Another "almost finished" top

And a top that is actually put together correctly LOL!

All that's left to do is applique the bird by the Christmas tree, the five stars on the top border, and six tiny ultra suede bird legs.  This one will also go with me to the retreat this weekend.

I finished 12 Cracker Box blocks for still another 30's group swap.  They went into the mail today.  I feel very good about that - the deadline isn't until December 2nd!  That's it for swap blocks until the new year.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture before I mailed them.

I've even straightened up the mess in the sewing room.  Tomorrow I'm going to baste a bunch of quilt tops.  At least that's the plan!

Coming up - some new giveaways!

Oops! This time I'm going to live with it just the way it is.

This entire quilt top is together now.  I finished the machine sewing this afternoon.  All that is left is to applique the large sunflower to the right of the scarecrow and embroider all the finishing  touches.

When I took the picture for the blog I realized my mistake.  Take a close look at the quilt top.

Now look at the picture on the front of the pattern.

I would prefer the red-orange star points, but I'm NOT going to rip it apart to change things.  Too many seams sewn with too small stitches.  It isn't awful the way I did it, but I think the colors would balance better if I had done it the way it was designed.  I'll always look at the quilt and think about how it is supposed to be, but I'm going to live with it the way it it.

Two days left in the month and I have many goals I didn't accomplish.  Of course, I didn't plan to be sick.  I also didn't plan to become addicted to the "Candy Crush" game on Facebook.  Anybody else play that?  I started playing about when I got sick, and have spent way too much time doing that.  I'm blaming my lack of posts on the game addiction.  I have it under control now, I think - I hope - time will tell.

I'm not going to do the hand stitching on this right now.  I'm heading out Friday afternoon for a knitting retreat that lasts until Sunday afternoon, and I'm going to take quilting handwork as well as knitting - including this project.  It won't be done by this fall, but certainly by 2014.

Goal achieved!

See this empty space on my ironing table (I know, it really needs a new cover) . . .

Not a single scrap left to cut into triangles and squares.  Hooray!  Soon I will have enough blocks to finish the first of the camper quilts.

Here are seven more small quilt tops finished - ready for basting for hand quilting.  The last of my partly finished small quilt tops are complete.

It feels so nice to accomplish one's goals!

Cutting, cutting . . . and more cutting

It seems like this pile of scraps is never-ending!  If it weren't for audio books I think I would have gone nuts!  I hope to finish today - at least that is my goal.  I was planning to sew blocks in between cutting sessions, but decided I needed more dark pieces to choose from.  I've filled the cutting table as much as possible without covering my cutting space, so I've moved on to pizza boxes.  Hopefully I'll run out of scraps before I run out of pizza boxes LOL!

Cutting table

Box 1

Box 2

Remaining scraps

When I folded back the scrap pile to get an idea of how many are left I realized there really aren't that many.  Thus my goal to finish today.

I've run out of books in the series I was listening to, but have another plan today.  Last Wednesday the four Tangled Threads that aren't out of town for the summer went to see "The Wolverine".  Two of the four had seen the other movies. The third and I had never seen any of them.  We thoroughly enjoyed the movie - so much that the next day I went over to my kids' house and borrowed the first 5 movies from my SIL.  I can watch at least two and maybe three while I cut scraps today, which should keep me sane and entertained.

Ever so often I had to sit down for awhile to give my back a rest.  That's when I finished the "Frosty and Friends" top - all but the snowman's face.  I'm not going to applique 1/4" ovals - even made out of ultra suede, so I've been thinking about how I want to do his face.  French knots would be too small.  I could do satin stitch, but don't want to spend the time that would take.  Last night while cutting I remembered that I probably have a bunch of tiny black buttons in the button drawer.  That will do the trick - buttons make good eyes and mouths, even on real snowmen!

Tour de France . . . Fibre . . . Fleece . . . .

 How many of you watch the Tour de France?  It was four or five years ago that I first started watching so I could see the beautiful countryside as the riders "toured".  Much to my surprise I also got wrapped up in the race too, and have been watching it ever since.  If you watch, who is your favorite rider?

Then there is the Tour de Fleece.  Hosted on Ravelry, a fabulous website for knitters, crocheters and spinners, the Tour de Fleece provides many challenges for hand spinners, who make yarn while watching the race.  Last year I participated on 12 different Tour de Fleece teams and spun over 8 pounds of fiber while watching.  It was great fun!

