Home and Mariah's age 11 Quilt

Just a quick post to let you all know we arrived safely back from our trip to Florida. Eight of us met up to quilt shop hop, eat, drink and be merry. We had a great time. I purchased some gorgeous fabrics and a couple of books and patterns. I also finished up some secret santa gifts I needed to buy for an exchange I am in that is quilting related.
I came home to an extremely heavy work load. I will be forever catching up. It looks like I have some weekend work ahead of me. With that said I am posting a picture of one of the finishes I did a few weekends ago, you remember the one where I actually accomplished some things. This is Mariah’s age 11 quilt top. I have had it in the “I have a crisis” pile for quite some time. I had a grand idea that I visualized but had trouble in actually getting it accomplished. I had made the center panel from a Country Threads pattern and added her calico cat Zoe’s name. Zoe has been her constant companion since Riah was 3 years old. I had a pile of rail fence blocks left from our guilds millennium challenge. We were to make a quilt top with 2000 fabrics. I was able to pull 2000 from my stash and made these rail fence blocks and then never did anything with them. I thought it would make a neat border for this block. My problem came in setting the center in. I just couldn’t get it centered and not loose fitting. I ripped it out I don’t know how many times. When I met up with Dawn recently I took it with me and she basted it in the center for me to hand appliqué. I still think it is kind of wavy but she thinks a longarmer will pull it tight enough that I shouldn’t have a problem. I think it will be my next one to the quilter just so I can find out!

Age 12 Quilt

I had told you all on Monday how I had completed a lot of tops last weekend. Mariah’s age 12 Bible Quilt blocks was one of them. I didn’t like how plain the borders were so I have spent a couple of my evenings this week cutting out appliqués to fill it in. As you can tell I appliqué with the freezer paper on top. I now have them all pinned down and know what my winter appliqué project is going to be. The border has some symbolism in it that only she will know. It has 2 dogs a black one and a yellow one for the 2 that she has had. 3 cats for her kittys she now has, 2 horses a black one and a buckskin one to represent her great grandma’s horses. We have 2 boys for her brothers and one girl for herself, 2 hearts under the willow tree represent her dad and I. And Jesus rising from the grave above the Sun rising. It was a lot of fun and I will enjoy working on it.
The trip to see “The Shining” was a blast. The audience somewhat inter-acted with it. It reminded me of my late teen years and going to see the midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
It looks like I am going to have to spend my Saturday working. I leave for Florida next week and I have a lot of work still to get done. What we don’t do for a vacation! I will try to check in one more time before leaving.