Family Tree Quilt and Another Finish

I finally freed the picture of my finished birthday gift from my daughter's camera.

I'm glad it's done and that my mother-in-law likes it.

I have named the blue quilt "Nothing But Time" because everything came from my stash.  This is one of Charlotte Hawkes' (of Scrapitude Quilts) mystery quilts, Scrap in a Box, from last year.  I grabbed a lot of blues to see if they would work together.  I'm very happy on the results of the piecing and colors.  I used the quilt to try out and practice some quilting fill patterns.  

 What I learned is that 18 is too many different fill patterns for me.  There area a few patterns I like and will use again.  There are a few that are my go-to fill patterns that I will continue to use.  But, I liked the more open floral pattern that I used on the half-triangle edge blocks better.  I like less dense quilting - it makes a softer quilt.

I'm taking a little break from my applique work that I typically do in the evening to knit a pair of socks. I am also continuing the hand quilting on my Iris quilt. I'm never at a loss for things to do.

Oops! I Started a New Quilt

I started working on my resolutions.  I looked over all the scraps, ironed each piece and decided to cut them into 2", 2 1/2" and 3" squares.  Anything under 2" was tossed.  I like scrap quilts and I have a bunch of ideas for these size blocks.  I didn't want too many different sizes and I think this is what I use most.  I've gotten a good start, but still have far to go.

The triangles in the box were found in the scraps.  I haven't decided what to do with them yet, but it seemed a waste to cut then into 2" squares.  I did find another little bag of half square triangles and put them together into pinwheels.  Then I couldn't leave it, so I put them together with other bright squares.  I wasn't planning to make a new quilt, but sometimes it just feels good to sew stuff together.  It's only about 11" square.  My plan is to set it on point the put some more brightly colored squares as borders and eventually make it a baby quilt.  But, right now it's another UFO.

I also finished another Ladies of the Sea block.  This wasn't on my official list to do, but this is what I stitch on in the evenings while I watch TV with my husband.

The biggest accomplishment since my last post if getting the Iris quilt hand basted and into the quilt hoop.  Once I finally got the top completed, I avoided this step because I knew it would take a long time and would be uncomfortable.  I still baste quilts on my hands and knees in the kitchen floor.  For a quilt this big, I had to move the table and I still had one corner that wasn't flat on the floor.  Basting alone took nearly 6 hours.  But, I knew once I got that step out of the way, the quilting would be a pleasure.