I'm squeaking in, just under the wire!

Linking up to Amy's wonderful, virtual quilt show, where bloggers everywhere post their creations for all to ooh and ahh over, and even to vote for favorites, and for winners to be awarded prizes! I'm just happy to join the party, and to share the fun of sharing in the creativity.

Poppy's Quilt

The first time I joined in the Flickr-based 3x6 Sampler Quilt Bee, I asked for blocks from my fellow sewists in pink, purple, and rainbow colors, featuring novelty prints or other fabrics with images that would make a little girl happy. I planned to make an I Spy quilt for my granddaughter, Poppy.

White background, color background,
 circle, square, x-shape,
images of animals, sweet, and toys...
how best to arrange them?!

Over a few rounds of the bee, I received many colorful and charming blocks, and I made a few myself, too. As the collection grew to make a bed-size quilt, I wondered how I would quilt it on my little sewing machine. After perusing many techniques on several blogs, I came up with my own idea. I tried to share it in this post, where I gained enormous admiration for bloggers who regularly share wonderfully organized, explained, and photographed tutorials!

Lining up the sashing as I add another section of the quilt top
 to an already quilted section.

Ready to Frankenstein some batting between these layers
of quilt top and backing, abutting an already quilted section.

(Just call me Igor)

My plan worked beautifully, and I explored quilting each block with its own, unique design. Swirls, loops, straight lines and curvy lines, cross-hatching and meandering, flowers and vines and feathers... I tried it all, I enjoyed it all, and I'm pretty proud of all of it, too!

Poppy received her quilt in the mail, and was very pleased with it! She sleeps under it every night, and when she noticed that many of the blocks have designs in the shape of Xs and Os, I told her they mean she's sleeping under hugs and kisses.

This is my only bed-size quilt so far...  There are so many patterns and ideas I want to try, I don't know when I'll commit to a big one again!

Best wishes to all my fellow bloggers who are showing a quilt project on Amy's linky party! Your creations are wonderfully inspiring, thank you for sharing!

Quilt Measurements: 72"x94"
Special Techniques Used: Modified Quilt-As-You-Go
Quilted by: Me, on my small, domestic machine
Best Category: Group or Bee Quilt, Bed Quilt
If you'd like to vote for this on BQF, this is entry # 626

The Pressure's Off!

Pour me a glass of wine, and serve up some of those brownies I baked! I've submitted this year's fafsa application. Pour me a glass of wine, and serve up some of those brownies I baked! I've submitted this year's fafsa application!I'm incredibly grateful for the financial aid Kathryn receives in order to attend Lewis & Clark College. She is so happy there, and growing so beautifully, intellectually and personally. Every year, though, I have to fill out the online form for the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid, and it's a booger! First, our tax return must be completed. Again, I'm so grateful that someone else does it for us! Still, it must be done before the end of February (the fafsa deadline),which is a nuisance. Then, it's a matter of transferring information from the IRS 1040 to the fafsa; shouldn't be too hard, right? Except that there are always questions about whether a bit of information belongs on the student section or the parent section, and what's considered taxable income, and the problem of changing labels for certain elements. Not to mention the eviscerating feeling of poring over and exposing our numeric value.

Now it's done for the year! And I realize it's weighed on me all month, and I'd also pressed myself to complete a quilt for Laura's birthday (which I love!), and to make a birthday present for Poppy's 4th! I'll show photos of those soon!