In All Things - GIVE THANKS.

2020 has certainly been one year for the record books.  It seems every month we were hit with a new catastrophe.  

And yet, we can always find something for which we can give thanks.

Three Cheers for the LAQ ! ! !

 

She is a miracle worker and worth every penny you ( I ) pay her (him)!

When I started quilting (10 years ago?) I didn't think I'd ever want to pay someone to actually QUILT the tops I pieced. 
I thought it was too expensive.  But, honestly, the quilting is what makes the quilt.  Even tops I literally hated when they were finally finished turned out to be be quite lovely when the quilting was added (I can think of more than a few.)

Then there is the ever-so-quick, cheater quilt that starts from a panel.  Now, don't B-B-Q me yet, I like panels and some of the quilts created from panels are WONDERFUL.  But, I do feel somewhat like a fraud when I resort to a panel.  

Back in September (which feels like AGES ago, now) Miss Kate was tidying-up her studio and gifted me a baby quilt panel with assorted fabrics.  What luck!  Because I needed to make a baby quilt for an extended family member expecting her 2nd daughter this month, November.

TA-DAH!  I must admit it turned out better than I expected.

 

When I'm using panels, I'll often jazz it up a bit by adding something to the back, or piecing the border.
After all, it does need to look like I put some effort into the thing, right?

 A close-up of the quilting. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 But Wait!  There's More!

I also needed lap quilts for the upcoming birthdays of two young boys, one my youngest g-son.  Again, I resorted to cheating.  Again the LAQ saved my butt!  Bless you, Faith!  I owe you, big time.

 

 

This baseball quilt does not have any piecing at all! And, yet after the quilting was added, it's passable. Of course you can see the Minions started with a panel.   This was something my youngest g-son and I were going to do together, but I decided it needed to get done and out of my studio.  (West and I will need to decide on another project.)

All the quilts I needed before the end of the year are now complete. The remainder of the year I can focus on fun, little Christmas projects.   Happy things I can create to give away, cheering up others' lives, too.

 2021 will be a new year, a fresh start.  A better year with new quilts to make and hopefully no masks!

Update:  12/12/20  Even simple quilts are a BIG hit!

Labels Revisited

Was it just last month (or the month before?) that we discussed labels?  Click Here

The days are flying by, but in some ways it feels like 2020 has been around FOREVER, am I right?

After I wrote the September post on labels, my good friend and quilting buddy, Dawn White wrote this post on labels.   

Click HERE to read this post.

Dawn's method  WORKS!  I must say I'm very pleased with the final result.   Some modification was required as I had two labels to print and I wanted different backgrounds.  Using a piece of cellophane tape to join the two pieces worked like a charm.  There was some concern that cellophane tape would gum up the printer....but, it did not.

This quilt is headed off to a Northern destination where they really do have winter weather.

 

Destination, off to a state where they never get winter weather, per se,
but my young, great-grand niece can still cuddle up.

There are a lot of benefits to this method:  The label fabric can match or compliment the quilt fabric.
No special printer label fabric is needed, so we're saving money.
It's attractive.  It looks festive.  Win, Win, Win.

A great method for all future quilt labels.

Thank you, Dawn White.

Update:  December 13, 2020

I think she likes it....feels good, doesn't it?

And Just Like That, It's November

 

Marching on to Thanksgiving....... Then, Christmas......and FINALLY a brand new year!

 

I continue to work my Blue-No-More plan Click HERE and HERE. And, I think it is working.  I'm drinking less and sewing more;  actually put the binding on two lap quilts and am getting the labels ready and attached as-we-speak.  (More on the labels in the next post.)  Just finishing that much made me feel good and like something was accomplished!  Isn't that a nice feeling?

So, WELCOME NOVEMBER!  We CAN do this!!

Leaving you with this cheery picture of my littlest little burglar.