March Monthly Mini, Mom's Flower Garden, and a little fun for National Quilting Day

I know I haven't been spotted much in blogland this month, so I thought I should make up for it by posting my Monthly Mini earlier than usual--much earlier.

This is the Kim Diehl pattern "Prairie Stars". You may or may not recall that I purchased the kit a couple of years ago, only to get it home and discover it was applique--which, for the most part,  I don't do. But I figured out a way to make it with foundation piecing. I started making the blocks at my usual January Winter Retreat in 2019 and I finished making them and sewing the rows together at Winter Retreat this year. Finally quilted it Thursday and bound it on Friday. There are so many places where the points don't match up, and I don't care. I like it and am glad to have it finished. I'm linking with Wendy at The Constant Quilter blog for our monthly minis. Go see the links to all the other wonderful minis.

 

This blurry photo gives you an idea as to how I quilted it. As with so many of my mini quilts, I did SITD for the blocks, and free motion in the border. 

 
 


And this photo gives you a size perspective. It finished at about 10 1/2" square.













It feels SO good to have made so much progress on my "Mom's Flower Garden" quilt. It was just last June when I decided to take my multi-sized hexagon flowers made over the past 22 years (you can read about this saga here if you are new to this blog) and applique them to a muslin background. Having already mentioned above that I don't applique, you know this was a difficult decision. I thought it would take me forever. But it has been my take-along project whenever I have spent time with Mom, and on a couple of short road trips. Two weeks ago I was at this point. Everything was sewn together except for the bottom row and sashing.

I had mentioned that I was going against the grain (for me) with this quilt and sewing the rows as I went along, which I never do. It has come back to haunt me, as I see some blocks of the same color too close together, but I am letting it be. The blank spot in the bottom right corner was the block I was working on at the time the photo was taken, and the baggie hanging in the space beside it was the one block I had not already assembled. If you know how I feel about EPP, you will know I was not eager to make even 1 more flower! But I did it. I still need to applique it to the background, but for now, this is where this project stands.

Once that pink flower on the bottom row is appliqued I will assemble that row and get it attached. There will be one outer border to add and then this will probably have to marinate in the closet for a time while I decide how I want to quilt it.

My focus this year is really on my UFOs, but with all this "self-isolating", I had to try something fresh and different. I pulled out a Pam Buda kit for a mini that I had purchased last year and decided to give it a go.
I got it cut out earlier this week and have just worked on it here and there between other projects. I love red/brown quilts. This is the one on the bottom of the pattern cover. It is called Cinnamon Sticks and it finishes at 12x15 inches. So cute!


Okay, now for the National Quilting Day celebration. I would invite you all over for a party, but since there are more than 10 of you, that would be frowned upon. So I am offering some "Quilting Day" party favors. Some of these items were purchased specifically for this giveaway and others came from a feeble attempt to clean my sewing room.
One per person, names to be drawn before the end of March.
First up are some Kim Diehl "Simple Whatnot" patterns.

1. Prairie Stars--the pattern I used for my Monthly Mini featured above. Remember, it is applique. :)




2.  Honeycomb--much to my surprise, when I opened this pattern the other day I discovered that it is applique, too. Not going to mess with this one myself.










 3. Frugal Farm Wife






 

4. Next up is this great Judie Rothermel pencil conversation print. I have 4 FQs of it, so 4 of you could be receiving one of these.




5. Then we have a wool applique pattern from Primitive Gatherings







6. Next is a Jen Kingwell Postcard Project #4. When I bought mine, I also bought a set to give away. You can read about my experience with this pattern here. I struggled with some aspects of the templates because it is intended for hand piecing, which I didn't want to do. But I sure liked the finished quilt.








7. Finally we have a mini Tumbler Template with a couple of Jo Morton mini charm packs. The template is just the right size for the mini charms. Works like a charm. (Sorry about that.)

There you have it--10 chances to receive a National Quilting Day party favor. With all of this craziness going on, wouldn't it be great to get some fun mail? So if anything appeals to you, just note the numbered items that caught your eye in the comment section. You will only be selected once, but you can increase your odds by choosing multiple favor possibilities. Let's Party!!

Drawing is now closed as of March 30th

Janet O.

ETA: This is how I honored National Quilting Day.