More on the Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt

Back when I started Gudrun Erla's "Elivra" Quilt Along, I mentioned I had also picked out Quarantine Project # 2.  It was another fun opportunity to participate in a sew along that would use a stash of fabrics I had already gathered and had been looking for project to apply them to.  So these....

...have become this....

This is Edyta Sitar's Quarantine Mystery Quilt 2020 that she has now officially named "California".  It has taken me a lot longer than expected to pull this one together!  Since I wasn't working from Edyta's fabric line (she used "Super Bloom") and I wanted to emphasize the theme of my stash (Pinks, Browns and Blues),  I cheated a little on this "mystery":  since the block placements were revealed as each "clue" dropped, I could make decisions as I went along as to what colors to place where.

Bonnie Hunter is also doing her "Unity" quilt along the same way.  I am watching that one from afar since I currently have two Quiltville mysteries in progress, three more that need to be quilted and one of her free patterns basted!

When I started in on Edyta's mystery, I had to be mindful that I was working from an existing stash and with the pandemic, I was hampered a bit by not being able to shop as freely I would normally be able to if I decided I needed "stash enhancements".  On the plus side, this meant I could also try to be creative with placement.  There have also been times when I've had to really do some design contortions to try to make the fabric I have stretch or to be able to use prints I really wanted to see included in the design.  Some examples of this:

This block was pieced in her pattern as four HSTs.  I opted to try to speed things a bit by die cutting it as parallelograms.

Well, except for these three --- I didn't have enough of this fabric to die cut all the parallelograms needed but did have enough to cut the last six pairs of HST triangles needed to make it the way she patterned it.

Edited To Add: Another change that happened between the initial block piecing and the final layout was that the bottom triangles of these chevron blocks changed from having all the same color background triangles to having a different background print on the "pointed" end (as you will see in the pictures that follow of the center of the top ).

I had a fan fabric in the stash that I had won in a de-stash giveaway a few years back.  I had always hoped to showcase it in whatever design I chose to make from this collection of fabrics.

The time for that came in Part 12.  Rather than the pieced blocks patterned for the corners of the large center star, I decided to do some fussy cutting instead.

Edited To Add:  Don't know what fussy cutting is or have never tried it?  Check out tips and application ideas here and here!

Although I liked the center "glow" of the pink floral background fabric for the star points, I wasn't convinced it worked within the top as a whole.  I eventually changed  it to a tan print with little pink and blue flowers in it that I felt didn't compete as much with the fussy cut fans.

Edited To Add:  It should also be noted that those blue HST star points were originally pieced into the big blue and brown blocks in the first outer border.  However, as I started doing up the other blocks in the first and second round, I realized I didn't like them used there after all, held on to them and fortunately, they found a better place in the large center star block.

There was also some "Poverty Piecing":  the center of this square....

....was actually pieced together to feature this motif.

This is what's left of the original pieces of fabric I had which now that I think of it, were probably fabric samples I had gotten with some I ordered way back when I first started quilting.

The small fat eighths of this print that I had didn't allow for cutting out the particular motif I wanted in the size I needed.  There were other motifs in the print that would have allowed that but of course those were not the ones I wanted!   Once I decided I could use this one, I had to "poverty piece" together small cuts from different sections of the fabric to create a piece big enough to cut the square needed for this unit.

Interestingly, Edyta's design actually called for the center "square" of the small center star to be made from the HST triangle corners of the four blocks that make it up (for more clarity, see Part 15 of the mystery).

Four of these.....

....make this!

Needless to say my star block is made up of the pieced together Square In A Square block, four Flying Geese and corner Triangle Squares instead.  I think it's my favorite block in this project!

And of course, what's a big, busy project without a few piecing snafus!!!

Really?!?  What was I thinking???

There, that's better!

In between working on all of this I was also sewing up masks for my husband's job so I really had to juggle between the decision making and stitching for this project and that production work.  Both the juggling and this project turned out to be a way bigger challenge than expected when I started this but it was also a fun diversion during this very crazy time.  I don't know when this particular stash would have been ignited and a project with it embarked on if it hadn't been for the pandemic and quarantine orders.  Can't say that I'm unhappy about it at all!  Well, at least I won't be once it's all sewn together.

