Quilting Purple Kisses, & A Coupla Finishes!

Do you spend too much time choosing a quilting design for your quilt tops?

I have really been working to improve my planning so that once a quilt is basted and ready to roll, it doesn't sit around waiting for me to change my mind repeatedly while mulling over sketches and old FMQ swatches. I have made several tops with the quilting actually in mind prior to the patchwork being completed, and it is nice - if I actually stick to the plan. Inevitably, some new idea pops into my mind though, and I set about sketching all different options to contemplate.

Under the Juki today I have Purple Kisses, the quilt top I finished this spring with Christa's Quilt Along. I am not sure exactly my quilting plan on this one, but I spent enough time thinking about it and decided to get a move on. Christa presses seams open when piecing, and I pressed all the four patch seams open. I knew that I wanted to avoid in-the-ditch quilting on open seams and decided to first outline the pattern that I want to emphasize.

For the purple X's, I will probably channel two more lines to connect them all.

I like the pattern the O's make with the snowballs included. I have in mind a line pattern - kinda like the NM flag, but it leaves the center snowball open and undecided. Maybe some sort of filler, but probably I will try to mimic the purple part a bit, with whatever ends up between the lines. Maybe someone from Leah Day's FMQFriday will have a great idea;-)

We had friends visit from Washington State this week, passing through from Southern California on to the Grand Canyon. They were hit hard with the 115 degree temps and we did not go touristing on The Strip, but stayed home with the A/C. Lovely visit, our favorite kind:-)

I managed a couple finishes for Friday sharing:

I quick-stitched-up-and-mailed these tiny little trees after I read Amy's plea for Village Blocks

At last, the binding on Terry's Log Cabin is complete!

 

I enjoyed a good chuckle this morning when I read yesterday's post at Lily's Quilts, on being 47.

Two weeks ago, I happened upon this little treasure at an estate sale..

This needle threader gizmo is the type of thing I would see at a craft store and walk right by.
But oh, I have found it to be so sweet. It saves all kinds of time. I have even left my quilting room to use this gizmo, which is now part of the living room décor. How thankful I am for this find!

If you look, you may be able to see the knot in my thread right at the base of the needle. Am I the only one who stitched who-knows-how-many bindings without realizing this trick? Another time saver I am now thankfully aware of...

I finished up two more orphan-block pillows.
Both are backed with chenille and include hidden zippers.

I have several projects in the works I had intended to blog about this week. Although I have continued to read posts I follow, I do not write from my phone and have not been posting or commenting for awhile. I look forward to doing a bit of blog-touring this weekend:-)

Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?, TGIFF