Then there is the "Tour de Fibre", hosted by Hanne and May.  Their only requirement is a daily blog post, but the idea is to work on quilting projects while watching the tour.  Easy enough to do!

Yesterday's race was unusual to say the least, with a team bus getting stuck under the finish line banner  15 minutes before the race end, and a huge collision about 2 km before the finish line which took out the sprint favorites.  The first three days this year are on the island of Corsica - what an incredibly beautiful place!

I did a bit of cleaning and straightening in the sewing room while watching, but spent most of the day hand quilting a Jo's Little Women top I made earlier this year.  I can easily finish the center today, and hopefully by that time the border will have told me how it wants to be quilted.  I know I've said it before, but I just can't get over how very much I'm enjoying all this hand quilting.  And, thankfully, my hands are holding up well with no pain, even after several hours.  I should be able to finish most if not all the quilting today.

Thankfully, yesterday wasn't as muggy as the day before and the sewing room was relatively cool compared to much of the house.  Gave me a great excuse to spend the day there.  The forcast for the next few days has changed from the high 90's to the low 90's, also better. 

The recording of today's race has finished, so I think it's time to get back to quilting!

The best laid plans . . .

aren't going to happen - at least for now.  We are having a heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest, which is almost unheard of in June.  It comes with a humidity index far above normal.  Yesterday was 89 degrees, but with the humidity it felt at least 10 degrees higher.  By Monday and Tuesday we are predicted to hit 99 or even higher.  And we have no air conditioning.

All this means that work in the sewing room is almost at a standstill.  The last thing I want to do is turn on the iron.  It is amazing how quickly an iron can send the temperature in the room skyrocketing.  So much for the applique prep I planned to do.  So much for making binding.  At 10:30 last night it finally cooled off enough for me to tolerate fabric on my lap, so I started quilting another quilt.  Thursday night I finished quilting the fourth quilt this month, but binding will just have to wait, as it is 95 degrees upstairs in the room where my Pfaff and its walking foot live.

So, while I wait for the temperatures to revert to normal, I'll just post some pictures.  The first is the quilt I just finished quilting.  Instead of an all-over grid, I did a background grid with applique details quilted.  The curving quilting on the flag gives the illusion of movement.  I'm amazed how quickly I finished this.  The border quilting isn't white - I've not yet sponged off the chalk.

Visiting the three quilt shops in Bend, Oregon was a highlight of our camping trip last week.  I started my stash of batiks in anticipation of combining them with reproductions for the "Edyta Sitar" look.

 

I also purchased a nice selection of beautiful hand dyed Prescentia "Finca" threads, something I've wanted for some time.  I'm using them to hand quilt the small quilt started last night.

 

On Thursday I kept my friend Kim company on a trip north to "Momma Made It" - our favorite quilt shop in Longview Washington.  Of course I took advantage of the opportunity to fill a couple holes in my stash, and add to my growing batik collection.  Sharon, the owner, has added batiks to the reproduction fabrics that are the backbone of her shop offerings.  I can tell right now - it is going to be hard to keep track of what batiks I've already purchased so I don't duplicate any on future quilt shop trips.

 

I see a blue quilt in my future with either sashings or alternate setting squares of cheddar - I'm just not sure what quilt block I want to base it on.

We are home again

 On Wednesday morning we hitched the tent trailer to the Highlander and took off for a 5-day camping trip.  This time we  went to La Pine State Park - 27 miles south of Bend, Oregon, in the high desert.  This was our "anniversary trip" to celebrate 44 years of marriage.  When I made the reservations the extended weather forecast called for temperatures in the 70's, with the weather getting warmer each day.  Instead the temps were in the 60's with a cold wind blowing, and rain at night.  Finally on Saturday the skies cleared and the warm weather arrived, followed Saturday night and Sunday by rain.  We aren't having the best of luck weather-wise this year!

Nevertheless we had a great time.  We went into Bend on Friday for an anniversary dinner at Balthazar's Mexican Seafood Restaurant (no website).  We had one of the most fabulous eating out experiences we've had in a long time!  We went into town early enough that I was able to visit all three Bend quilt shops - fun!

I focused on big stitch quilting while there, and was able to finish another quilt top and start quilting a fourth.  It feels so good to be getting so much accomplished!  Once I finish quilting the fourth quilt - the one I'm doing now - I'll get them all bound.  I should be able to do that by the end of the month even if I don't accomplish anything else.

