Two Finishes, and a 48-yr-old dream fulfilled!

 I am so excited to share this finish!

My Circa 1880 quilt, designed by Pam Buda, is completed!

I started this quilt in January of 2018. It has been an amazing journey, and I am grateful for each of the friends who have swapped blocks with me to make this a beautiful friendship quilt!

It took me two years to get it all assembled into a top (I did have shoulder surgery somewhere during that process). It took me another 6 years to finally decide how I wanted it quilted, and whether I would do it, or quilt by check. The checkbook won. Then it took several months to buckle down and bind it. I am thrilled with the results.

Hubby tried to hold it up over the deck rail so I could get a photo, but the quilt was too wide for him, and the sun was too harsh and made the quilt look strange.

And if you go HERE you can see the rogue blocks I added to every other row.

And if you scroll over halfway through THIS post, you will see a little explanation on how I labeled the rows of blocks that I received in swaps.

The second finish I want to share is from Lori's (Humble Quilts blog) doll quilt SAL, Summit. The last time I shared it, it was just the top, and I said I wasn't going to add a border. But one day, not long after that, I was in the quilt shop over the mountain, and I saw this Judie Rothermel fabric that was just calling out to me to be the border for Summit. So it is, and I couldn't be happier with the results!

This ended up about 22" square. I had made my 4 patches smaller than called for to accommodate the use of leftover stars from my blue and cream schoolhouse quilt.

I quilted around, and through each of the stars, and also did diagonal crossing lines through the neutral blocks of the 4-patches. I wanted something more in the border, now that the tension issue is finally resolved with my HQ Sweet Sixteen. So i used a stencil and pounce pad. Then I practiced on a sample piece.

This pre-binding photo gives you a better view of the quilting. But I hadn't yet stitched the Xs through the center of the stars.

This completes the quilty content. ;)

In May Hubby and I fulfilled a dream we have had since we were first married. We spent 8 days in Ireland, soaking up the beautiful countryside, the amazing ocean views, the castles and fortresses, the friendly people, and the incredible history! I can't begin to do it justice here, but I have selected a few favorite photos. You should be able to click on them to enlarge.

Lookout Point on Dingle Peninsula.

Irish countryside, with a view of the ocean.

Bluebells in Killarney National Park

Giant's Causeway

Cliffs of Moher

Kayaking on the Lagan River in Belfast

There is so much more I could share, but I will leave it at that. We really hope to get back again before we are too old to do some of the other things we would love to do there.

I had planned to get this posted in June, so it would only be one month past my blog anniversary, but since the clock just ticked past midnight, I did not make it. Welcome to July! I am putting together a little blog birthday package to gift in a drawing. If you are interested in participating, sight unseen (because I don't yet know exactly what it will include), please say so in a comment.

Are you enjoying the World Cup, or not a soccer fan? I do love soccer, and catch games whenever I can. 

Wherever you are, I hope you appreciate the beauty and diversity of this world we share. 

To my friends in Canada, Happy Canada Day, and in the USA, Happy Independence Day very soon. Let us stand for everything good in our country, and not sit idly when we can be an influence in a positive direction!

Until next time, 

Be creative and be kind!

Janet O.