Flimsies, Sow-Along blocks and a winner!

I hope you don't mind seeing your birthday/housewarming gift first here, Chris, but I love how it is turning out and wanted to share it. Now I just need to get it quilted.
This tablerunner is based on the "All in a Row" pattern from Kim Diehl's "Simple Comforts" book.

I was flipping through books for ideas and on one page of this book it shows a close-up shot of 8 blocks from this quilt. I thought it looked like a tablerunner, and I liked it. The centers of the blocks are made with Kansas Trouble fabrics and the background fabrics are mostly from the Little Gatherings line. I believe the sashings and cornerstones are Jo Morton. The blocks finish at 7". I made some extra ones so I might make a wall hanging with the leftovers.

While I pieced the tablerunner I used my little version of "Tumbling Glory" as leader/enders and it went together faster than I expected.

Just so you can get a size perspective I put the business card for "The Gathering Place" (which I had pinned to my design wall when I got home from Idaho) next to it. I had added one vertical row beyond what the original had, but when I looked up the dimensions of a real flag I realized it didn't need that extra row. I'm trying to decide how I want to finish the edges--binding, or front and back folded in. I don't know if I want one fabric all around the outside of it.

My Barrister's Blocks are all caught up. Randy has warned me that she is posting a bonus block tomorrow and I didn't want to get farther behind.

I cut the fabrics wrong for the basket quilt and didn't realize it until I was sewing it together, so I just left it. I may go back and fix it later--we'll see. I haven't made any of this grouping in Christmas fabrics yet, but there are three of them I want to do. Hopefully that will happen before too long.

After seeing Bonnie post recently about a design wall that someone brought to one of her classes I decided that something like that would be useful for smaller projects that are too large for my 32"x40" design board. I can leave the big projects (or a bunch of little ones) on my design wall. The framing department of your local craft store should have 40"x60" foamcore board. A crib-sized cotton batting (50% off at JoAnn) will stretch to cover it--I just used duct tape to secure it to the back. Here it is with the Sow-Along blocks I have made so far. It will hold 54 blocks this size.

I cropped the photo to just show the blocks--the board is larger than this.

And now the moment you may have all forgotten--the winner of my one year Blogiversary is....

Kristie of Cowgirl Quilter blog. Kristie was the winner of one of my giveaways last year, so lightening can strike twice with the random number generator. She's been through some rough times lately, so I hope this will bring some cheer. Congrats, Kristie. I still have your address, so I will get this in the mail to you Monday.

Okay, that is it for now. I hope those of you in the U.S. have a good and safe Memorial Day weekend.

Until next time,

Janet O.