Oh! And I already have two ideas for the quilt label:

I either want to make something using these extra fans I cut out or make this block from Edyta's "Little Handfuls of Scraps" book or maybe I'll wind up combining the two!  Can't wait to see what eventually happens!   I'm hoping it won't take until we are no longer required to "shelter in place" for me to get this pieced into a top!  Although I also still have the outer borders to decide on.  Edyta gave suggestions for six different borders!   I really like the pieced piano key one and am hoping I can tease that out of the fabrics and scraps I have left over.

This definitely provided a much needed break between following the news reports.  And there's still more Quarantine Quilting projects coming!

Last Minute Check-In For April!

Whew, April has been a busy month!  I figured I'd better post about it before I miss it!  As usual, a LONG POST WARNING is in effect!

I had so looked forward to staying in for the quarantine because I thought it would be a great time to catch up on existing projects.  Instead there's been a flood of new projects -- well, old project "desires" that were fueled to move to the forefront.  This was courtesy of some inspiring projects that have been posted for the many "Quarantine Sew Alongs" that are out right now.

Prior to quarantine, I had been trying to finish up an old Bonnie Hunter mystery  until along came "Elvira" in late March:

Gudrun Erla's (GE Designs) quilt along was the perfect prompt for me to finally make that follow-up Spring quilt I've long wanted (and the details of that fun romp is here).

FYI:  Gudrun is doing another Quilt Along this weekend called "Hope".  This time, there is a nominal charge for the pattern but all the proceeds of the sales are going to three local charities in her area that are helping people during the pandemic.  Check out the link above or her recent "Tipsy Tuesday" video for more details.

 Just as Gudrun was announcing hers, I also learned about this:

Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts was also doing a Sew Along Mystery design that is now officially named "California" (she also has kits for it now too).  For me it was yet another prompt to finally use another stash of fabrics I've been holding:  I had put away fabrics a long while back with plans to make a "Pinks, Browns and Blues" quilt.  I've always envisioned it to have a "Shabby Chic" vibe and Edyta's quilt designs always invoke that for me.  It was a quarantine match made in heaven!  Details about how that went is in my next post.  Right now it is only finished blocks on the design wall, not yet a top.  I will also need to work on an outer border.

Another good thing is that while working on this, I also got a little leader/ender work done for Bonnie Hunter's "Roll, Roll Cotton Boll" which I hadn't worked on since February of last year!

I needed a few more pink fabrics for the Sitar mystery and knew I had some stash still to process for Part 2 of the Quiltville mystery.  So I made up the triangle sets I needed to piece together and then added what was left to the Sitar stash.  Then there was also this:

My husband works for UPS which happens to be one of the "essential businesses" that has stayed open during the pandemic.  He was on vacation when the orders from NY's Governor Cuomo came down for everyone to stay home so we had at least that first week to be able to go together to stock up on things and start planning for the adjustments to "the new normal".

When he went back to work the next week, the company fortunately had masks and gloves for everyone and he was also able to buy an additional set of masks from a co-worker who had picked some up from a medical supply company and my husband brought those home for our family to use.  My husband works in the tractor trailer division and although he has to occasionally drive loads to other centers, he primarily works in the yard.  He and his co-workers shift and organize the trailers that come through, putting them into the loading bays to be unloaded or loaded and pulling them back out to be set up to go back out on the road.

If you wonder what that's like, check out this video: 

and this one: 

As you can imagine, a freight yard is not a very clean place and it didn't take long for the mask given to him to get pretty dirty and the dirt that gets on them isn't easy to remove.  We didn't want to have to replace the masks so frequently or destroy the filtering capacity of them with intense cleaning methods.  

Having already seen many of the mask tutorials on the web, I took one of his old work shirts and made him a mask to wear over the company issued ones to help them stay cleaner and last longer.  I used the tutorial and templates from Craft Passion and made the version that would allow us to add replaceable filters to the mask if at some point he can't get replacement ones from his job (and a supply of that fabric is on its way).

Well of course no sooner did he wear it to work, I got a request to make more.  So I joined the cottage industry ranks:

Of course getting into the mask making game that late meant I had a terrible time sourcing supplies.  His job provided plenty of shirts for cutting up and I had a good stock of thread but elastic?  Forgeddaboutit!!   I only had a little bit of it in the house when I made my husband's mask.  Also when I made his mask and some regular ones for me for going to the community garden and general shopping,  I found I needed to be able to adjust the length of the elastic for personal fit.  Not something I wanted to have to do for a bulk order!

