Wrap It Up with Binding

I went to an all-day sew this past Saturday. On-line I found a group that was meeting about an hour away from my home. I think it is wonderful how the internet can help us with so many things. 

Growing up I remember the difficulty involved in searching for information. I am astounded that my father (living in Michigan) in 1968 was able to search for our summer vacation experience-- sluicing for rubies in the Ruby Creek in Montana! This was a small creek, reached via a trail, not even a two-track road. But what a wonderful experience and he found all he needed to know without the internet.

But, I digress. The day was great and I made new quilting friends. In fact, I had met one of the ladies at the AQS Show this August. I did not know until she told me, via Facebook, two days before the sew that she was going to be there. 

I took what was on my "finish" pile. I had binding to do in order to complete some quilts. I sew bindings on from the back, turn them to the front and topstitch from the front. This allows me to see that I am keeping the stitching straight and even to hold the binding down. It allows the stitching on the back to appear like part of the quilting. And no flare ups of carpal tunnel in my hands.

So, these are the quilts I finished! 

I asked my daughter to take this photograph. She said she "really likes it" and said "it looks like chocolate at Christmas." So I was able to name this quilt: Chocolate at Christmas. It is a deep, dark chocolate brown color with white. I used the "Stack N Whack" method of cutting the kaleidoscope stars. 

This quilt I made following a pattern I got in the mail from a magazine company trying to sell me a subscription. I decided to try the pattern. If making this again, I would use Anita Solomon-Grossman's idea of using fusible on the area where the diagonal will be cut so I don't have to deal with the bias stretch in the cut blocks. 

This kite quilt is one I started about 2006. I drew my own paper piecing kite pattern. I did bobbin work to make the kite tails. I did the quilting this past spring on the Sweet 16 at Inspirations of Arts Studio. 

I posted the beginnings of this quilt a few months ago. The pinwheels were leftover blocks from another quilt I was working on. I had a longarm quilter quilt it with spirals. I am quite happy with it. It is a long toddler sized quilt. 

I began this wonky quilt back in the early 2000s. The border was most difficult to sew on. I used a pattern from a magazine, but I no longer know which one. This one was sent to a longarm quilter. I am glad to have finished it. 

And today I return to sewing the Persian Star Blocks for Bea's block swap. I want to get the rest of them finished. 

I am looking forward to taking time this weekend to view some of the Art Prize entries in Grand Rapids, MI.