End of the year finishes

Maybe it was the threat of another year passing and these quilts not being complete that compelled me to stitch binding on six quilts. Yeah. Six. Now there's just the hand stitching to do. At least I won't be watching TV with idle hands for awhile.

Got the binding on one of the twin's monkey quilts done. Finally. I used a blue satin (which looks white in this pic, but isn't really) and made the binding extra wide so there'd be a good bit of it for them to touch. I've noticed that little kids like the soft feel of satin. The blue center squares are flannel, and the browns and light blue monkey print are regular quilting cotton. Hope they like the textures. The pattern is my own invention to show off the monkeys.

Here's the back. Leftover monkey fabric and a couple of very cute prints with monkeys I found after the quilt tops were done. One more identical quilt to bind, and these can be mailed. Well before their second birthday!

Also finished the binding on the orange stars for Luke. Soon as I get the binding on his brother's quilt, I can put these in the mail too. Well before they graduate from college!

This is the back of of the orange stars quilt. More orange.  Of course.

I wasn't planning to do anything more with this pinwheel top, but something about it was bugging me. I used the last bits of the black with gold print to border it, and it looks much better. I'd love to add another border in red or purple, but there's not enough of either color for that. I'll just leave it on the wall for awhile to see if I'm inspired what to do next. If not, it will go into the cupboard to keep some other tops company.

Barbara Brackman has started a new blog, Civil War Quilts, where each week she'll give a pattern for an 8-inch block related to the American Civil War. There'll be stories and pictures too. A block a week. That's doable, and I could use up some of my reproduction fabrics that I haven't touched in awhile. Hmmmm. 

In the bag

Four reversible drawstring bags for the nieces.

I was thinking (a phrase that my husband hates when I utter it aloud in his presence) about making some small reversible pouches to put a couple little treats in for my nieces, and the next day while reading blogs I stumbled upon this tutorial on the Pink Penguin blog. Serendipity! Started them last night and finished them up this morning.

Had to make my own ribbon for two of them. My 1/2-inch bias tape maker came in handy and works when your strips are cut straight of grain. I just folded the "bias" tape in half and sewed it together. Having a machine that will let you move your needle position was essential as the 1/4-inch strip had to be over over the feed dogs on one side or it wouldn't be pulled through the machine.

Obviously I didn't do the patchwork part. I'm headed to Orlando for the week for work, then off to visit the nieces in New England so had to keep it simple in order to get these made and the laundry done for maximum available clean underwear for packing.

Haven't managed to do much other sewing except for a bit of applique on the Prairie Flowers. I did step away from the mouse and work on that for a few hours last weekend.

I made this test block for the twins' quilts a couple weeks ago, and that was followed by a burst of half-square-triangle sewing, but now I've got dozens of them to trim to 3.5" and well, that's boring. On the bright side, I tidied up the sewing room to avoid the trimming, which always makes me want to get in there and sew. That'll have to wait until I'm home again week after next.

The twins' monkey wrench variation quilt in progress. I just love the monkey fabric I found for the border.

Another top waits to be quilted

Zach's Sort of Bargello is really a lot brighter than it appears. 52" x 52"

Zach's quilt is done. Minus the back. I did make binding though. Now I can toss it in the pile with the other four waiting to be quilted and get started on the baby quilts for the twins. I like the top-making process lots more than the machine quilting process. Hand quilting? I think not. I've been hand quilting the same wall hanging for years, and most of these latest tops are baby quilts that I would prefer not to give to these kids' kids.

The twin's nursery has blue walls and is decorated in monkeys. Two hours of surfing the Internet and I found this Michael Miller flannel of monkeys playing in the water. Isn't it cute. Would have prefered it wasn't flannel because the babies will be in Atlanta, but it was the cutest monkey fabric I could find. And in person, it's even cuter. I found a block called Monkey Wrench that is not the traditional version. It's more of a snail's trails block. I'm thinking light and dark blues and browns in that pattern with the flannel for the border.