Angel Dance, designed by Jan Patek

 I'm feeling the desire to applique again, so I've tucked the featherweight into the bottom of its cabinet and put the table top into place on the top.  I hope to prep a bunch of applique this week  in addition to quilting and binding.

Quilting progress

Before I started playing with EQ7, I was cutting 30's prints for more baskets.  We tend to think of quilting as a sedentary activity, but when one is rotary cutting, piecing, and pressing, there is much getting up and down, prolonged standing, and walking back and forth between the machine and the pressing station.  My machine and pressing station are about 7 feet apart, and often the only exercise I get is walking back and forth during a marathon piecing session.

Wednesday afternoon I received cortisone shots in both knees for arthritis, which means I was to stay off my feet as much as possible for three days.  Once the three days are past I'm still supposed to eliminate any unnecessary walking and/or prolonged standing for 3-4 weeks.  In my mind that means I can't spend much time piecing or rotary cutting if I want the shots to have the best effect.

So, since Wednesday afternoon I've been hand quilting.  I've finished two tops, and am ready to start a third.  Here are pictures of what I've done.

 

For once the quilting shows up quite well in the pictures, especially when enlarged.  I'll wait a bit before binding them, as that will involve two or three trips up and down the stairs plus what at this time I'd call unnecessary walking and standing.  After all, I have quite a few more tops basted and ready for quilting.  That's what I'll be doing the next few days at least.

Christmas in May

I love this small primitive, called "Angel Dance", that was designed by Jan Patek.  The border fabric looks like green olives stuffed with pimentos, which I love!  The top is from 2009, so it is one of the last I finished before the knitting and spinning bugs bit me.  I will utility quilt this one with Cebelia, and look forward to having it hang over the piano in December.

Wishing all you mothers a very happy, quilty Mother's Day!

The cutting island is good for more than just cutting.

It is a great place to baste small quilts.  Two down today, several more to go.  Camping season is coming very soon, and I want to have plenty of handwork to take with me.

I called the House of Sewing today and Miss Feather should be ready to come home on Monday.  Hooray!

I love to hand quilt

It is so meditative and relaxing.  And time passes so quickly.  I started quilting "Hat Trick"at "Tangled Threads" last night.  I didn't want to stop when I got home so I settled into my sewing room chair, watched a couple of recorded TV shows, and quilted.  Got to bed WAY later than I should have.

Since I decided on a straight line grid for most of this, it would have been easy to finish with my Pfaff and its walking foot.  But I love the way hand quilting looks, and I love doing it.  I nearly finished this hoopful; at this rate I should have no trouble finishing this month.

It is hard to get a good picture of quilting, but this shows the stitches fairly well.

New buttons

I've added a couple new buttons to my right sidebar - one for "A Lovely Year of Finishes" and one for "2013 - The Year of the Finished Project".  I will choose a goal for each challenge each month, and hoping to have at least two finished quilts per month.  I'm hoping this will spur me on in my goal to shrink that "Flimsies" list on my left sidebar.  If I'm going to be adding a one or two little quilt tops to it every month, I need to eliminate at least that many per month.

For "A Lovely Year of Finishes" - hosted by Melissa of Sew BitterSweet Designs and Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts I'm going to quilt and bind the "Hat Trick" Schnibbles quilt top I pieced in April.  I finished basting it today, so I'm all ready to start the hand quilting at quilt group tonight. (I'm posting a picture again her because I think I'm supposed to for my entry.)

For "2013 - The Year of the Finished Project", I will quilt and bind a top finished prior to 2013.  I've chosen "Bunny Hop".

The top was completed in 2009, and has been hanging in the closet (with the other 40+ quilt tops) waiting to be finished ever since.  I'm going to hand quilt this one using "big stitch" and Cebelia thread.  It would be nice to finish this so it could hang at least a week or two this spring before being put away until next year.

Both of these are quite doable, so there is no reason for me not to finish.  I say that, but looking at the May list on my left sidebar is a little scary right now.  I'd better get to work!

Works in slow progress

I've been thinking a lot about the projects I have listed on the left sidebar under this category.  These have been weighing on my mind.  I'm uncomfortable with the number I have.  My goal has been to finish all of these; they have felt like a burden on my shoulders.

