A Rainy Sunday ~~~ Perfect For Working on UFO's

It's another rainy Sunday here in Northern California.  I'm so thankful for the rain.  We really needed it and it's a very good excuse...not that I needed an excuse....to stay warm & dry inside and work on finishing up some projects that have been in my UFO pile for quite a while.

I'm hoping to finish this cute quilted placemat set.  They are so cheerful and just right for dressing up a table in happy Springtime colors. I love the green side panels and all the happy little flowers that make up the body of each placemat.

 I finished them off with some really great backing fabric featuring butterflies and colorful eggs and MORE happy Springtime flowers.






And the yellow binding ties all of it together so perfectly.







I've been busy knitting up some great dishcloths in light, springtime colors too.  I'll be adding a couple of bundles to my Etsy shop but I like them so much I may keep one or two just for myself!

I have a couple of larger quilting projects I've been working on this winter.  They are almost completed and I'll post photos just as soon as I get them finished.  Large quilting projects feel sometimes like old friends that you've come to know really well.  I always feel a bit of a let-down when I finish one of them...a wee bit sad that the work is over but also satisfied with how beautiful the quilt is.

And then there is the excitement of planning a new project, picking out the colors and the fabric and choosing the design.  I'm usually not as organized in planning the project as some of my quilting friends are.  Many of them plan with a certain goal in sight.  Maybe they have a friend who is ill and they want to make a quilt that will be comforting.  Or a friend's baby is on the way and they want to give a special gift.  Baby quilts are always great fun to make and a wonderful way to express joy at the birth.  Sometimes you will see a quilt in a magazine or at the local quilt shop and you will know THAT is the one asking to be made.  That's usually how I choose my projects.  I fall in love with the colors or the design of the pattern or the beauty of the fabric.  Or it may be something that's a little different from what I ordinarily would do and I will want to try it to stretch my comfort zone out a bit.

Here's a preview of the large project I've picked out to work on next. It's part of a group project I'm doing with my friends in our quilting bee.  I love the colors in it.  So bright and fresh and Summery (is there such a word as Summery?).  It looks like an Ice Cream Social that takes place in Summer!  It's also a great project for using up all those scraps I've been storing forever.  I love the thriftiness of it too.

If you would like to make a scrap quilt like this one for yourself you can find the pattern at A little Bit Biased Blog:  http://alittlebitbiased.blogspot.com/2012/01/scrap-jar-stars-tutoroial-giveaway.html

That's it for this rainy Sunday afternoon.  Looking forward to a great week filled with lots of pieces and scraps.  

Grammy

Be sure to visit my Etsy Shop

https://www.etsy.com/shop/GrammysQuiltCloset?ref=si_shop