A new quilt! And a Blogaversary!

O my goodness! So much to celebrate!

I finished a new quilt, and I didn't even tell you about it while it was in progress! Here is my version of it; it's called High Light:

And here is the original version of it, as it appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Quilts and More:

The two photos above are a closer picture of one block (19"--yes, they are huge!) and a bit more detail.

Above is the back; I am really liking pieced backings (amandajean does a TON of these over on her blog), so when I run out of larger pieces, I incorporate piecing into the backing of other fabrics, usually used on the front. Waste not, want not. I also quilted this at the same nearby quilt shop where I rented time on their long arm for some of my other quilts (I blogged about it earlier).

When I finished the quilt, I used Lisa's idea:

I made a pincushion with the scraps, using a pattern I found in this book:

Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts

And I have blogging about quilting for a year now! Wow!

A new quilting guild!

Today we got together to create what we hope will become a new quilting guild in our area; you can hop on over to our new blog to find out more about it!

Many thanks to Carol, who worked hard to bring this together, and who also gave each of us TWO fat quarters! We will each create a 12.5" block (or two) to put into a group quilt (or two):

The girls and I will each create two blocks, so that is why you see three sets of fat quarters. We'll keep you posted!

Long arm quilting machine rental: Picture This batik quilt

I recently spent a couple of days at the nearby quilt shop that allows you to rent time on their long arm quilting machine (I blogged about it earlier). It is SO addicting!

(I don't want to reveal too much of this quilt just yet, as I am in the process of binding it now!) This is the Picture This quilt for which I took a class back in May (I blogged about it earlier), and I was able to finish the squares in the alloted class time. I am just now getting it quilted. I'm hoping I don't take that long to get the binding on.

Because I added borders to this Picture This quilt, it went from about a twin size to being able to fit our king size bed! It therefore took a lot more to quilt it than I'd anticipated, but I was still able to get it done during the two hour session, and the girls even had time to do some experimental quilting of their own.

Memory quilt

If are looking to create a special, memorable quilt from pictures of loved ones, you will need a special fabric that has been created to act like printer paper in your printer:

These Printed Treasures Printer Fabric Sew-In Sheets are 100% cotton, and they are designed specifically for you to be able to photocopy your pictures onto the fabric sheets, and then sew them up just as you would any other fabric.

Friendship Bag Swap: Sent!

I sent my Friendship bag to my swap partner last month, in order for it to travel to Canada to my swap partner in time. Now that she has received it, I can show you a picture.

I realize the picture is crummy (why did I think a dark background would be best?) but here is the bag that I created with a Moda Honey Bun. I included an embroidered bookmark, ribbon, and buttons as little goodies inside of the bag. I was so tickled; my swap partner was Michelle herself--the coordinator of the swap! You can find her at the Quilting Gallery. Here is the bag I received - a Laurel Burch, no less! Here is the flickr pool of photos of some of the bags given/received in this swap; aren't they cute?