May 24, 2023: Sweet Journeys nearing an end; Donation top completed; AQS Winners; Earthly Delights

Greetings dear readers! Eight years in, Sweet Journeys is very near its final destination!😊. I completed the hand quilting in the center medallion and the 12th and final block in the center:

Now all that’s left before binding is hand quilting the equivalent of about 3/4 of one border! I’ve decided not to quilt in the sashing strips. Here’s a glance at the whole thing; the colors are too burnished because of the indoor night lighting – colors in the above photos are truer:

I’m pretty sure I don’t have any more of the red sashing fabric to use as a binding so will probably choose black. Even with black, there are different shades and tones of it and it will have to match the black in the border fabric so a bit of a search might be ahead.

I finished the zigzag donation top!

You may notice that I turned the orientation of the zigzags vertical instead of horizontal for this photo. I think I like it better this way, but it’s a square lap quilt so the orientation ultimately doesn’t really matter.

Here’s the fabric I used as the backing:

It’s perfect! I picked up 4 2/3 yards of it for FREE at my Guild’s “Fabricpalooza” at the April meeting. Our Community Quilts Committee members accept all kinds of fabric donations from many sources throughout the year, sometimes large parts of stashes when someone moves or dies. When the amount piles up, we have a “Fabricpalooza” at a guild meeting and anyone can take any fabrics they want as long as they make at least one donation quilt. What a deal! The other thing I want to say about the fabric is that when I picked this up, I wasn’t familiar with the name of the designer Judy Roche. The very next day, my friend Wendy on her blog “The Constant Quilter” posted about Judy’s recent death and talked about how she was such a generous and kind person and willing to share her vast quilting knowledge with Wendy over the years. I’m glad I could grace this quilt with her fabric.

I saved photos from the internet of 2 amazing winning quilts from last month’s AQS show in Paducah to share with you. The hand work on these quilts, both by Japanese quilters, is incredible!! I regret not seeing these in person. First is the overall winner of the Handwork award:

This next one is the winner of the best hand quilting award:

Spring continues to inspire me. Look at the beautiful coral/red/gold colors on these tulips!

Spring greens are gradually morphing into their more intense summer shades. Here’s a section of the bog:

The path to and through the bog is littered with obstacles, just as real life is – watch where you are going and be careful where you step! 🙂:

Baby pine cones are out on the kazillions of pine trees:

Beech tree buds:

I hope you are all enjoying the wonders of the season and finding joy and comfort in your stitching!

Be kind, be grateful, and cherish each day, Gladi