Back in the groove ...

Miss Betsy is up and running and with a pile of UFOs it is none too soon either. There is also the call of the "wild", those UFO's and projects yet started but fabrics bought. The ideas are running rampantly, like a raging spring-time river.

A wall-hanger for a birthday present:
~I started with a panel of Oceania in blue and coordinating fabrics: A whimsical sea-life oriented panel. To me the blue indicated water.

From here I roughly cut out the panel of the mermaid. Then I trapunto'd the panel to bring out the features that I wanted using matching metallic threads to give the illusion of underwater. Trimming to the desired size, I wanted the outer border to be the navy blue to which I planned on attached a striped blue fabric border ...

close up of some of the hand quilting

 Adding on the borders I decided I liked her better on point than as a square.

 Now on to FMQing the water currents. The question here is whether or not I use another metallic or simply a variegated thread taking in the various colors. Decisions, decisions. And too, what kind of binding would this need - dark or medium, turquoise or blue? Hopefully finished this weekend, providing I can find the necessary weights for the bottom.

A second UFO in the process:
~ Stashed away in  plastic bag was a basinet sized baby quilt of pinned flannel and fleece that I had initially made for a donation quilt to be ready when needed. I used up stash that I already had in-house. Then, while in Panama this last month a need was discovered within an indigenous family. I offered.
   Plastic bag intact, out came the small quilt.

First I had to make it bigger but only from what I had in the bag. I was not in a place where I could buy more "good" quality flannel. I took apart the binding and "quilted as I went" additional width and length to it. Ended up with a cacophony of color but yet, quite fun.
   Then on to the quilting of the pinned panel. This should be fun as I have since learned (this being my first actual attempted self-quilted-as-you-go) that you also have to do the actual quilting within the borders LOL. 
   Now for the binding. I don't have enough of one color left in the bag. Searching for more in the stash that is readily available. ah hah! A totally different color but why not! Hopefully the already cut strips are big enough to do machine binding. We shall see...
The finished product, ready to be mailed to Panama and a cold deserving toddler.  

And then lastly, a third UFO in the works: My Santa stocking needs to quilted. It is pinned to the lining and backing but that is as far as it has gotten. Ne need for a photo again as it hasn't changed any.

My DGD and I went to pick out some colors for her quilt. She had no clue as to what she wanted and I had no clue as to what colors she wanted. So I took her to a basic fabric establishment (no names here) and asked her to pick out what she thought would be good matching colors in her favorite colors according to the list: Light to dark, coordinating. Well, this is what I ended up with, 1/3 of a yard each:

  this shows the white on white...

Now to put them together into the squares to see how they work out. And where, you ask, is my suggested color ways? We shall see how these colors work first.

Lastly there is an inner calling for some needlework but this is currently falling by the way side. Think I will try and get Father Frost finished which only needs the beard finished and the beads placed. Miss Chrissy Cleo really needs to be finished and off to the finishers. We shall see how time goes over the next 6 weeks or so. Have another class starting on the 31st so that will also take up some time.

But for now, I am off to la la land - this heat wears me out!