pick out a new Canon Power Shot SX260. It has a 20X optical zoom that I think I will really like. This is the first picture I took with it.

This was a shot from way across the room. Ashton has been sick, so he stayed in his pajamas all day today!

Joel, Sheila, Georgi & Talya came for pizza tonight. Really, they brought it with them from Pizza Hut. That was special treat for me.

Talya loves her mom and is growing so fast. She has already learned to craw.

Georgi loves the tickling vibrations on her back from Grampa.

This Christmas week will be fairly quiet around here with Joels going to VA, Quintens to WY, Dustins in NY & PA, and Craigs in OH. And then Gabriel went to GA and Darryl to SC.