needing to finish some UFOs

Last summer I passed around small blocks for special quilt friends to sign as a memory/signature quilt using a Jo Morton pattern. This summer I want to get some UFO's finished to the basting stage where at any future time they will be able to be picked up and hand quilted. Have a number of these to get to that stage but this one
is a beginning. It is now basted and ready for stitching when the time permits. Now to get a few more to this stage. I don't like too many ufo's around so hopefully they look more finished basted. Friends from my applique group, a local quilt guild and the ladies from Good Wives signed memory blocks. This was a good project. Where
I didn't have names for the size of quilt I wanted, I wrote in little quirky quilt sayings like: dull women have clean sewing rooms. Ha! I know my sewing room is in a constant mess.............

More Jan Patek patterns I made.....

These two other Jan Patek patterns were made a few years ago. The larger one is named Country Paths. I worked on this while my husband was in hand therapy some time ago. While his therapist put him thru pain, I was happily stitching the time away on the applique. I will always remember this when looking at this quilt. The basket quilt's name leaves me right now. Love the way Jan Patek makes normal objects look so fun and wonky.

older primitive quilts I have made.......

These are two oldies but goodies made from Jan Patek patterns. One is her block of the month called Collector's Series. I. Love. This. Quilt. The other is her Primitive Primer. My gosh. These early Jan Patek patterns are my favorites of hers.
There are still a couple more of her early patterns I need to make.........they are somewhere on my to do list.

catching up

Extra basket blocks I made were turned into these sweet little mini's that I made for one of my sisters (I have 8), my mom and one for myself. Great for tucking here and there! Have always wanted a little red and white school house quilt so after the red and white quilt extravaganza in NYC in March, I used a small block from a Judie Rothermel pattern and stitched this for myself. I machine quilted it in the style of some old doll quilts from the 1800's you sometimes see. Washed it right away so the cotton batt would shrink and make it look older instead of brand spanking new.

A biggie finished..........

My basket quilt from When the Cold Wind Blows is finally finished. I am so happy with how it turned out. I appliqued the basket in two pieces so I could use a different handle fabric in some of them. Mine is hand appliqued and hand quilted. There are 600 hours of my life in this quilt. It is huge and heavy and beautiful. A ton of work but so worth it. There is quite a bit of quilting on it. I made my background pices a half inch bigger than the original pattern to give me more room
for the applique......this also meant less baskets. I have 265 and I think 45 of the side fluer di leis (spelling?) which I also changed the shape of for easier applique. It turned out better than I even hoped for. Now on to other projects
that were put on hold for the quilting of this beauty.