June UFO complete!

When I say complete, it doesn't get any more complete than this...it's hanging in my house.  Complete with a label and a hanging sleeve!

Normally I save the finished quilt for the end of a post, but this has me so excited and happy.  I took down the chicken quilt that has been hanging in my stairwell landing for at least 10 years and replaced it with this just this morning!  (I'm going to have to take another photo when it's done washing because Blogger ate my photos from the post and the search function is turning up nothing, even with "quilt" as the keyword...perhaps that's the new e-mail comments glitch?)

Edit: The chicken quilt post, when I went into edit and add new photos I took today, had the photos in the editor function.  When I chose "Update" to re-post, with absolutely NO changes made by me, the photos are back in the post.  So, here's the link to the chicken quilt that used to hang in my stairwell!

But enough of that, let's tell this quilt's story!

Last year, my quilt guild decided to do a pass-the-box exchange.  I was on the fence with participating for a variety of reasons.  A big part of my trouble was that I couldn't decide what to choose.  About a week before the deadline to turn in boxes, it hit me...HOUSES!!!  Anything goes - size, color, style...make it yours!  My first post about these was here.  I didn't share much along the way because they were to be kept secret.

So roll along to October 2017 when I got my blocks back.  I had a great variety (seen here - scroll waaaaay down! also below, because...easy...)  But I was excited.  And decided I'd add these blocks to my UFO challenge list for the year.  This would help make sure they became something, not just another box of stuff I don't know what to do with!

This month the number was drawn.  It was time to figure it out.  I took it to my guild's monthly sew-in with the intention of heading to one of my local quilt shops (within walking distance of our sewing location!) and picking out something for background.  I came home with that AND backing.  But during the day, I managed to get the top together and came home excited, but a little wary of how to quilt it!

But I was determined and taking advange of a cooler day just a few days back, I loaded it onto my longarm!  It took lots of thread changes...

...and not so many passes...

...but LOTS of quilting...

...and I had a finished quilt!  (Well, quilted-finished quilt.)

The shady, overcast day allows you to see a LOT of the quilting here!

I knew I needed a label and a hanging sleeve still, as I planned to hang it in a specific spot and have learned to label things I want to remember later.  But I set that aside to complete my rainbow scrap challenge blocks (post coming soon!) and clear off my cutting area and such first.  Maybe you'd call that procrastination, but at least it was forward-moving procrastination!

Yesterday, with a day off and cooler temps again, it seemed perfect to work on binding and such.  So, after a few chores, I set off to the sewing room and made binding, a hanging sleeve and a label for not only this quilt, but the Christmas quilt!

I had hoped I would have the quilt hanging when the hubby got home from work.  I was close - I had only the hand-sewing side of the hanging sleeve left when he arrived!

(But what color do you use?  I ended up using a medium grey and you can't see it.  Also, it's on the back, so you really can't see it!)

After dinner and a few other things, I finished the hanging sleeve and even went on to sew the Christmas quilt label on!

This morning, I took it out for a final photo shoot before it took a place of honor in the house...

A few close-ups of the quilting that aren't easy to see otherwise...

And finally, proof there IS a label!

I am so excited to have this hanging in my house.  I have a few other group project quilts that I love just as much, but keep forgetting to purchase stuff to hang them, so they're hiding out for now.  Maybe this will motivate me to get them hung?  (I know the hubby is willing to help with the drilling and hammering part, but I just have to get the "stuff" to do that with!)

And now, it's time to work on sewing those Swoon blocks together that got abandoned.  I do have to work today, but I have a little time left...

(Also, get a photo of the chicken quilt...!)

Happy quilting,

Katie

PS I do have a few photos of blocks I made for others during this exchange, but wasn't diligent about photo taking for a while...or blogging...