2018 Finishes - Garden Party #55

This is a table runner from the Thimbleberries program "You're Invited" for the month of March 2007.  When I am typing these dates, I think wow, that was a long time ago, many years ago.  There is no feeling like getting all of these projects finished.  The baggage of unfinished projects can be heavy and discouraging in our quilting world.

Take this table runner for example,  I put it aside this top as the pattern called for quite a bit of appliqué in and around the center blocks.  I don't really like doing appliqué, so I put it away.  When I set out to finish my UFO's, I told myself that I didn't need to do my projects like the pattern, and could do without the appliqué!  What a feeling of control and freedom.  This project turned out simple and something I really like without the appliqué.  We need to learn to do what we like and what it takes to complete projects.

It is a fairly large table runner, measuring 27" X 52".  I have a table it will fit, but I haven't used it yet.  I'm thinking of using it a gift for a distant friend who really appreciates the work that goes into these projects.  

Also, I had to get creative for the backing.  This is a different color value that Thimbleberries tried (and failed in my humble opinion), but it then cause difficulty in getting a matching or a close to matching fabric to use on the back.  Then, I remembered that during the participation in this program, they sent me two of these kits by a mail mix up, when I called about it they told me I could just keep the second kit for free.  I dug through my bins of kits and found the duplicate, and I had enough to create a backing using two of the fabrics from the front.  Win! Win!  The rest of the kit went into the scrap bin for future scrap quilts.

Warmest...

Size: 27" x 52"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Red, Yellow, Blue, Green

Pattern:  Garden Party (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 03/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Sugar Pines - #51

This finish is another quilt from the Thimbleberries program called "You're Invited".  It was a kit for the month of July back in 2007.   I believe it is a table topper, but if I had given it more thought, I think it would have been a great Christmas tree skirt.

The piece measures 46" X 46", with four focus blocks that have an embroidered leafless tree in each block.  

I opted to do the embroidery on my domestic machine. using a simple zig-zag stitch.  Once it was quilted, it looked just as nice as if I had done it by hand.

This kit was done in darker Christmas colors and a border with a Christmas flower.

I the binding is done in red and the backing has all the colors of the front of the kit.

Warmest...

Size: 46" x 46"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors: Gold, Green, Red

Pattern:  Sugar Pines (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 07/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Star Blossom - #49

I am working my way through the programs that I have kits from, and this is another one from the Thimbleberries program "You're Invited" for April 2007.  It is called "Star Blossom" and is a quilt / table topper.   This one would look nice on a table because of the way the five stars are laid out in the middle.

This has a fall look about it with the colors used in the top.

Just a close up of the star, and the other blocks.  I used a scrappy binding to use up the leftover fabric from the top.

I have used this backing on several of my Thimbleberries quilts, as it has the colors of most of Lynette's color palette, and it comes in a 108" width, making it an easy go to fabric for a lot of these quilt kits.  

Size: 42" x 42"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Black Gold, red, Green

Pattern:  Star Blossom (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 04/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Fresh As A Daisy - #47

Another square quilt / table topper from the Thimbleberries program "You're Invited".  This is called Fresh A Daisy for February 2007.  

This has nine blocks with each one appliquéd in the center of a daisy using blue and pink fabric.  I machined on the appliqué design using a blanket stitch on my domestic machine.  Each appliqué is done on the same background fabric, and then each block is framed with the same fabric from the fabric used as the petals or from the borders.

This is one of only a few quilts that I have done that have different fabrics for one border.  Gives a whole different look to a quilt.  I really like it for this quilt.  Gives it a whimsical look.

Close up of a couple of the daisies and the framing.

The binding was done in yellow, matching the small inner border, tying it all together quite nice.

I had several strips leftover from the petals, frames and borders, so I stitched them together for the backing.   I was still short, so I found some fabric that had all the colors in this quilt top, and stitched it to the top and bottom of the backing.  It now is a double sided quilt with a different pattern on the front and the back.  

Warmest...

Size: 56" x 56"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Pastel blue, pink, yellow

Pattern:  Fresh As A Daisy (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 02/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Party Pumpkins - #50

I don't celebrate Halloween, but I do like the fall decorations, and this is perfect for those who like fall and Halloween.  

This is another quilt (more like a wall hanging or a table top covering) from the "You're Invited" program club of 2006 - 2007.  This one is from June 2007.  It is another one that I did the top and left the borders, quilting, and binding for later.  That later came this year.  I am trying to take each of these programs that I signed up for and had the tops started and get them completed.  Since this was over ten years ago, and my tastes have changed, if I haven't done the top and don't like the quit, I have taken the kit apart and put the fabric in the Thimbleberries scrap bin.  I really would like to work on scrap quilts rather than a kit I no longer care about.

This quilt has appliquéd blocks at the top and bottom of the center of the quilt and a strip brick center of various fall colored prints.  The pumpkins and moon pieces are machined sewn with a blanket stitch I have on my Huskvana Quilt Designer sewing machine.  That was the only machine I owned until I got hooked on Vintage Sewing machines.  I will be blogging about them more later this year.

Again, this is more of a wall hanging / table topper as is is only 48" X 52"  

The border has a triangle flying geese as its first border, and then a matching strip border that matches the dark triangles.  

I wish I had gone with a darker backing to go with better with the front colors, but it matches the triangles from the border, so all is well.  At least the binding is dark and a matching fall color with the front fabrics.

Warmest...

Size: 48" x 52"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Black Gold, Orange, Green

Pattern:  Party Pumpkins (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 06/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - TB Frizzle Frazzle - #46

This is a quilt top that I finished all except the borders, back in 2006 or 2007.  My memory gets a little fuzzy about projects, mostly because I didn't start tracking in writing about what I was working on until around 2012 when I started this blog.

This is another yearly program, where you get a kit a month, by Thimbleberries called, "You're Invited", and this kit is for June, 2006.

This quilt is made with flannels and homespun plaids.  The two plaid prints that are the square in a square sewn on top of the flannel square.  I used a zig zag to stitch on these squares leaving the raw edges exposed. All I had to do to finish it this year was to add the borders, find a close matching backing, get it quilted, and get it bound.

I gave this quilt to my husband to use in the mornings during the winter, while the house is warming up.  He drinks coffee and has a bite of breakfast before going to work and wanted something that was warm but not heavy.  This quilt is only the flannel top and a flannel back, with no batting in the middle.  He said it works perfect for him.  It is also long enough for his 6'1" frame, so his feet are covered too!

Here is a close up of the homespun square in a square patches on the flannel blocks.  

This is a close up of the flannel borders used in this quilt, and I used the backing flannel for the binding.

Here is a better picture of the binding of the backing that was used for this quilt.  This is the quilt that I wanted to use #45's quilt top for it's backing, but the #45 quilt was way smaller, and ended up not working as a backing, so that is why I went ahead and made #45 "Campfire".  The backing is by Wool & Needle Flannels by Primative Gatherings, as I had to get a close matching backing, as it is 12 years later that I get this one out to finish.  

My long arm quilter used an all over stipple to do this quilt, and she stippled over the appliquéd square in a square blocks, which will help with the fraying and holding it down better.

Warmest

Size: 68" x 81"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries Flannel

Colors:  Red, Green Gold, Brown

Pattern:  Frizzle Frazzle (Lynette"s "You're Invited" 05/06)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2006

Year Completed: 2018