New Addition

Another quilt from my Plus quilt craze rescued from the UFO pile.  I took this on retreat last winter but only managed to quilt the center section.  I picked it up again in the summer but somehow still didn't manage to finish.  I found it again unpacking from this year's retreat and decided it was finally time to finish it up.

I had enough scraps leftover to get a little fancy on the back.  I'm determined to use up every last bit of this collection!

I don't have a recipient for this at the moment but I'm sure it'll end up in a good home:-)

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 43" x 53"
Fabrics: Pure Boy by Sweetwater for Moda, Kona Eggshell.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo
Thread: Aurifil 50wt. in Ermine (2312)

Twofer

I busted my first UFO of the year!!!  I put together this top last winter during my plus quilt phase.  Most of the fabrics are what was left of a Rouenneries Deux jelly roll with some scraps thrown in for good measure.

My original plan was for crosshatching but once I finished the first side I decided I was done happy with it.  It's a more modern ascetic;-)  Jacquie Gering has some great tips for straight-line quilting on her blog.  It was too cold for a trip to the hardware store for 1 1/2" wide tape but next time I go I'm going to stock up...  only marking every other row would definitely speed up the process!

I used 28wt. Aurifil thread to make the the straight line quilting a bit bolder.  I love the extra texture it adds to the simple design.

I was a little discouraged with this one after my binding debacle but look how perfectly these stripes lined up on the back!

I got a bit distracted while I was trying to finish this and ended up also making a pillow cover with the last of my French General scraps.  And now I have two for the price of one;-)

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts and another check off my list for the 2015 Finish Along with On the Windy Side.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 46" x 46"
Fabrics: Rouenneries & Rouenneries Deux by French General.  Assorted scraps.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 28 wt. (grey spool) Aurifil in Light Beige (2310).

Add It Up

To kick off my Use It or Lose It campaign to tame my stash of pre-cuts I started with one of my all time favorite collections, Rouenneries by French General.  It coordinates perfectly with my decor so I already have a quilt, table topper and a set napkins so this time I went for a wall hanging.

I used a mash up of these awesome tutorials by In Color Order and For the Love of George and then adapted them to use a jellyroll.  For each cross I cut 2, 2 1/2" squares and a 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strip and arranged them according to the diagram.  Once it's all laid out it's easy enough to sew together the rows.

For the quilting I outlined each cross.  It was a little tedious with all the starts and stops and turning but I like the finished effect.  I used Aurifil grey spool/28 wt to give the quilting a little extra definition.

I pushed myself to get it quilted and get the binding on so I'd have some handwork for the Patriot's playoff game last Sunday.  It helps to keep my hands busy sewing rather than snacking;-)

I'm still playing with my scraps but anything not sewn together at the end of the month is up for grabs.  Come back next week for a giveway of all my French General leftovers!

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 26" x 26"
Fabrics: Rouenneries Deux by French General for Moda, stash
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient
Thread: Aruifil 2310 28wt (grey spool)