Chelsea Completed

 My Chelsea quilt is completed. I opted to do machine quilting with a pretty pantograph called

 Swirl 'n Twirl. I am very pleased with the results. Even though I had done hand appliqué, 

 I liked the overall design with swirls, as opposed to outlining all the appliqué, especially since it was so busy in many of the backgrounds.

And now the backing - I always enjoy a pretty back and this was a large floral in my stash that turned out to be just the right size.

Chelsea Quilt Top

And now it is a quilt top. . .waiting to be quilted and placed on the wall for viewing! Btw, this quilt pattern is from Kaffe Fassett's Quilts in the Sun book.

 And now what I really did last week! Played with these sweet babies!

 Fed the birds at the park. . .

 had a picnic in the in the backyard . . .

and tried to stay warm at the park!

Last Chelsea Block

Yes, I am really trying to finish some projects this year. I keep telling myself that as new things pop into my head or view to start a new project! So, here is the last block of my Chelsea quilt, begun a year ago.  My biggest mistake was doing this by hand. I could so easily have done it on the machine and finished it long ago as it's a medium-sized wallhanging but . . . . live and learn. Now there is hope for completing it!

New Projects for 2012

 The above Chelsea wall quilt is my first project for the new year. I pieced the background last year and that was as far as I got so this week I've been choosing my applique fabrics and getting them ready to sew. I finished my flower pots and did not have another project ready so my hands are itching to stitch!! This is from Kaffe Fassett's book, Quilts in the Sun.

 Simple Graces is a book I've looked at for a long time so I treated myself in December and purchased it. The cover quilt is my favorite but it has many beautiful patterns.

 This nine patch book by Lisa Bongean & Carole Charles could not be resisted as they had a 'new' way to sew those tiny nine patches. A neat trick I must say! These are miniature quilts, tiny tiny pieces - what was I thinking???

 The above book I received for Christmas. My children know I keep a running list of quilt books I want so I was excited when I received it. It is a great way to use scraps and strips of fabric you have already sewn and did not know what to do with. I've done that many times, plus I always save leftover pieces from quilt projects together so I might make a small quilt with the leftover fabrics. Now I have a huge plastic container waiting for this book. I used to make many charity quilts like that but it has not happened lately.

And, last is another quilt book I received for Christmas - again on my wish list! Totally different than the other but I enjoy trying different types of quilting. It is filled with interesting stories from the farmer's wives and it was cool when I began reading and the contest from which this quilt was born, took place in 1922 - the year that both my parents were born. It made it rather special to connect with that date!

So, looking forward to lots of fun and varied projects in 2012. I've also signed up to work on the little 3" house blocks from Building Houses from Scraps.

Happy Stitching in 2012 and I hope to be able to show some progress with my quilting soon!