I'm back again..............

 I am aware that it was 2 weeks yesterday since I last posted and looking back I see that the 2 posts before that were birthday and missing fabric ones. That means it has been "awhile" since there has been any newsfromjude updates. So now that I am sitting at the computer listening to Max quilt away at the other side of the room, perhaps I need to work out just what has kept me so busy this month. I can't believe that June will be finished in 2 days and that means that half of the year has gone!!

I did step back from life for a time earlier this month and tried not to be toooo busy. ...... be back in a moment, Max has stopped and I need to see why........ back again.... quilt is now finished, unpinned and next one ready to go, but that will be tomorrow morning as I have an appointment this afternoon. 

I mentioned that I had my first Covid shot, and didn't feel a thing at the time. I was quite fatigued for a few days after, and a slight headache, but otherwise all good. (It was a good excuse to sit in the recliner by the fire while it was raining and cold outside!) Hopefully the numbers of people being vaccinated will increase and all these border shutdowns can be over. There seems to be lots of differing opinions about this topic, so I won't go any further and change the subject now.

Once again I am behind in reading blogs and hope that I can catch up soon. So back to newsfromjude and I can see that there are not heaps of photos in the files to remind me of where the time has gone. I did post asking for some fabric that am short of.....this is the story of why......

I have quite a few (not saying how many) UFO's taking up space in various tubs in my work room. Over the years I have done a lot of workshops, and decided that I should try and finish some of these. I came upon this one just before the long weekend and thought that it would be a good one to work on. I commenced this top in a "Design your own quilt" class with Michele Hill, and discovered that this was way back in May, 2012, so it has been patiently waiting for 9 years now!! It had been rolled up and filed away on the shelf and the remaining fabrics and threads all carefully put together in a tub. I have plans to add couching and braids to this project.

 I had stitched some of the applique down, but not all, and some pieces were lifting and a few edges were fraying, so it was time to get them anchored!

I have now stitched all the applique to the background fabric and during the process was thinking about how I would finish it all. Plan A was to turn the top on point and add more applique to 4 corner triangles to make it larger. It was then that I realised that there was not a lot of the gold fabric left. It is probably close to 20 years since I bought this.

So my question to readers is......what do you think I should do? If I can't find the same fabric, could I get one in the same colour without the pattern, or would it look odd? Or Plan B, could I add a border and use the bits of gold that I have left? Or Plan C, just finish it as it is and call it done?? 

It is now put away again until I come up with a plan and I have gone to the next UFO on my list.

This one is Michele Hill's design Dear William, and I am unsure when I started this, but also more than a few years ago. I had cut and fused all the applique to the background fabric for the 9 blocks and rolled them up and filed them away also. (If you know this pattern, you might notice that I didn't do all the applique in Michele's pattern as I wanted some space for the quilter to do her thing!)

Once again some of the applique was lifting. I enjoyed some more machine time and have now stitched down one whole block, with 8 more to go! 

I enjoyed my little interlude of getting some of my own projects out, even though there is not a finish yet. 

After this life threw another project my way which accounts for the last week or two. One of the members of our local group has not been well and was unable to finish her quilts for our exhibition. So we did what quilters do and stepped in to help get them finished, so that they could be given to her grandchildren.

Quite a bit of the work for this quilt had already been done, and we just needed someone who likes a challenge. 

(This is the President's challenge quilt for our exhibition and was named Mystery and Mayhem!! Some of the members who have done this say it's more Mayhem than Mystery!!) 

There are lots and lots of half square triangles, and many of them small, in this quilt, and if you like balanced or symmetrical quilts, then it may not be for you. There really is no rhyme or reason to how the blocks are put together, so therein lies the challenge.

This quilt was much simpler to finish for the grandchild who had requested a teal quilt.

Many hands make light work when it came to the binding of 2 quilts, and the job was completed in a few hours. 

While quilters make quilts for others, it is not very often that a quilt is especially made for them. I was blessed to receive a quilt made for me 13 years ago when I was going through radiotherapy, and it is still used on my bed every day. 

 Members got together and made a Friendship star quilt which we hope will bring much comfort for the road ahead. This was quilted allover with a sewing pattern, and members signed their names in the blocks.

Of course there has been a few quilts done with Max for June and the usual weekly events such as Bible study, church and Angel and patchwork days. I even managed a bit of baking in the kitchen but there has been no progress in the garden. Winter has well and truly arrived with cold days and we have been blessed with reasonable rainfall.  

Time to finish off now, as I need to head out to my appointment and go to the shops. A few more quilts are on the agenda for this week and another trip up the highway is planned for Friday with more appointments. 

Stay warm and safe and hopefully the borders can reopen soon. My sympathy goes to those families who had holidays planned that now can't happen. 

Blessings, From Jude