Finish-A-Long update Q4 2013

So my quarter 4 To Do list for Leanne's Finish-A-Long included 3 quilts and 4 smaller projects.  I thought adding in the smaller projects would get me past the 2/5 I accomplished in the previous quarter and it worked!  Plus getting that bit closer to my goal really motivated me to finish at least one of my carryovers.  Nothing like a deadline to prompt some action!

Here's how I got on.

Carryovers:

• Halloween quilt - done!  It was a late finish (completed last Friday!). 

• A Dog's Life Applique Project - done!  I used the first panel and added section 3 from Lynette Anderson's pattern to make a mini quilt for Schnitzel & Boo's mini quilt swap.

• Panel number 2 I was going to turn into a lumbar cushion for the sofa but didn't quite get there this time,  Still looks like this:

Maybe next quarter!

New Projects:

• Penny Sampler Quilt from course with Stitched in Color.  I managed to work on it all the way up to Christmas and then other things took priority, so no finish time.  This one is going to be a carryover to Q1 2014 for sure.  I love this project, a very different way of looking at a sampler!

• Christmas Lone Star lap quilt.  Well this was intended for my Aunt and Uncle who had a red feature wall in their front room.  Just before Christmas they redecorated so I'm not sure this fits anymore.   I'm putting it away until later on in the year!

• Christmas Table Runner.  This one I did finish!  I made it for the Modern Irish Quilter's Christmas Swap and it was great fun.  Love this fabric range Joy by Kate Spain for Moda.

• Finally I wanted a cushion out of my fussy cut squares I received on Amanda's swap at What the Bobbin.  I received these lovely 4.5" squares,  

and made this cheery cushion for my sofa.  Starting a collection of handmade cushions here!

Apologies for the odd lighting.  I'm sick with a horrible headcold and not risking venturing out in this winter weather for a daylight photo today!  So that's 4/7, an improvement on last year.  Now to think about the next list for this quarter!  Linking up to 

A Friday Finish - Boo Crew Halloween Quilt

Yes I know it is Saturday but I think you'll forgive me for linking up to Finish it Friday as I finally finished my Halloween Quilt last night so technically a Friday Finish!  I am so glad to be done with this.  Don't get me wrong I love it but it's been hanging around a while.

I pieced the top from RJR Fabrics Boo Crew in October 2012 and missed out on completing it in time for Halloween, so I put it away for nearly a year.

This was my first time trying square in a square and working with on point blocks.  I used Riley Blake's Spooky Squares pattern and modified it for 4 x 4 instead of 5 rows x 5 columns.  I have to admit that once I got to the end of piecing 4 triangles to every square, 16 times over I had kind of enough of square in a square (I hadn't discovered chain piecing yet!)

What I really liked about this pattern design was the different fabric used in the vertical sashing from the horizontal. I didn't quite have enough in the FQB so I bought a co-ordinating purple for vertical sashing and a bright green for the cornerstones between the blocks.  It really pops and works brilliantly for Halloween colours.  I also didn't have enough of any one fabric for a complete border so I pieced all the black based fabrics together for a very scrappy border.  And that's where i left it in November 2012.

Last September thinking I had plenty of time to finish it for Halloween, I added backing from Deb Strains Happy Howl-o-ween (I love this fabric!), stitched in the ditch and even tried free motion quilting some stars.

I wasn't quite happy with all the empty space in the triangles though so, I decided to add some hand quilting using perle cotton in orange, green and purple.  Hand quilting takes a long time!

So finally at long last I finished it last night.  I added a few Halloween motifs here and there but mostly quilted in straight lines.

I struggled to get consistent stitch sizes with the quilt held in a hoop and did much better without for some reason.  Also in the hoop my stitches were larger than without.  No idea why.  I found the three layers very tough to get through at times and have great admiration for hand quilters.  After a few evenings my fingers were quite tired, and were just getting used to it by the time I finished!

So after a year and a half and two Halloween's later I have a finished quilt.  I know it's the wrong season for spookiness but this was one of my Q4 Finish-A-Long goals and I was determined to get it done.  If I hadn't listed it last October as a goal I might just have folded it away for another year and missed another Halloween!

Finish-A-Long 2014 is starting this month so if you need a deadline to get a finish on an unfinished object why not link up for Q1?  So happy to have this finished, linking up to Leanne at She Can Quilt for Q4 FAL 2013 and Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts and