The Tickled Pink Beachy Quilt...

Every year my local quilt shop, A Quilted Heart, puts on a fantastic fundraiser for breast cancer research called Tickled Pink.  A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to be asked to help with the organizing of the event...a highlight in my year!

Tickled Pink 2015 (I don't have pictures from last year's...strange)

The event is a 12 hour sew-in...dinner included!  There is some free sew time, eating time (all the time), silent auction and raffle time, group bee-sewing time of a huge charity quilt (raffled off the following year at Relay for Life) and after midnight there is "mystery quilt" time.

Last year the event's theme was Toes in the Sand...and I picked some cute fabric 1/3 yard cuts I had in my stash that were very beachy for the "mystery quilt".

And got to sewing...well, at least as much as I could functioning on no sleep at 2 in the morning!

I sent the quilt to Missouri Star Quilt Co for long-arm quilting...

...FLIP-FLOPS!  How perfect is that!

I just love how everything turned out...this one may find a permanent place in my home...hmmm

Some Stats for the quilt:
Size: 68" X 74"
Quilting: Missouri Star Quilting - flip-flops
Started: 10/15/16
Finished: 02/10/17
Fabric Used: All stash, but not all scraps

This makes finish #3 for 2017...and 44 remaining UFO's (8 remaining on the 1stQ List)

Finish No.2 - 1st Q

I've finished my second project from my 2017 Finish-a-Long 1st Quarter list...yay!

Part of my strategy for finishing up all of my...ahem... 47 remaining UFO's (yes, I've added 7 new one this year), is to spend a little time with each of them...and decide if it is a project I want to finish.

With Clovers, I decided I really love the pattern (Fig Tree & Co has such cute patterns!)...and I used to really like the fabrics, but honestly...

...they were old-old stash, back from when I started quilting in the mid-90's.

So with that in mind...I had 12 blocks done, two each of six different fabric match-ups.  I decided that was enough to make a small version.

I laid out 9 of the blocks, 3X3...used the pattern's sashing instructions, and added just one outside border.  Done!

Aren't my mom's camelias beautiful!

I used it as a practice piece for FMQ meandering in the background, and did some straight line quilting with my walking-foot in the "clovers".

I took it up to my mom's to take some pictures...and she just loved it, so there it stayed!

Backing...my mom loved this fabric!  I was just trying to use it up!

Some Stats for the quilt:
Size: 46" X 46"
Quilting: FMQ meander and walking-foot straight lines on my Pfaff
Started: 01/21/12
Finished: 02/07/17
Fabric Used: All stash - 100%! (and some very-very old)

2nd item checked off my UFO list!

This makes finish #2 for 2017...and 45 remaining UFO's (8 remaining on the 1stQ List)

Finish No. 1 - 1st Quarter

Finish No.1!  And so much fun to make!

When I was at Quiltcon last year, I took a fun class with Amy Smart, Advanced Piecing Techniques.  One of the techniques we talked about in the class was partial seams and piecing hexagons and after lessons, we were allowed to use the Accu-Cut machines in class...I cut all the fabric scraps I brought, into a bunch of really big hexagons.

Fast forward 10 months....I decided to just piece them all together and play with some fun FMQ flowers in each patch.  I'm happy with how the flowers turned out, they are kinda hibiscus looking.

We also talked about diamond piecing...

I found this great bright plaid in my stash for the binding...and there you have it, finish No. 1.

I gifted this quilt to a friend's granddaughter...I hope she uses it and loves it until it falls to pieces!

Some Stats for the quilt:
Size: 40" X 45"
Quilting: FMQ flowers and loops on my Pfaff
Started: 02/20/16
Finished: 02/06/17
Fabric Used: All stash - 100%! (I love when I can do that!)

1st item checked off my UFO list!

This makes finish #1 for 2017...and 46 remaining UFO's (9 remaining on the 1st Q List)