Truly Thankful it's Finished Friday

But first, thank you to everyone who wished My Little Sailor "Happy Birthday." I think once he got his computer problem solved, he had a good birthday!

Now I know you're accustomed to seeing a finished quilt, or at least a finished quilt top, on Fridays. This week, I have a tray full of cut squares to show you. The result of an entire day of cutting 2.5" squares and 3.5" squares -- and a very sore back!

Gee, it doesn't look like much from this angle! Maybe a close-up?

These are the squares for the very first Quilt Block a Day I'll be hosting on Facebook. Karen Snyder of AnnaLenaLand blog has offered a free tutorial for a different block each season for the past several years. She is retiring from the quilting business to enjoy her new part-time home in Sweden. And I am grabbing the baton to continue A Quilt Block a Day.

The theory behind B-a-D is this: "Don't have time to make a quilt? Surely, you can make one block each day!" We'll sew a single block each day during the Spring season. Then, when summer rolls around, we'll have enough blocks to make a nice full-sized bed quilt!

 If you belong to Facebook, go here to join the group. If you don't, not to worry. I'll be posting the tutorial right here on 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks on Tuesday.

Come back on Tuesday to see the tutorial and join in A Quilt Block a Day!


From the desk of your

On the Design Wall . . . and the Cutting Table

I spent most of yesterday cutting out the blocks for my Downton Abbey mystery quilt. Good thing, too, because my kit was missing one fabric! I'm not worried, because I know Michelle will make it good for me.

I'm going on retreat next weekend with the "Around the Block" quilters in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The theme is "Downton Abbey," and there will be an English tea Saturday afternoon. I'm taking only my DA mystery quilt, so I should return home with a finished top!

But first, today is the birthday of My Little Sailor, and 52 Quilts' co-editor. Happy Birthday, Jacob!

There are a few blocks on the design wall today. First, I made the next row in the Quilty Fun QAL at Ruth's Stitchery:

It's the "chubby chevrons" row. Pressing the "hatchet" or "chevron" blocks alternately toward the print and toward the background really makes sewing them together easier. Thanks for the tip, Beth!

Remember how I said I was not going to start another BOM program this year. Yeah. Well. Here are the first three blocks from Marti Michell's "5 is Fabulous" BOM:

Next are some "swap" goodies. I'm pretty sure the recipient doesn't read this blog, so I'm safe to share them with you!

This is a variation on the "Star of Bethlehem" block. The book instructions call for "wonky" points -- here is my first attempt:

I just can't do good wonky! I decided to go with the "flip and sew" method of star points, and I like this one a lot better:

The colors are inspired by Classic Modern Quilts from Kansas City Star Publications. I re-drafted it to make the block finish at 9" rather than 12".

Here is my entry for the Front Range Modern Quilt Guild's bag swap. The label and pattern are from Sweetwater's Label Crew:

And here is another swap block. I showed the Fox and the Houndstooth fabric just yesterday -- see, I DO cut it up and sew it, not just buy it and stash it!

I have something really cute to show you tomorrow for Tuesday Tool. But first, I have to paint my nails to match it!

From the desk of your