I always get inspired in the new year to finish up those UFO’s. In the past, I’ve followed my own criteria of two finishes and then a start. So I have to finish up two quilts before I can start a new one. Here are the first two quilts I finished up already this year.
First of all is this little baby quilt. I already had this one basted and ready for hand quilting so it didn’t take long to finish. A few evenings listening to Lord of the Rings with the family and I had it completed.
I think these blocks were from a few little favorite pieces leftover from my Scrap Quilt Diary book. They didn’t really have any cohesive color scheme, but I loved all the fabrics.
The back is an extremely soft piece of double gauze that I bought long ago. It’s not the crinkly kind of double gauze that we often think of. It’s more of a true gauze in that it’s multiple layers of thin fabric together and somehow it makes a very soft breathable feel.
This next one is a fourth version of my Country Star Medallion Pattern. I wanted to make a version with Dresden Plates in the corner. I also wanted to try out a soft country color scheme. This is quite a cohesive pulled together color palette for me. I think I was trying to mimic more what it would look like if you used a fat quarter bundle of a collection. Because yes, I made this pattern to work with a fat quarter bundle! But since I don’t have any of those myself, I had to simulate one by pulling from my stash in a coordinated way and using fat quarters to make sure it all worked well.
I did these Dresden Plates in the corner to add some interest instead of the applique in the pattern. I love dresden plates and you could use any template, mine ended up almost too big for this 15″ square. I just top stitched them down by machine as I was trying to show the quick and simple version of this quilt!
The back is this wide back piece that I’d been saving for awhile and it just seemed to work well on this quilt. I machine quilted it in my usual straight lines and now that’s my first two quilts completed! I’ve since finished another one and starting on another UFO, all without starting a new project. I’ve actually been enthused to finish these all up, so I haven’t need the incentive of starting a new project. We’ll see how long that lasts!
Both of these quilts, as well as the pattern, are available in my Etsy shop.
I really love the country star medallion, especially this version. I checked your Etsy store and didn’t see the pattern. Do you have it at your store?
Thanks! Your quilts are beautiful!
Beautiful as always
Fun to see the January finishes. The Dresden Plates work so well. I was kind of looking out for a post from you announcing your next book. Currently, I am working on your Country Star pattern. It is a joy. My mom is moving into memory care which is hard. Making this quilt with fabrics from her old clothes, thrifted linens and her old stash feels right. I hope it will seem familiar even though it is new and be extra comfort in what could be a difficult transition.
Such beautiful quilts! I love how the baby quilt has no matching fabrics, but looks perfect anyway. When I started quilting and collecting a bit of fabric, I tried to stick to a “style”. For a while that was fabrics that have the vintage thirties feel. But then I just started adding any coupons that I liked, and my husbands old shirts, and bits of fabric left over from sewing my own clothes. And somehow I now have a bunch of fabrics that go together for me. I have created my own fabric pallette, I think. I recently went through all my WIPs, and I should start finishing some. There are some projects I know are not going to become full size quilts, that I might finish as doll quilts. There are quilts all basted and ready for quilting, that I might try straight line quilting by machine, or maybe by hand. And there are some that I have been working on for years, and still really, really love!
I always love your quilts. Both quilts are beautiful…. As usual.
I just finished 2 baby quilts… though I still have more UFOs to complete. I like your “finish 2 before starting another.”
I just bought a new sewing machine, so I’m trying to learn to drive it.