BOMs Away

Two busy weeks have gone by since I posted! I have been doing some quilting, I just haven't been on the computer much. Today I stitched up Block #11 for my Hearts and Flowers Quilt, led by a group that meets monthly for Show n Tell at Hancock's in Vegas. I signed up for the BOM last fall, to meet other quilter's in the area, and to admire the quilts that are shared. It is a great deal and they provide the pattern and fabric each month. I took two prints out of the design, and added the royal blue one,

 

This is the first time I have put them out to consider placement and border options. Through the months, I tried to have equal background lights and darks..

 

I will let them hang this week and consider layouts while I get back to finishing some baby quilts,

 

and back to the sewing wallets I am completing for my Etsy shop.  

 

 

They're almost done..

 

 

 

how bout a sneak peek...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linking up to BOMs Away at What a Hoot Quilts.

Free Motion Quilting / Finish It Friday

Lately I have been doing a lot of experimenting with techniques new to me.

This week I tried a FMQ tip that has been in the back of my mind for some time now, so I thought I would link up with Leah Day's FMQ Friday Party ..

I tried this sticker tip and stitched all around them.  It worked best stitching close to the sticker edges, and I wish I had done more than I did on my practice sandwich. The stickers did not catch the foot much, and I got pretty good at it by the time I completed the quilt, but I did wish I had placed the stickers closer together, and it probably took longer than it would have had I just marked it.

In the future, I may use the stickers for general layout, by placing them randomly to mark size and placement references for FMQ. Perhaps to mark a quilt, or to practice repetition.
And this may have worked better with smaller dots.

 

And to celebrate another finish, I linked with TGIFF, hosted this week at Quilt Matters, and with Crazy Mom Quilts, to share my curvy-pieced, minky dot-backed, and machine-binded baby quilt, three more new techniques for me:-)

 Many times I think I will do a binding by machine and end up doing my traditional, hand-stitched binding, but it seems suitable for this type quilt and the minky kinda hides the topstitch.

 I did not use a batting, and I quilted with large loops , and wavy lines. I used pins every 2", which actually made it hard to keep smooth stitching loopsies since the pins were always in the way.

 

Last week I was the lucky Quilt Along winner over at Christa's Quilts. When she mentioned I could opt for store credit rather than the titanium needles and batting tape (both of which I do want to try), I shamefully turned my winnings toward fabric from her awesome clearance section,

AND I qualified for Christa's Candy/mystery scraps as well...  I LOVE her store!

And I LOVE to find fabric in my mailbox!