Happy Weekend!

I am so excited to share with you my 2 flimsy finish FINALLY on the Byrum Family quilt!  You see this has a scrappy front and a pieced back… so I figure that will now have 2 quilts in 1 🙂  Check out the inspired backing I did…

104″ square backing.. pieced on Gloria

after I got warmed up piecing the front! lol

94″ square front… pieced on Fiona

Hope you don’t mind that I made this flimsy shot so big but I wanted you to notice all the details in this top… made especially for the family that will be receiving it!  My brother!!!

The Byrum Family!

I will be hand quilting this finish over the next 3 months or so… they are coming to Florida for a visit on Thanksgiving… so I can hopefully gift it to them as an early Christmas present then!

Here is a better pic of the backing… before I turned it over or sandwiching…

 My brother and his family live on very strong Christian values… and try to incorporate their faith into every aspect of their life… so as I shopped for fabrics or this quilt over the last year I prayed over each one before buying… above are the 10 commandments… on the front are the beatitudes… each fabric has a special meaning for them in this quilt!  Isn’t that neat 🙂

It all started out in a container of randomly collected fabrics and donations from dear friends like this!

Connie is holding artwork made by my friend Wendy in Australia and in front of that is neatly folded all the fabrics for this quilt… plus I did pull some from my stash as well!!!

The label I like to make using special fabric treated for ink jet printers to hold the ink wash after wash…  I put it at the top of the cross on the back of the quilt… here is a closer look at it!

What are your plans for this weekend?  Any quilty ones?

Pics of my stitches coming tomorrow for Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching… I have missed my Sunday posts! lol

Don’t forget next weekend we check out where we have been and where we are going with our goals!!!

Just write a blog post with goals you have met recently and goals you want to meet over the next month… link it up with my linky party.. and PARTY!!!!  Also a chance to win Linky Loot!!!  One lucky linker will get something from my quilty stash just for them based on their post and their goals!  Cool deal I think!  So link up NEXT WEEKEND!

Until next time 🙂 …

Linking this 2 flimsy finish to…
Sew May Ways >>> Sew Darn Crafty Linky Party here 🙂
and
Tanya & Richard Quilts >> Link A Finish Friday here 🙂

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Whooping a new beginning!

Today I want to share a quilt I started planning about a year ago when I found this panel…

You see I had asked my brother (married to Nikki, and has 4 wonderful kids.. Jared, Madison, Haley & Delaney.. and Jared has a dog named Winston!)

if they would use a “family quilt”.  My vision is that this quilt will be snuggled under.. used when sick.. part of a great tent or castle or hideout.. just an all around useful quilt for a large family… thus it needs to be a larger quilt.. I was thinking king sized then.. but as life happens have scaled it to a more manageable 95 x 95 in designing it 🙂

I am calling this quilt “The Byrum Family Quilt” and will label it so.. they will have a great nickname for it I am sure.. even if it is “the quilt” Ha!

So here are some borders.. and notice the fabric painted hearts each child added down the tree trunk on the panel…

 I had the panel when they visited this spring… while on vaca.. each of my nieces and nephew chose a color of fabric paint I found at Michael’s and painted a heart in descending order.. Jared, then Madison, they Haley and finally Delaney 🙂

They are a very strong Christian family and because their faith is center to their lives wanted to make them a special quilt designed from fabrics up just for them.. using all my quilting skills thus far.

My initial plan was to play with the designing while Connie was visiting…
So we organized it in an open crate I had… and look at the cute handwork piece my friend Wendy sent to go into this quilt!  I was so honored she would give up something she made. 

Connie is holding it up… I will make this into a 12 x 12 finished block!  Due to too many other things going on we didn’t get to work on this project though… so the next week I decided to dig in myself and who would come to volunteer to help but my friend Wendy again! 

So far she has helped me with the complete quilt design and is helping me (only on facebook and from Australia) become a more precise piecer too!!!  I have seen a big improvement in my skills in making them right the first time! ha! Who would have thought we would make friends and help each other too! 

Do you have any friends you can thank for improving your skill base?  Someone maybe who challenges you to do YOUR best?  Would love to hear a shout out to your fave quilty helper today!  Whoop it up for THEM!

While I am Whooping… head over to where I am linking this post as Sarah is having a QUILT GIVEAWAY.  It is a fundraiser with quilts as prizes as she is helping her daughter and SIL adopt a baby 🙂  Check it out here!  Leave a comment for a chance to win.. donate money for more chances to win… blog about it like I am doing for more chances to win! AWESOME 🙂  Come home Nathaneal!

Monday ~ Goal setting again!

Well if you follow me you know last week I set a goal and missed my mark… then when I did meet that goal…late!… I set a better goal that I did meet yesterday!  I was STOKED!!!  Yippeee 🙂  So this week I am sharing a new goal with all of you to keep me accountable…

Here are TWO blocks.. THREE feathers and ONE cornerstone that need done… THIS WEEK!

My plan is to hopefully meet my halfway goal of 1 block and 2 feathers by Thursday… 🙂

Wish me luck!

My brother and his family sent a new pic taken on Easter and I love it!  They are all so beautiful!

And speaking of beautiful things… check out the magenta pink blooms on the bougainvillea 🙂

Looks so nice to me with all the other lovely plants surrounding it!

 And we have this beautiful teal sewing machine now listed on eBay.. Wanna see it?  Check it out better here!  My honey rehabbed it and the case and don’t they just look FABULOUS???!!!

So what’s beautiful in your life on the beginning of this week???

Would love to hear what you find beautiful too!

Have a blessed week and here’s to MEETING goals!  Happy Monday 🙂