Fortunately I had also seen Julie Sefton's post on her Quilt Diva Julie blog about how she did "around the head ties" for her husband's mask that were secured by a spring toggle.  Craft Passion had also showed that way of securing the mask in her pattern although hers was tied.  I sent one into work with my husband using the only comparable supplies I had on hand:  a long black sneaker-lace and the one toggle I found in my sewing supplies.  That mask was quickly snapped up by a co-worker so I decided to see if I could source toggles and paracord in bulk to make them all that way going forward.  That too took a while --- again, by that time, black paracord and black toggles were also hard to find!  Fortunately, I found a vendor on Etsy (thanks Debbie!) with the only color she had left which luckily for me happened to be Coffee Bean (brown)!  Perfect for UPS!!  Then I was also able to source a large spool of  brown paracord.

Another match made in heaven!  So this is what I've been sending in.

Since each shirt only provides one logo, I also make plain shield style masks and folded masks to use up the rest of the "fabric".  The folded design I've been using is from this YouTube video which I liked because of the side casings and that I could also make it so that replaceable filters could be inserted.  To help with some of the prep,  I had to show my husband how to "de-bone" the shirts, Bonnie Hunter style.  Another great quarantine activity while watching TV!

The downside for me is that once I had finished "Elvira", I had been geared up to quickly work on the Edyta Sitar mystery, get it done and return to my other projects.  However, the accumulated stash I used for the mystery didn't as easily integrate into the design as I had expected.  So that meant I went back and forth on most days trying to establish a balance between mask production and quilt design and layout work.  All of that had to happen between grocery runs and a few garden days.  And thank goodness for the latter:

Reminds you that even in the midst of this chaos, Mother Nature commences Spring right on schedule!  Fortunately for me, the winter gardening I did meant my little garden bed was already established and I've been able to harvest lettuce greens and a little celery and chives already.  The tall things around the perimeter are garlic which won't be ready for harvest until June.

The only casualty in all of this is that the only BOM work I was able to do this month was for the Joann Countryside Cottage BOM (as more leader/enders) because the pieces are all pre-cut.  I've even already done the May block!

Still, I'm going to have A LOT of catching up to do in May on the other BOMs I'm working on!  So I am hoping to finish the mask order in the next two weeks and in between will try to put the top together for Edyta's mystery.

I wish I could say that right after that I will get back to my other regular project work -- and I will, eventually -- but I admit I also have two other "quarantine quilting" projects that I'd like to get started.  Who knew that a pandemic would generate so much FOMO and Squirrel moments?!?  Let's all move safely on to May!

We will get through this....

Thanks to the good friend who forwarded this to me!

Edited to Add:  When I also posted this to Instagram, I got a ping that the poem was actually written this year.  So while I removed it from there, I'm leaving it here.  As far as I'm concerned, the sentiment  attached to that picture is still pertinent and resonates for me!

BOMs Away 2020 Week 13: Christmas Figs and AQS Twilight Flurries

It's a layover week this week with the end of March at the beginning of it and the start of April at the end.  I'm hoping to clean up some loose ends this week before April starts in earnest.  With that, here's the BOM report for the blocks completed for the last two outstanding BOMs for March:

Christmas (technically "Scrappy") Figs:

The first block I made was the easier of the two:  the Flying Geese Criss Cross.  As always, with these blocks and the limited "coordinated by sales" stash I have, I'm always a little nervous picking the fabrics for each block.  In the end, I was pleased with how this one came out.

Now the second block was the tough one that I had avoided making last month when I was time crunched:  it's the Feathered Star block:

For this one, I decided to make my first dive into the FQ bundle of designer coordinated MODA Fig Tree Solids I have.   Believe it or not while it is a challenging block, it isn't hard per se.  As is usually true of Feathered Star blocks, this one is definitely about accurate cutting, carefully following the directions and taking it step by step.

The block is made up of twelve pieced square sections and four single fabric corner squares.  Joanna's directions are great in that each section of the block is cut slightly over size and is trimmed down after you complete the piecing of it.  For a job like this when it is important to get it squared along both diagonals,  I love using the Tucker Trimmer by Deb Tucker of Studio 180 Designs:

Unlike with my regular square up ruler, this one allows you to line up along both diagonals of the block which helps you to trim it up more accurately along all four sides.  Quilt In A Day's Square Up Ruler or any of the larger Creative Grids Square Up Rulers would also work well here (Note:  the link is to the 6-1/2" Square Up but Creative Grids has larger square up rulers as well).

When Pat Sloan made this quilt as a Quilt Along two years ago, she demoed every block on her blog, giving tips that she found helpful to make them accurately.  I didn't think to go back and read up on this one until after I was finished.  Fortunately, it turns out I had actually followed most of her advice (including working on it over the course of two days!).  I guess all of that good info had been retained deep in my memory from when I read about it back then!

One tip I would add is that it was also very helpful to trim the the tips of the corner triangles when adding them to the pieced HST strips.  Of course another gadget helped with that!

I've had these Fons and Porter Triangle Trimmers for ages and every so often they come in real handy for a project.  There are other types of these around too --- Gudrun Erla has a set she used during the recent Elvira quilt along  and her set also includes a trimmer for 60 degree triangles.  When I made that project, I used the trimming tip on my 60 degree ruler.

One BOM down and one last one to go:  AQS Twilight Flurries.  This month's blocks are their #4 and #6.

Edited to Add:  I forgot to note that the block on the right was another one in this series that called for some of the units in the block to be paper-pieced.  Last month I had skipped making another of these blocks because I didn't think I'd have time to tackle that process.  Well, I didn't do it this month either!  Turns out Block # 6 offered another opportunity to use a gadget to work a little more quickly.  I used the Lazy Angle ruler and methods to cut and piece the corner units instead of making templates to paper piece them.  Fortunately the ruler makes units as small as 1" finished which is what I needed for this block.

Once again, I'm realizing that these blocks are kind of complex and I'm still getting a handle on fabric choice since I'm not working with the tone-on-tone/solids AQS used.   For now, I'll settle for having all the BOMs done until next week!

I'm joining the other BOM-badeers over at Lynette's BOMs Away linkup at What A Hoot Quilts and co-host Katie Mae over at Katie Mae Quilts!

P.S.  Looking for more Quarantine Quilt Alongs?!?  

Bonnie Hunter is doing a "Sew In Place Unity Quilt Along" that started Monday.  She says there's no paint chips for this mystery and the design will employ all of her usual "Scrap Users" sizes.  So here's a chance to pull out your scrap bins for this one!  Unlike Bonnie's usual mysteries, this one will be made medallion style so you will see the quilt develop as you finish each step.  This could allow you more flexibility to "design as you go" as far as your fabric choices, block substitutions and possibly any layout changes you might want to make.

As always, if you're busy right now with all those UFOs or that hand work project and can't sew this up right now, at the very least go download the steps.  They will be released on her blog and the "Unity" tab on her website every Monday for the next seven to eight weeks. Once this one is over, she will offer it as a complete pattern in her Quiltville Store.


Kim Lapasek of Persimmon Dreams and Trisha Frankland of Quilt Chicken are hosting a special edition of Project Quilting 2020 -- Quarantine Limited Edition which Kim says will run until we are all able to freely go back outside!  If you've always wanted to do Project Quilting but felt you didn't have the time to participate, here's your opportunity.

The first challenge went up on Sunday and you have until the following Sunday (Noon, Central time) to submit an entry.  This will be an "all shares" challenge with no prizes this round -- that is, none in addition to the admiration of or inspiration from your fellow quilters!   However, this could be the perfect chance to test your skills for participating in the regular Project Quilting Challenge event when it returns in January.

If anyone can survive a quarantine with sanity intact, quilters can!

BOMs Away 2020 Week 12: Countryside Cottage and Modern Bohemia

Having missed a week of sewing at the start of this month and before letting a new diversion sneak in,  I was still playing catch up on my BOM work for March.   After getting back in gear and getting a pair of Valentine's Day pillows done, I  quickly pulled out the Joann Countryside Cottage BOM blocks.  They are usually easy to make up since they are pre-cut.

Yeah right, never sew late at night when you are tired!  Didn't even notice the gaffe until I went to photograph the blocks, LOL!!  Oh well, there was always the next day to re-work them.

That's better!  Then it was on to Modern Bohemia.   I figured I'd get them pieced up and be able to link up last week which was the scheduled week for Bohemia and show the work done on both.  I had picked the stash of fabric I planned to work from when I finished last month's blocks which made for a quick start.

However, everything else took longer than expected!  I wound up doing the die cutting over two days rather than one.  I got the 12, 6 and 3 inch blocks cut out on the first day.  The 9 inch blocks weren't die cut until after all those were pieced and that piecing itself took two days.  Then it was another three days to die cut and then piece the 9 inch blocks although that had a lot to do with all the National Quilting Day/Weekend diversions online!  When those were all done, I put all the blocks I've made to date up on the wall to see where I am:

Hmm, seems I need to step up production on the 3 inch blocks.  No more turquoise backgrounds for now and I now see I've got no purple in the stash for this project.  Looks like I'll be doing a little  online pandemic shopping for next month's grouping!