How many of you feel this way about some of your projects?   How many are drawn to large projects, find yourself starting one after another, and then becoming overwhelmed?  I'm sure I'm not the only quilter who does this.

My mind is still in the "we need to clear things out" state.  So this morning I decided to do something about this list.

1.  Dear Jane - I've completed only 12 blocks for this quilt.  So many people have completed the quilt.  I realize that I no longer feel a need to do so.  I love the blocks I've finished, so I've decided to put them into a small quilt.  I'm moving this to a short-term project list as ideas are now percolating in my brain.

2.  Times Remembered by Pat Sloan - I've finished 3 of the 9 blocks of this quilt.  I really lost interest after the first two blocks.  I no longer care for the pattern, and life isd too short to make something I'm not going to love.  I'm moving these to the short-term project list also, and will make a tall, narrow wall hanging from the blocks I have done.

3.  Golden Age Random Sampler - I have 11 blocks done for this large quilt.  I love the quilt, but I'm no longer certain I want to make it as originally planned - which was to copy this quilt closely.

I find it telling that I can't find the blocks.  I wanted to take their picture, but will make do with this photo of 10 blocks, stolen off a much earlier blog post.  It looks like the 11th block fell off before I took the picture.

I know right where they were before I started the "big fabric reorganization", but I don't remember where I put them.  When I look through the class materials now, I realize there are other quilts I'd rather make from this time period.  So when I find these blocks they will either go into the orphan blocks drawer. or become a table mat.  Right now they aren't doing anything for me.

That leaves five projects - still too many - but much better than eight.  I'm going to list them in order of expected finishes, and will keep reminding myself that I'm not on any timeline with these.  Of course, the key will be to work on them.  Once I finish Hat Trick I need to get back to the first project on the list.

UFO spreadsheet update

Now that I can once again send emails - what a nuisance that was! - I have sent the UFO spreadsheet to everyone who asked.  Except for the one person who didn't give me her email.  I am definitely one of those people, however, who can forget to "attach" the attachment.

If you got an email without the attachment, let me know so I can send it again.

I would love for those of you who received it to give me some feedback.  Can you think of a way to make it better?  I've tweaked it several times over the years, and probably will again.  Just leave me a comment on this post telling me your thoughts about it.  Thanks ahead of time!

The last of four quilts is bound - and a goal is reached.

Because we were stuck inside today, I had plenty of time this afternoon to hand stitch the last quilt binding.  It feels so good to have these done!  Now, all that is left of the five quilted projects that have been needing binding for two years is the 30's double wedding ring.  Next week I'll add to the quilting on that one, and then will get out my books to figure out how to do a binding on a scalloped edge.  That is one thing I've never done!

This feathered star quilt, as well as the one I finished a few days ago, are two samples I made while teaching two different sessions of a feathered star piecing class.  I had a third quilt - done in beiges and rusts - that I "sold" in trade for machine quilting on the quilt I made our son and his new wife.  It was a top I loved, but my quilter needed a wall-sized quilt top "Now!" to finish as a gift.  The trade worked well for both of us.

I love making feathered stars, but most of those I've made have been smaller blocks - either for quilts of my own or 12" exchange blocks.  I do have one more UFO that has a center feathered star.  That is one I plan to finish in the next couple months - at least to the stage of a finished top.  This is the 2003-2004 Girl Gang quilt designed by Jan Patek and Cherie Ralston.

The quilt has a top and bottom row of simple pieced blocks - the Indian Hatchet block is the name.  I will do those in reds and browns I think - maybe with some blue and gold also.  Or maybe just browns and golds.  Then there is a complex applique border all around the outside of the top.  I hope to have all the Indian Hatchet blocks done by the end of the month.

I'm so eager for this top to be done, as I really love it.  You can chuckle at the date in the center block - that's the year I thought the quilt would be finished.  This project was started in 2003 -  I think it is past time it is finished.  Don't you?

Keeping track of UFO's

Today I want to talk about UFO tracking, and how I do it, as I've had several questions on the subject.  If you don't want to read all the "gritty details" be sure to scroll down to the last paragraph.  That's where I talk about sharing my spreadsheet with anyone who would like it.

