Photos of Finished quilts

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Saturday, May 18, 2013

A different view

Since my BIL had his stroke 2 weeks ago, it has made me sit back and reflect on what is important in life.  My quilting in particular since it does consume so much of my time.

There is quite a pile of completed tops that have been waiting and waiting to be quilted and used.

There are also quite a few UFO's still sitting on a shelf.  Some just require outer borders to become completed tops.

Guess what my goals will be this summer?

In the meantime, I have brought out this quilt to work on again.  I did have a good routine in place, but it got abandoned at the half way point.  So, to help me with my goal, well, this is a good project to continue with.

During stressful times, hand quilting and hand piecing are my 'go to' projects to help keep me calm.  They help to give me peace and I can lose myself in the process and not think about what is going on around me. 

 For my UFO's, this top has been bought out again to work on replacing the white sashing with blue.
There are new projects that I'm itching to start, but older projects should be completed first.  Reality is the fact that we can be here for one day and gone the next (or lose the ability to function completely) and if my quilts are done, then they can be enjoyed by those who will love them.

It is so tempting to just hand over a few of my quilts to have them professionally machine quilted; but my love of hand quilting stops me.  A century from now, I would love my descendants to see what I did with hand quilting and treasure my quilts as much as I do today.

If you want to see more blogs that have hand quilting, there is a Blog Hop going on right now to visit.  Please go here and enjoy!

Have a great day!
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19 comments:

  1. Frog QuilterMay 18, 2013 at 7:25 AM

    Love the blue and yellow top. Beautiful.

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  2. JenniferMay 18, 2013 at 8:17 AM

    Your work is lovely, and your family will cherish it.....especially because they know how much quilting means to you. Your family would be proud to have your quilts when you are no longer around - and we hope that won't be for a very long time yet!

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  3. MelanieMay 18, 2013 at 8:36 AM

    A blue and yellow piece is definitely on my "Wish List"... Love yours... Great photos.

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  4. DoloresMay 18, 2013 at 8:55 AM

    Well said. Thank you - from another hand quilter.

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  5. TeresaMay 18, 2013 at 4:07 PM

    I so understand your feeling about hand quilting as I feel the same. Just seems there are not enough hours and the older I get the more I realize there are not enough years either. I choose which quilts I will hand quilt now depending on how much work I put into making the quilt, especially if it was hand pieced or hand appliquéd.

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  6. JanetMay 19, 2013 at 4:02 AM

    Hand quilting is great therapy, your projects are worthy of finishing, they are gorgeous.

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  7. Created by KathiMay 19, 2013 at 6:46 AM

    Love your work... it is all so wonderful... happy for you that you belong to a stong guild of great quilters! What inspiration that must bring to you! Congrats on all the ribbons you won.. you deserve it! Thanks for sharing! Kathi from Fla :)

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  8. AveryclaireMay 19, 2013 at 7:03 AM

    Love your quilt tops and your goal. I did the same thing this winter and finished 3.5 tops so far!

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  9. Judy May 19, 2013 at 7:13 AM

    Best wishes on achieving your goal this summer. Life changes do make you stop and re-evaluate. Thank goodness for quilting as it adds so much to our lives!

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  10. SewfrenchMay 19, 2013 at 7:58 AM

    I love that you are sticking with your convictions and "quilting" on. I think it does pay to re-evaluate what we do and how much time we spend doing it, on occasion. It either makes us stronger in our beliefs or causes us to recenter and carry on.

    You are making me want to start another EPP project though!

    Good luck on getting some finishes!

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  11. LindaMay 19, 2013 at 8:26 AM

    Good points. We never know what will happen so we have to make the most of each day that we have.
    Your blue and yellow quilt is lovely! I especially like the flower heads.

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  12. JillMay 19, 2013 at 8:44 AM

    Pick a small UFO and work on it until it is completed. It will be the best therapy you can give yourself. I just finished a long overdue UFO and it is a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

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  13. QuayceetatterMay 19, 2013 at 9:21 AM

    Lots of beautiful quilts and nice hand quilting! I have a pile of unfinished quilt tops but there seems to be something new that comes along.

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  14. RosaMay 19, 2013 at 9:26 AM

    Awesome quilts and quilting.Happy sewing!!

    From Spain

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  15. Little PenpenMay 19, 2013 at 11:15 AM

    Well said! Life is short and we just never know,do we? Your quilts are beautiful and your hand quilting is incredible. Beautiful stitches! (Penny from NC)

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  16. Sandra WhiteMay 19, 2013 at 9:53 PM

    I love the close up of the hexagon UFO. Best wishes to you.

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  17. Ann-MariMay 20, 2013 at 5:42 AM

    Keep up the good work. Congratulations on the ribbons, well done.

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  18. DawnMay 20, 2013 at 1:18 PM

    Beautiful hand quilting! It is hard to resist the machine quilting speed. I guess each top has a journey - sometimes under then hand needle, others machine.
    Thank you for sharing!

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  19. LeslieMay 24, 2013 at 1:14 PM

    *Nods strongly* There are always more quilt ideas than time to hand quilt them all! I've been thinking about trying my hand (pun intended) at big stitch quilting. Maybe that would speed things along. Finishing a UFO brings a special sense of accomplishment.

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