Labels and sleeves

No new glorious finishes to post this week, as of yet, although Wonky Baskets is about 2/3 quilted right now.  The only thing I can say about that is that "Spiral-Mania" continues.  In fact, I'm thinking it's going to be my new go-to quilting design.  A friend with FABULOUS color sense (Carol) is definitely a piecer.  Pulling fabrics and piecing is her favorite part, the very best of fun.  She always quilts her quilts herself, and has no time or desire to spend a lot of time improving her free-motion skills.  So she keeps it simple, sometimes using lines, grid or whatever, but her go-to is a meander.  Similar to a stipple but larger, soft and meandering.  And her quilts are magnificent!

To me, the hardest part of finishing is deciding HOW to quilt it.  The last two or three quilts I've quilted, I was most fortunate to know EXACTLY how I was going to quilt them before the backings were even pieced.  Which makes it sooooo easy to finish!

Otherwise, I have to get out my quilting books and my binders (2 large ones) of quilting designs, and sit on the floor of my quilting room, flipping thru, waiting for inspiration to strike.  A "Go-To" quilting design would make it easier.  So maybe I know have one!  Or I'm doing a "SERIES".  Which quilters do sometimes.

I made labels this week for several completed quilts.  You label yours, don't you???  How?  I type them on the computer, including info about it, who it's for (if gifting) when and where I made it and the batting in it.  If a gift, washing instructions.  I add strips on all four sides from my bin of ! 1/2" strips, turn the edges, press, and then stitch down by hand, always in the lower right-hand corner of the back of the quilt.   I do NOT want quilts I gift you to sit on a shelf!!!  They are to be used----cuddled with, hung on a wall, whatever, but USED.  Hopefully......loved.

Also made & stiched down a sleeve, and mailed a quilty gift to a niece on the east coast.

Record-keeping is important, so I designed something for ME that I think will work very well.  I think that deserves its own blog entry, so more on that later.

GLHQ had their annual Mystery Quilt Day, which I always enjoy.  It used to be just "Quilt Day", but a mystery quilt pattern was always involved.  Somewhere along the line, that part of it became larger than life and Quilt Day is always known now as Mystery Quilt Day.  I don't always do the mystery.  Mystery patterns are difficult.  It's easy to get poor results.  Depends a lot on the pattern and the fabric instructions given, how well that is communicated.  This year's committee did a great job, and there were beautiful quilts in progress by the end of the day.

There's a baby quilt I needed to make, so I used a Moda Charm pack for, added 12 more 5" squares from my stash and some wonderful scrappy backgrounds.  Pattern is X's and O's, which was featured in Block Magazine by Missouri Start Quilt Company recently.

Until this is finished, all you get is this tantalizing glimpse.  Sorry for the lack of pictures today!  I promise, next week will be better!