* * * First, however, I will mention that I took new pictures and exchanged them for the old ones in yesterday's post.  Better, but still not great.  It is currently very overcast and sprinkling here today.  Wouldn't you know it - we leave town to find some sun, and have come to a place where average yearly rainfall is 4" - it is sunny at home and raining here!  That gives me a little time to post today.   * * *

I've been tracking UFO's since 2003.  Before that I had no idea how many I had, nor how many quilts I had fabric, etc. for that I'd not started.  I knew things were getting out of control, and when part of my life is out of control I become very uneasy.  I'd been trying to finish things, but had no idea how I was doing.  So I created an Excel spreadsheet and started counting.  I kept refining the spreadsheet as I went along, adding more and more information, until it was just what I wanted.

I track project name, date started, stage the project is in, and date finished.  Information is entered VERY easily and quickly, so I takes very little time to keep it up to date.  At the end of the year, I use the tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet to create a copy - all in the same file.  I change the year date on the copy, then delete all the quilts that were finished the year before.  I love being able to see what I've accomplished since I started tracking.

I was right - in 2003 things were VERY out of hand.  I had WAY too many different quilts "in process".  Many were from my teaching days - creating samples (finished tops) and quilts in various stages of completion that were all demo pieces from the classes I'd taught.  The spreadsheet was simple then - only 4 columns.  I ended the year with 78.

2004 wasn't much better.  It ended with 76.  Some were new, some had been deleted.  Still too many.

2005 was better - I ended the year with 56.  Five completions and two new projects.  That was the year I decided I needed to do something fairly drastic.  I gave a bunch of tops away to charity.  I packaged other tops and block sets in zip-locks and sold them in the bazaar at our quilt show.  I felt much better that New Year's Eve.

I slipped back in 2006.  I finished just two projects and started six more!  Definitely not going in the right direction.  I must have given a few more away as I finished the year with 58.  By now the spreadsheet is 9 columns, as I figured a better way to track the stage of each project.

2007 I had 10 finishes, but started 6 more.  I gave one to charity.  I must have found more, however, because the number was now 65.  I was definitely going in the wrong direction!

2008 was my best year - the year I really got serious about the situation.  It was helped along immensely by the "ufo challenge" our guild held that year.   We all turned in a list of UFO's we wanted to finish during the year.  Each month we got one "ticket'' for each project finished.  If we didn't finish a project that month we had to give a fat quarter to the "kitty".  In January we started the "kitty" with one fat quarter "entry fee" from each person participating.  Only two people had time to take the challenge seriously - my friend Barb and me.  We had several finishes each month.  Everyone assumed the entire "fat quarter kitty" would be won by either Barb or me.  I had 28 finishes; I can't remember how many Barb had.  It was a perfect example of "it just takes one to win".  There were a total of 178 fat quarters, and a person who had finished only one UFO during the entire year won the lot LOL!  I didn't want to win, as I already had too much fabric.  I was thrilled for the person who won - a stay at home mom with two little girls, who had very little money to spend on fabric.

That was the year I decided some of my projects would never become quilts.  Most were exchange blocks that really didn't "go" together.  It occurred to me that year that nothing said they had to be quilts.  I made a bunch of seasonal pillows and wall hangings.  A perfect solution!  I started 2009 with 35 projects, of which only 10 weren't at the finished top stage.  Eight of those are the long-term projects you see on my sidebar.  The other two are now at the finished top stage.

It looks like this year better be the year of quilting and binding.  That's the only way I'm going to shrink that list.

I would be happy to share my spreadsheet with anyone who would like to use it.  I can email it to you with an attachment.  You can just delete my info and add in your own.  Either leave me a comment asking for it or send me an email.  Today we are where I can't seem to send emails - don't know why - so I'll send it as soon as I am able.  Just make sure if you want a copy that your email address either is showing on your Blogger profile or you put it in the comment or email.

This Gaggle of Geese has reached its home

In other words, another quilt can be labeled "finished" on my sidebar.  Whoopee!  This quilt top was pieced in 2001 at a Clark County Quilters workshop presented by Linda Ballard.  Linda is a great teacher and so much fun to spend time with.  I recommend her to any guild looking for a great presenter.  I decided to use some of my huge 30's collection for this class, and I'm glad I did.  I'm also glad used a bright white for the background instead of something that might have been used then - like muslin.  In my mind, the white makes the entire quilt sparkle.

