Design Wall Monday

What should be my last UFO of 2015 is on the design wall today.

It's "Aunt Sukey's Sampler" from "Five is Fabulous" by Marti Michell.

This was the 2014 "Block of the Month" project at Ruth's Stitchery. 

As with many UFOs. now that it is nearly finished, I could kick myself for taking so long to finish it! As soon as I finished the last block, I put all the blocks on the design wall. And fell in love! Every bit I added to this quilt, I liked it more. And now that there is just the last border (the medium blue), I can't wait to get it to the quilter and onto my bed. I especially love the tiny gingham checks in the setting blocks and cornerstones. 

Here's a closeup:

Most of the other fabrics are from Maywood.

 

Shoot, I cut off the selvedge identifier when I cut the setting triangles. And I must have trashed it back then, because I don't have any left. I don't know who the manufacturer of this pretty border fabric is -- but I do know I bought it at High Prairie Quilts in Parker. They still had some left last week when I stopped by on my way to the airport to pick up my co-author.

My 2015 UFO list has 15 projects on it. And only TWO have been crossed off! How is your UFO list looking?

Come back tomorrow to see the new "A Quilt Block a Day." I promise, it's an easy one!

From the desk of your

February Friday Finishes

Just because I love alliteration . . .

Before I share the new finishes for this month, allow me to remind you to comment for a chance to win this:

in my "Grow Your Blog" giveaway.

The prize is all packed up in a padded envelope and ready to mail Monday morning. Giveaway ends at midnight Valentine's Day! Go here to comment for your chance to win!

And now for the finishes:

First, the next 12th birthday in my family falls to Harrison. He loves Legos and superheroes -- so this "Bit o' Color" quilt made me think of him.

The back story is on this post.  I found this kit for "Bit 'o Color" at NaLa's after-Christmas sale. I love the spiral-striped binding fabric from Ruth's Stitchery. Should have bought the rest of the bolt!

There are two new "IBM babies" on my DH's team recently. The quilt tops have been finished for months, but I've been having trouble with my long-arm machine, so the tops weren't quilted until this week.

I can't believe I never showed this Shoo-Fly last summer, when that was the "Block a Day" design! The fabrics are from my precious Lizzie House collection. I quilted it on my Juki, and bound it in pink "Pearl Bracelets," since it is for a baby girl.

Here is the finished Scrap Crazy quilt. Details here, and thank you Cathy for helping me find just the right "Grunge" colors for the binding.

(Notice that snow shovel in the background? Even though Colorado temperatures have been unseasonably warm, we keep it close!)

My "600 Posts" giveaway will be announced Monday. 
Come back to enter!


From the desk of your

Grow Your Blog 2015

It's that time again -- time to meet new bloggers and visit new blogs. If you're new to "52 Quilts in 52 Weeks," welcome! If you're a current follower, welcome back!

Note: I am receiving so many "no reply commenter" comments today! Please, if you think you might be a "no reply commenter," include your contact info in your comment -- if I can't find you, I can't reply to your comment!

Grow Your Blog is the brainchild of Vicki at 2 Bags Full. Visit her blog to view the list of more than 400 blogs, all celebrating today!

About 52 Quilts

"52 Quilts in 52 Weeks" came about when I bragged in July of 2011 that I had made 35 quilt tops so far that year. Elder Son said "hey, that's almost one quilt per week!" And the challenge was on! Could I really make 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks?  Well, yes!  Younger Son insisted "52 quilts in 52 weeks is a great idea for a blog," so Thanksgiving weekend I dipped my toe in the blogging water.

The Younger Son (aka My Little Sailor, currently assigned to the American Forces Network in Yokosuka, Japan) is my tech editor. He updates the blog header each year, and wrote a really touching blog post last Mother's Day. Best of all, he is a professional photographer, so my profile photo makes me look 10 years younger (and 20 pounds lighter!)

UFO Challenge

My favorite posts are the monthly "UFO Parades." Each month, on the first, I post a "parade" of finishes by 52 Quilt's followers. Last year we finished nearly 200 projects! Go here for details, and remember: You are the boss of your quilting!

