FWQAL Block #3 Basket

I am really enjoying working on the Farmer's Wife Quilt. I am still behind, as I started on week 4 so right off the bat I was 8 blocks behind. But oh well, hopefully I'll have a catch-up week. 

Here is block #3 - Basket:

Here are the templates I needed (a lot!):

Here are the background pieces all cut out. I knew that I wanted to use this fabric for the background.

But, I just couldn't decide on which fabric to use for the basket:
 

Although I think that the burgundy matched the best, but I really liked the way the tomato color popped:
 

Here is the final block (almost):

I haven't done the basket handle yet. I cut it out, but I have NO EXPERIENCE with applique. I want to practice a few times before I try it on the final block.

You can take a look at my flickr account for all my FWQAL photos!


xoxo

No More Bento!

I finally finished up the Bento Box quilt that I have been working on seemingly FOREVER.

My little cousin graduated high school last weekend and I thought that it would be the perfect quilt for her. Naturally, I didn't decide this until 2 nights before graduation, and the quilt was still not bound. I really wanted to try out hand-binding this time around too, so that added to the pressure!

I worked like a mad woman trying to finish the binding on this quilt, and did so just in time for her post graduation luncheon. I was 10 minutes late, but I beat some other family members there, so it was worth it.

It took me a while to get into the hand binding groove. Once I did though, I REALLY got going. 

Unfortunately, I was in such a rush finishing and gifting this quilt that I completely forgot to label it or take any photos of it bound. WOOPS! My uncle snapped a shot of my cousin Taylor and I with the quilt, but I haven't received a copy yet. 

I ended up binding the quilt in a royal blue-ish solid cotton fabric. It really looked great! 

Because I have no final photos, here are some of my favorites from the series:

 (Cutting out the fabrics)

 (Initial blocks put together)

 (Cut up and arranged for the bento)

 (Quilt top all pieced)

 (Quilt top all basted)

 (Chugging along on the sewing machine)

 (All quilted)

(Backed in a gorgeous Soul Blossoms fabric)

Project Stats:

• Fabric from Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms line in the Bliss colorway
• Measures about 75x60 inches. I think that makes it a lap quilt.
• Warm & White 100% cotton batting
• Started the quilt on March 3, 2011 and finished on June 25, 2011. That means it took me almost 4 months to finished this one. BOO! BUT, there were 7 blog posts about the quilt, which means it took me 7 sewing sittings to get it finished. That's not too bad, right?
• It was gifted to my beautiful little cousin Taylor to bring to college 
• Blog posts can be found here:
• Bento Box Quilt
• Chopping it Up
• Quilt Top
• More Bento
• Finished Quilt Top
• Bento Bento Bento!
• Bento Binding

Ooo, this is another item off my bucket list! You can see this finished project at my flickr page along with all of my other finished projects.

As of right now I have been finishing projects at a pace of about 2 projects a month. I was hoping to have a new project each week, but, that's life right? With the moving coming up this month, I hope that I don't slow down to even less than 2 completed projects a month.

xoxo

House!

Hiii,

Remember how I told you that my husband and I have been looking for a house? Well... we found one! Right now we are under contract for our first home and we couldn't be more excited/nervous/anxious/terrified.

I hope that I am not jinxing myself here, but I want to share a picture of it with you. I am pretty confident that you will love it just as much as we do.

Oh my gosh don't you LOVE IT?? 

Can anyone tell me what that tree is in our front yard? The picture might not be close enough, but the leaves look IDENTICAL to gingko leaves, but when I google image a gingko tree, it looks nothing like the images.

Anyway, we are so excited! We will likely be closing in the middle-end of July. WOW I better start packing! Luckily we are only moving 15 minutes from our current apartment, so the move shouldn't be too too bad. 

Thanks for letting me share with you, we are SO EXCITED!

I've said we're excited about 8 times in this post, don't mind me. 




xoxo