Val Pellens, a member of Clark County Quilters, did a great job of quilting this.  I just wish the quilting showed better in the picture.  In fact, I wish the entire quilt looked better in this picture.  It was taken in a semi-dark room with flash, which washed out the colors.  Tomorrow I'll take a picture outside, which should be much more satisfactory.  Edited: These are newer pictures.   It is clowdy and rainy today, so the first picture still doesn't show true colors. You can see by the small picture below that the colors should be much brighter.  I took this one to show the quilting, but it shows the colors much better.

Only one more to go this month before reaching my goal of binding four quilts.

And just in case you are wondering . . .  I'm 85 comments away from the next giveaway.  Don't you want one of my "Brazen Hussies" for your very own?  (A "Brazen Hussy" is a kit or pattern and fabrics for a project not yet started that has been in my stash for over a year.  Right now every single thing on my HSY's list is Brazen!

Hibernation

You may have noticed I've renamed my finished tops.  Forgetfulness is a creeping certainty.  I'd forgotten all about this "name" for UFO's.  I think "Works in Slow Progress" describes them much better.  These aren't projects that have been stuffed away for years - they are complex projects that take a lot of time.  (Why oh why do I keep starting projects like this?  In April I'll start another one with the Kim McLean pattern.)

That long list was a bit daunting, and then I thought of Ravelry.  If you are a knitter you are probably familiar with Ravelry.  On the project pages there you can label a project as "hibernating".  It doesn't mean you won't finish it - it just means you aren't working on it in the present.  So I decided to put some of my WISP's into hibernation.

Why does moving projects around on lists make me feel so much better?  I don't know - I just know it does.

I'm curious how many WISP's you all have.  Long, complicated projects you will finish eventually.  Please leave me a comment about your WISP's - what are they, how many do you have etc.  This will get us closer to the prize drawing!

(Wow!  I guess hibernating doesn't have a "y" - I spelled it wrong  FOUR times!  Three times in this post and once in the sidebar.  I'm glad no one but me reads my sidebar!  Or all of you just too polite to tell me I spelled something wrong.)

(I guess my daughter doesn't read the sidebar.  She is  my best reader - she always tells me when I've spelled something wrong.  Spell check works on the post body, but not on the title or the sidebar!)

Shifting focus

As much as I love making the CWD blocks I find the going slow.  Today I'm in need of accomplishing more than a few blocks, so I'm switching to binding.  I enjoy the binding process, and my quilts are usually bound right after they are quilted.  These, however, have sat around since coming home from the quilter, as I was too busy knitting and spinning.  Their time has come!  I've included close-ups of the quilting so you can see how beautiful it is.  These were all quilted by Val Pellens, a member of Clark County Quilts, who, I'm sorry to say, has retired from quilting.

These are some of my oldest tops.  You will know immediately by the fabrics used - certainly not what I use today.  The first two are class samples from when I taught quilting at Daisy Kingdom in Portland, Oregon a LONG time ago.  The Asian Feathered Star was made in 1994, the pink and green in 1995.  I used a pattern from a very old Quiltmaker magazine which is now long gone so I don't know the date.

This quilt from 30's reproductions is called "Gaggle of Geese".  I made it in a class with Linda Ballard in 2001.  I wanted feathers in all the white areas, and in spite of much practice my machine-sewn feathers are abysmal, which is why I sent this one out to be quilted.  She did an amazing job.

This quilt is made from authentic 30's and 40's fabrics I inherited from my paternal grandmother, who died before I was born.  She gave the pieced arcs and melons to my mother, who never quilted, and therefore passed them along to me.  She was very old when she made them, and they didn't lay flat.  Much of the muslin was stained from being stored.  Many of the fabrics were so thin and loosely woven that I could almost see through them.  I picked them completely apart, used new muslin and a new solid pink (keeping to her color scheme), tossed all the flimsy fabric, and recut each piece.  The stitched them all back together using my featherweight (hers had been hand pieced with almost no seam allowance).  I pieced this in 1993.

Val didn't quilt anything in the arcs, so I'm going to do that myself before I call it done.  They are way too poofy compared to the muslin areas.

I thought I'd posted about this quilt before, but apparently not.  I must be thinking of my old Yahoo Groups days when I participated in a bunch of different quilting groups.  It's one of my most favorite quilts.  "Friendship Garden", designed by Alma Allen and Cherie Ralston.  I completed this top in 2004, but many of the fabrics are MUCH older than that.  Wow, it sure doesn't seem that long ago!  Since this is my favorite, I'm going to bind this first.