Here is my finished project. This is the little quilt top that was lost for several months. I started this project in a class with René Plains in 2004. The pattern was published in the April 2002 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting. I wasn't all that thrilled with the top when I finished it - too few fabrics were used to suit my love of scrappy quilts. However, now that I'm finished with it I really like it. Amazing how quilting brings life to a flat quilt top! I quilted this with Cebelia, a heavy thread often used for crochet, using a stitch sized about half way between a regular quilting stitch and "big stitch" utility quilting. Because the quilt is small I thought regular "big stitch" would be a bit big proportionally. Peg's given me an award for this completion - thanks Peg! This leaves me three to go for the challenge.

Tonight I continued working on Carolina Crossroads. I'm so eager to cross this one off my unfinished tops list, as doing so will complete that list. There sure is a lot of sewing in this top! I chose the same colors as Bonnie did, because I had more red and blue in my strip drawers than any other colors. I like how it is turning out. This will probably become another quilt for the camper - we discovered last weekend that we need a second quilt for cold nights.

Tomorrow I must call a halt to my own projects long enough to quilt a customer quilt. She needs it back in time to get it ready to enter in the county fair - where in the world is July going? I can't believe it's past the middle of the month already!

I bought a new quilting tool a few days ago. I used to buy every new tool I saw - and so many of them were never used. I seldom buy them now, but this is one I just had to try. Sometimes the arthritis in my hands makes it very hard to hold the ruler steady when rotary cutting. I've also cut slices off the index finger of my left hand twice with the cutter - the first time requiring several stitches. So when I read raves reviews about the Gypsy Gripper I decided to try it. Here you see it locked onto my 6 1/2" x 24 1/2" ruler, which I used to cut binding strips for the little René Plains quilt. This gripper is marvelous! It was so easy to hold the ruler in place, and there was no way it was moving at all while I was cutting. I really recommend this tool if you ever have trouble holding your rulers. Now I can't wait to get the small size for my smaller rulers.

Gratitudes:
1. A wonderful day with Joseph
2. Cooler weather today
3. Another 1.6 pounds lost, for a total of 3.6
4. A nice dinner out with my DH