My current projects

I'm up early this morning and have already gotten my walk out of the way...4254 steps. Not as many steps as I would like, but better than none! It was best to get that out of the way early as today is suppose to be hot and humid. I don't like heat because I don't like to sweat.

I mentioned in my entry yesterday that I would show some pics of my current applique project. I guess I should give a little background before the pictures. In 2004, when both of our children were entering advanced degree programs, I decided I needed to make them both a quilt as a graduation gift. These quilts needed to be special since I knew they would both work very hard to graduate. Something really special....hmmmm! So, being the kind of person I am....never picking something easy....I selected Dear Jane for DS and the Conway Album Quilt for DD. Along the way DD happened to find out about hers, but DS did not. I started the applique in Aug. 2004 and the DJ in Sept. 2004. Since that time, I worked on nothing but these 2 quilts and my work for an applique class I take. Other than that....no starting a new project as I really wanted to finish these (my mystery quilt I just did is the first new project since 2004!). Time did run out, but I was able to get the top finished for DS. DD had told me to get his top put together as she was content just knowing that I was working on hers. He graduated a week before her and after her graduation, we had a little family get together. I gave him is top...and gave her "blocks in a box" along with a picture of a finished quilt. They were both very pleased and said they were happy to wait however long it takes me to get them finished. I told them I would not start quilting his until I had her top finished. I think I will actually prepare them for quilting at the same time. They both know about the quilts....but they do not know that I have kept a journal for each of them as I have worked on their quilts. I started each with an entry telling them why I was making them, what I was thinking when I selected fabrics, what was going on in our life and the world, and I even kept the receipts from the fabric purchase and have attached them in the journal. I tried to make an entry every time I worked on them and I will continue to keep the journal until the last stitch is in the binding. Then I will give them the finished quilt and the journal. This is a picture of them as they opened their packages.



This is his quilt. I decided not to do the triangles! To be honest...I grew really tired of working on this quilt. I don't think I will do another like it or at least not anytime soon. I do not enjoy doing paper piecing, so many of the blocks are hand pieced. The easier ones with larger pieces were machine pieced.

These are the blocks for her quilt that I have finished. I still have one of the 12 1/2 inch blocks to finish and also the large center medallion. I don't know that I would make this one again either, but I do enjoy working on it. It has a lot of rusching which is going to make the top very heavy. I think I am just an "applique person!" I look forward to posting a picture of a completed top with these blocks!