I was hoping to maybe get this one finished up by June but I'll see how many blocks I can get done over the next two months before committing to that.  I also realize that when I plan the work on these BOMs where I have to make multiple blocks, I really need to plan to space the work out over a whole week.  Thinking I'll whip them up in a day or two just isn't proving to be realistic.

Now that that's in the can, let's hope I can finish up the rest of what I have to do for the BOMs for March before the 31st!  In the meantime, I linked up with Lynette over at What A Hoot Quilts to join all the other quilters working away at projects during this quarantine.

Quarantine Squirrel Moments

So the good thing about a pandemic is that it forces you to "shelter in place" giving you more guilt-free time in your quilt space.  The bad thing is that there are sooooo many quilt designers doing daily online videos and posting special projects online and through social media to help us quilters find something to keep us busy while we have to stay inside.  Although how many quilters really need something new to keep them busy?!?

Yeah, so this happened:

Remember back in my last post I mentioned that Gudrun Erla of GE Quilt Designs was going to host a free Quarantine Quilt Along for a new pattern called "Elvira"?   She hosted the quilt along live on Facebook (with delayed airings on her YouTube channel) this past Sunday.  The pattern was free over the weekend and would you believe:  16,000 (!!!) quilters downloaded the pattern!  If you like it, don't worry, it is now available to buy on her website.

So what prompted me to make this?  I've made one of her patterns before so knew I liked her design and instructional style.   I initially hadn't planned to participate since when the quilt along went live I was still going to be catching up on my BOM work.  However, after downloading the pattern, I realized I had a fabric stash already compiled that's been waiting for just the right project and thought it'd be perfect for this.  It also looked like it was going to be a quickie quilt and right now that appeals to me greatly.

However, when I went looking for the HSY (Haven't Started Yet) stash I had thought of, I found another one:  I had purchased a fat quarter bundle back in 2017 from Turning Twenty from their "Specials" page.  I had hoped to use it to make a new Spring quilt to replace my "Fabric Gal" quilt that I had gifted to an ill family member in 2016.  I'd packed a few quilt ideas in with the stash but none had been ready for "boots on the ground".   When I saw that stash, I knew it was also perfect for this project and was even better suited for the simple but fun look of the "Elvira" design.  I needed to add a few more pieces to it to have what I needed for the (generously sized) lap quilt and wouldn't you know it, a few stash injections and some leftover cuts from the BOM I was working on perfectly rounded out the fabric pull.

From this....

To this!

So at that point, I committed to working on the quilt once I finished the current round of BOM work.  However, I did watch Gudrun's live streams on Sunday during which you got to see some of the inspiring fabrics, blocks and tops that other quilters were creating.  During the QAL, Gudrun also interviewed other quilt designers including three of my faves, Bonnie Hunter, Terry Atkinson and Pat Sloan.   All the designers she spoke to also participated in the QAL and made tops (well, except Pat who is still working on her blocks which you can see the progress of in her daily "Crazy Quilt March" YouTube videos).

"Elvira" is a pretty easy pattern and my favorite type of technique -- it uses a gadget!  If you own or have thought about buying Gudrun's Stripology ruler this is the pattern for you!

This replaced my (beloved) June Tailor Shape Cut ruler. 

It really makes great use of the ruler for all aspects of cutting the fabrics and trimming the block units and finished blocks.  In the videos, Gudrun teaches you some advanced tips and tricks for getting the most out of the ruler.  I highly encourage you to watch the videos even if you don't plan to make the quilt but have a Stripology ruler and have never used it.  Also take a look if you've been considering buying one and would like to see if it's worth the money.  I have the original ruler which is now discontinued so is cheaper than when it first came out and now there is a new, larger Stripology XL.  Gudrun shows how to cut the fabric for this pattern using either ruler as well as using regular rulers.

The video sessions where Gudrun walks you through the making of the quilt are still up on both her Facebook and  QAL You Tube pages.  Its helpful to get to see exactly how the pattern steps are done and to get answers to common questions quilters had about making the pattern.  She even had a Spotify playlist on the bottom of the QAL page if  you needed a little background music while you sewed!  I didn't get to start on it until Tuesday but once I did, I really appreciated having the playlist for when I wasn't watching the tutorial sessions!  I finished the top this morning and loaded the picture of it to the quilt along Instagram page (#quaratinequiltalong) where you can also see all the other tops that have been completed by the quilters who participated in this around the world.

