Here’s my hand quilting progress on my AAQI priority quilt. Yes, this is the backside as you can’t see the stitches from the front and, yes, that was by design 
. This is only my 4th hand quilting project and they have all been miniature quilts so my stitches aren’t all that small. I’ll have lots of time to stitch while watching/listening to the winter Olympics 
The Hope quilt is back on my design wall. I’m thinking on what I want to put between the words and the date. I’m not happy with what’s up there. I want to introduce some green but the green squares seem too dark or maybe the background fabric is too light??? I’m thinking of using the fabric on the left for a 2″ border and I love the flower fabric on the right for a wider outer border.
Yesterday I posted my stash report and mentioned a gift certificate I received. Well, here’s something else I bought with it.
A whole gallon of Best Press, yippee! I resisted trying this stuff when everyone was raving about on their blogs because it’s a bit pricey, IMO. Well, once I bought a bottle, I was hooked and as Louise at The Quilted Fox says, “it’s only a dinner out.” Speaking of The Quilted Fox, I finished both the First Sat block and the alternate block for next month!
And lastly, here’s the AAQI priority quilt all appliqued and basted for hand quilting! Notice the new flower that just demanded to be added on the right. And I had already sewn the “planter” down…..don’t you just love it when a quilt insists on something you’ve already decided against?
I bought two items from the Craft Hope for Haiti Etsy store. Below is the second item….a terrific zipper purse made by Margarida from Portugal. It’s it amazing that Craft Hope allowed people from all over the world help? Margarida has a blog (http://www.margaridagodinho.blogspot.com/) and an Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/margaridagodinho). I love her tags….see it on the right?
I’ve been busy sewing away on things this weekend and am amazed at how many of these leader/enders blocks I’ve gotten made!
Here’s my updated stash report…..more bad news, but it isn’t my fault, really, it isn’t. I was given a gift certificate to The Quilted Fox and I had to use it
Added: 12 Cumulative Added: 39.5 yds
Used: 0 Cumulative Used: 0 yds
Net Out/(In): (39.5 yds) Something is still wrong here. I had better finish something soon!!!!
…..and I’ll be finished with the applique
I finished appliqueing the bird and am on to the last stem, yea!!
It’s Design Wall Monday and here’s what is on my wall. Check out what other folks are up to over at Judy’s blog. This is a special quilt for my sister. I started the free-pieced letters on Sat and I made good progress.
This weekend I also finished the alternate First Saturday block.
More progress on my AAQI priority quilt…..I’m going to be worthy of my Temporary Quilt Registration Goddess title
On another note, I bought a bag from Craft Hope for Haiti and it arrived on Friday. It was donated by Anna Michelle and I love it! It is bigger than I imagined and very well made.
I received a gift card to a LQS and I wanted to get a Hera marker after learning how much they help getting bias strips ironed. Seems like fate to me so off to the store I went……..I came home with the marker and some more fabric 
In my defense, I didn’t even use up the whole gift card
Added: 3.5 Cumulative Added: 27.5 yds
Used: 0 Cumulative Used: 0 yds
Net Out/(In): (27.5 yds) Hmmmmmmmm something is wrong here.
On Tuesday morning a quilting friend passed away from liver cancer. Dorris had turned 60, was a runner, ate well and generally did the things that keep you healthy. We learned she was ill in August, wasn’t diagnosed until Oct, I think, and is now gone. Life is short and it reminds me again to live, really live, each day. One wonderful thing Dorris did was make a 12″ quilt each week…..the first time her goal was a year. She skipped a year and found she missed doing them and started again. I’ve heard her niece is making a photo book of these quilts. I want to get a copy as Dorris inspired me and I want to have it so that inspiration continues on. It seems like a fitting tribute to this fun, energetic, wonderful woman I was privileged to know. Below is a picture from a past Quintessential Quilt show with Dorris’ entry, the blue quilt 2nd from the left.
Here’s a picture of my AAQI priority quilt progress Another flower and stem. My goal is to have the applique work done this weekend. I’ll then do a bit of embroidery work and jump on the quilting. I should start thinking of a project to raise money for cancer research in honor of Dorris……I think she’d like that.
Here’s my progress since yesterday. Still not a whole lot to look at but there’s a flower!
I used a tip I read on a blog post (wish I could remember which one so I could give them their due!) about running your Hera marker along a ruler to mark the lines for ironing bias pieces for stems. I don’t yet have a Hera marker so I used a mechanical pencil with the lead retracted. It worked amazingly well. The fabric just irons right over and my stems are narrow, approximately 1/4″.
Edited to add: The tip was from Janet in Australia (her blog is Quiltsalott) and she wrote about it in this post. Thank you, Janet!
Funny how cats can curl themselves up to be exactly the size of what they want to lay on, isn’t it? I’m hand quilting this project and it’s “resting” while I work on the AAQI priority quilt. Simontacchi thinks it needs a “resting” partner Here’s the progress I’ve made on the AAQI quilt. The blue lines are the “Definitely Can’t Be Larger Than or Ami’s Head Might Explode” lines