I make a quilt for each of my Mother's great- and great-great grandchildren when they turn 12 (next one will be posted Friday!). Last Summer, I finished my Farmer's Wife quilt for for my brother and his wife to celebrate their 50th Anniversary.

Hats for Sailors

My other "big project" is Hats for Sailors. This group knits hats for US Navy Sailors, and each year we select one or more ships to receive the hats we've knit that year. In 2014, we knit more than 500 hats! My goal for 2015 is to knit 52 Hats for Sailors (nine so far!)

There's a Giveaway!

I think the most fun thing about "Grow Your Blog" week is the giveaway. I love sending goodies all over the world -- I've made friends in Australia (Hi! Susan!), Israel (Hi! Debbie!) and England (Hi! Gill!).  This year, I have seven of Miss Rosie's "Schnibbles" patterns plus two charm packs of Bonnie & Camille's Vintage Modern to give away. 

Want to win? All you have to do is:

1. Comment on this blog post. Tell me if you're a quilter or if your craftiness takes another form.
2. If you're a no-reply blogger, please include contact info. If I can't find you, I can't send you the prize.
3. My blog is set not to allow anonymous comments so that the robots cannot find me. If you do not have an ID, you can still enter by email at the address listed under "About Aunt Marti" in the right-hand column of this page and I will post your comment for you so you have a chance to win. 
4. International entries welcome, of course!
5. Giveaway ends Valentines Day, February 14 at noon Mountain Standard Time. The winner will be announced on Sunday, February 15.

I didn't quite make 52 quilts in 2014 -- and I probably won't in 2015, either. But it's lots of fun to try, right? Thanks for dropping by!

From the desk of your

2015 UFO List

The first days of the new year are for clearing out, cleaning up, and considering which UFOs to tackle.

In previous years, I've placed each UFO in a giant plastic bag, then numbered the bags. This year, most of my UFOs are in individual plastic bins.

Except for the ones in pizza boxes. Unused pizza boxes, of course! Boriello Brothers has the best "giant" sized boxes, and if you ask sweetly, they will give you some! They work great for large blocks.

So I decided just to list them on the white board. Each time I came across a project, I added it to the list.

I stopped numbering them at #12. I put the ones with deadlines at the top of the list. Now I can just check the list when each month's UFO number is drawn.

Lest you think I have only 14 UFOs, I didn't even count the BOMs (Blocks of the Month).

This list should look familiar, since all but one are carryovers from 2014! The first Monday of the month is designated as "BOM-day." I'm hoping to get back to that habit this year!

The list also does not include finished-but-not-quilted-and-bound tops.  I haven't even attempted to count those!

As you finish each UFO, email me a photo (address to the right) so I can include your project in the next month's UFO Parade.


Are you up to the challenge for 2015?


From the desk of your

TGIFF January Jelly Roll Party

I was busy posting the New Year's Day UFO Parade, and forgot to share the latest Jelly Roll Party finish!

Here it is, "Strip to Shore" by Gudrun Erle. The quilters at Jelly Roll Party decided she named it this because the half-hexagons sort of look like lifesaver ring buoys on sail boats. Hmm, I'll have to ask My Little Sailor if they have those on the big ships.

I'm rather proud of the quilting on this one. I wanted the quilting to follow the hexagons, so I quilted it on my domestic machine using multi-colored King Tut thread. Because I hate wrestling large quilts through the harp of the Juki, I quilted "S to S" in two halves, then joined them using the "quilt as you go method." Thanks, Cathy, for the advice!

If you click on the photo, you can see the quilting closeup!

This quilt has already been sent to the USS George Washington, to PO Paolo Bayas. His photo, "the ultimate selfie," won the #1 photo in the entire US Navy for 2014. Congratulations, Paolo! Click here to read the story behind the photos.

That's quilt #1 in the book for 2015. I've actually made three this year -- maybe I'll make it to 52 again?



From the desk of your