Gudrun, like most of the traveling quilt teachers, is grounded for the foreseeable future so in her latest "Tipsy Tuesday" video (Elvira Wrap-up Edition) she announced plans to offer her annual "Strip Along" pattern for half price on Friday through her "Gudrun's Quilt Crew" Facebook group and will be announcing it during her "Facebook Friday" live feed.  So here's another chance to get in on the Corona-cation ground floor!

Updated 3/30/20 to add:  To get all the scoop on the Strip Along go here!

Soooo, not only that happened but this will happen:

Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts started a Mystery 2020 QAL last  Friday.  This is a another designer who I've longed to make a project with.  Edyta's quilt style is sort of  "Repro Shabby Chic" which I realized was perfectly suited for that first stash of HSY fabric that I thought of using for "Elvira"!  I originally envisioned using this collection of Creams, Tans, Browns, Blues and Pinks to make a "Blended" style quilt or maybe a Turning Twenty.

I also thought I had more Pinks set aside with these but I think I raided some to make Bonnie Hunter's Double Delight.  I also added some grays to the neutrals pulled because I like using those now too.  Well, this mystery is going on for fifteen days so I have some time to both join in and augment the stash.  What I really appreciate is that as she is releasing the parts of the mystery, she is showing where the blocks will end up in the quilt.  That helps me decide which of my fabrics to use since I'm not using the fabric bundle she is working from.  Sweet!

I'm going to try to start setting up the blocks to be leader/enders for the block work I still have to do for the remaining two BOMs  I have to work on before this month ends.  And on that note, back to the machine!

Corona-cation Update: Somtimes it takes a pandemic....

....to recharge your sewing mojo!  So the good news is that I've been able to push myself back to the table --- the sewing table that is!  First off, I FINALLY was able to finish the Valentine's Day pillow covers.  Woo hoo!

The design was courtesy of Minki Kim's Bernina -Well All Sew tutorial from last February.

I am very happy with how they look and of course now can't understand why I was in such a twist about the binding.  Well no, I do remember -- even though the sliver of the pink faux piping looks good to me now, I had originally envisioned it being a little more visible but had major trouble trying to get it that way.

I'm now satisfied that I settled on moving forward with it as is.  I'm a little bummed I wasn't able to get good contrast with the stitching around the hearts.

While it's hard to tell unless you are right up on them, both are hand outline stitched and this was another part of this project that was done multiple times!  I started out doing it in a pink Perle 5 thread, first in Big Stitch style then pulling those stitches out to re-do them using smaller stitches.  Unfortunately, I found that either way the contrast just wasn't enough.

I felt that it was important to keep to the color scheme so if not pink then trying it with a rust or brown thread was the way to go.  I stitched one of the covers again starting with a Rust Perle 8 I had using Big Stitch (nope), then small.  It was okay but still not great.  Rather than pulling it out just yet, I went with an olive-brown Perle 12 thread (all I had) on the second cover.  Too thin,  so I redid it again with the thread doubled.  Again, just okay but still not great.  By this time I was tired of not moving forward on it and decided to leave both as is and move forward onto the binding because I could always go back and re-stitch them later if I wanted.

Well I already reported on the subsequent binding frustrations and hence why this (and everything else) wound up sitting for two  weeks!  However, right now I think they look fine and will have no problem pulling them out again next year for the holiday.  I'm thinking now that a true olive green Perle may be the ticket for the contrast stitching but right now that thread is bundled up with another project kit.  More importantly, the holiday has passed and these are done so will stay so until next year!

I also pieced together the backing of the Girl Scout Quilt adding in the label.

With that done, I'm hoping to quilt it over the weekend.  The Kente at the upper left will be used to make the hanging sleeve to be added after the quilting.  I will be making it so that they can either display the quilt or be able to carry it walking in a parade.

However, before I can get to the quilting, I want to get the past due BOM work out of the way.  That's a story for another post.......

P.S.  I had YouTube videos playing while sewing and I learned that Gudrun Erla of GE Designs will be hosting a live "Quarantine Quilt Along" this Sunday on Facebook!  She will have quilting guests visiting during the day, one of which will be Bonnie Hunter!  Gudrun will share a new pattern (which will be available Saturday) and have "quilty goodies" for those that tune in.  Check out her blog for all the details!