A Photo Memory Quilt

Last March (2018), a friend lost her husband and youngest son to a devastating farm accident.  I wanted to do something special for her, and since I love making photo memory quilts, I thought this would be a good way to show her that I was thinking about her and cared about what she was going through. 

I saved a few photos from her FB profile, and printed them out on fabric using Spoonflower. 
Once finished, I hand delivered the quilt to her in June of 2018.  It was a tearful moment had by all.  It wasn't my intention to make everyone cry, but I know my gift of love was and still is so very appreciated.  I just wish I could have done more.  I can't begin to fathom what a person goes through after losing a child or spouse, let alone both.  She has a true faith in God that is helping her and the rest of her family get through all the devastation.  She is an inspiration.

The beautiful long-arming was done by Meandering Mary, New London, WI.  Take notice of the words she quilted in the background... That really made the quilt even more inspirational.

2018 Finishes

I was diagnosed with cancer in April of 2017, and spent the rest of the year having chemo and radiation.  I lost most of my hair, which as a woman, found it very devastating.  Especially since I'd had long hair for over 10 years.  I had to quit my job due to being too sick to work, and finally after all the cancer treatment was done, I got really sick with a viral infection when my immune system was at its lowest.  I landed in the emergency room where they gave me an antibiotic that in turn started shutting my kidneys down.  I spent almost a month in the hospital fighting for my life.  My kidneys were only working at 20% and I was facing dialysis if things didn't turn around quickly.  After all was said and done, I ended 2017 with the news that I had beat cancer.  2017 was one of the worst years of my life.  It came in with bad news but thankfully went out with good news.  I obviously didn't sew much in 2017.  So in 2018 I made it my goal to finish as many projects as I possibly could.  I am proud to say I feel accomplished in all that I was able to do last year.  Now I'm hoping 2019 will be even better.
And in light of all this, it explains why I haven't been very active here on Blogger in the last couple of years, but here's a recap of some of my 2018 finishes that aren't already part of their own post. 

 

Wingless Wyrm is a paper-pieced quilt block I made
using a pattern design by Jennifer Ofenstein of Sewhooked.com 

Fun on the Farm with Quilt In A Day

For those of you who love BOM programs...especially FREE BOM's, then this is definitely one you should look into.  It started a few months ago, but it's never too late to jump in.  I participate through the Facebook Group page: Fun on the Farm with Quilt In A Day (click to go to the group page).

Here's my completed blocks so far...

"Labyrinth Walk" Quilt

I purchased the "Labyrinth Walk" quilt pattern a few years ago, hoping to have the time to make it someday.  Well, that time finally came in 2018 when a friend asked me to make one for him to give his granddaughter for Christmas.  I was thrilled to have this chance! 

I am fascinated by optical illusion quilts, and now that I've made this one, I'm scouring the internet for more to make!  I have seen so many versions of this quilt, and each and every one is unique, due to color choice.  It's actually a simple quilt to make, so anyone wanting to make this quilt, don't feel intimidated.  There are NO Y SEAMS and it's unbelievably easy to make this effect... it's all in fabric/color choice, and how it's long-armed when finished.  I have my friend, Dorie H. to thank for her beautiful long-arming work on this quilt.

"Washing Day"

Over the years I've made a number of random quilt blocks.  Mainly because it's my way of trying out a new technique, or just because it's a pattern I like, so I make them and throw them in a pile.  I have made so many random quilt blocks, with no idea what to do with them, when I finally came up with the idea to make a quilt that looks like a clothesline with "quilts" hanging out to dry, and here's what I ended up with!   I even added some kitties at the bottom from some vintage fabric I found at a thrift store.
The blue floral borders on the top of the quilt, and the green patch of fabric on the scrappy back are both true vintage fabrics found at a rummage sale.  I love incorporating vintage fabrics in some of my quilts.
I started this project in 2015 or 2016, and completed it in 2018.

Added Note 6/18/2021:
I'm linking my Washing Day post up to blog post "Show Me Something Outdoors" over at Sarah Goer Quilts.  Give her blog a look and follow for great inspiration!

"Lover's Square Dance"

2018 was the year for finishing a few UFO's, and this here is one of them.  This quilt was an Agatha & Sherlock's 2015 Valentines Mystery Quilt Project through Homespun Hearth.  I used fabrics from my stash, not knowing how it would turn out., and in the end, I loved it!

I ended up donating this quilt to the 2018 Quilts For A Cure quilt auction.

"Cheep Talk"

A few years ago I found an adorable pattern for a mini wall quilt called "Cheep Talk."  The pattern is a Stitchin' Sisters design, and you can find it for sale on the Sew Thankful website.  (There are probably other shops that also sell the pattern if you check around).

Since I outsource all my long-arm quilting, even on small quilts as this, I give credit to my Long-Armers on the quilt labels of each quilt I make.  As you can see in the photo of the label I attached to the back of this one.

Speaking of the quilt label, I created it with PicMonkey Pro and printed it on fabric using my Spoonflower account.

This particular mini quilt now hangs in my new sewing room, as it matched the colors in my room perfectly!  Teal/Aqua and White with a splash of Red!

"Lost In Paradise"

This quilt was part of a Homespun Hearth QAL: Agatha & Sherlocks Worldwide Quilt Day Mystery 2015 that I participated in but never finished until the summer of 2018.  I have a bad habit of joining  QAL's and never finishing...I have a UFO pile of them!  However, I'm so glad to finally have this one off the UFO pile!

  The top is made using bold colors and a border of planet / outer space fabrics.  The back is just scrappy, using some leftover fabric from the top, as well as plain black fabric and some vintage Space Odyssey 2000 fabric that I found at a local thrift store.

I designed my quilt label with PicMonkey Pro, and had it printed on fabric via my spoonflower.com account. 

One less unfinished quilt on the pile for 2018!