FAL – Page 5 – OccasionalPiece

I’ve always wanted to say that I’ve had three finishes in one month. Well, in my mind, I’ve had FIVE, but two of the tops (the wonky Christmas stars and the wonky Christmas log cabin) are at the quilter and won’t be back until next month, so technically the binding and label is all that remain (and I’ve already cut the bindings!).

The first (or third) is my art quilt for our Four-in-Art group, which has its reveal tomorrow. I have to say I don’t think of myself as an artist, but instead, a creative person. But like anything in life, when that deadline starts looming, all of a sudden I start getting ideas. Tons, this time, but I only made one of those ideas. See you tomorrow for that.

The second is Into the Woods, my autumn quilt (follow the link to see that). And the third finish this month is Summer Treat.

I started Summer Treat last summer. I finished up the top, and it sat–like all good UFOs–but this one was all backed and pinned and ready for quilting. When I saw that I had a few hours to myself yesterday, and realized I could say those magic words: “three finishes in one month,” I pulled it out and started quilting.

Then binding.

And so here it is: Summer Treat. This is #105 on my list of 200 quilts. (Yes, I know I need to get the list updated.)

Detail. I stitched on either side of some of the rows and then diagonally on the side of the white Xs.

The backing and binding are the same fabric: some wild dots.

So, yay! I’m putting this up on the Finish-A-Long Flickr photo-sharing site, hosted this year by Leanne. I had resisted joining this group, but it’s been very good motivation to get some of these quilts finished up.

Update: Original Post showing all planned finishes is *here.*

Into the Woods is finished–my first finish in the FAL hosted by Leanne. I blogged about how bogged down I was in my entry FAL, so it’s nice to be able to go out to the front porch, have my husband hold it up and declare it done. And yes, I know it’s January and we still have pumpkins out there. Okey-dokey, moving right along. . .

Here’s a closeup of the quilting, and the blocks.

And the requisite beauty shot, draping not-so-artfully by the pumpkins.

Back of the quilt. I had purchased this fabric about eight years ago, when I was shop-hopping up in the Pittsburg area with a good friend. Our husbands are both scientists and we’d see each other almost annually at conferences. This particular time I had a rental car, so we left the boys to their science and took off in search of ours. I love that certain fabrics have memories attached; whenever I see this I will think of Beth.

I had originally named this a different name, mocked up the label but just couldn’t make the name stick. Then one night, it came to me. Seeing this quilt was like walking into the woods, surrounded by golds, greens, crimsons and browns, and so that became the title, just like the Broadway play Into the Woods by Steven Sondheim. That play has always had special significance for me, as its allegory of going into the woods –the difficult trials of life — and making your way back out of the woods — into a different life than the one imagined — became a sort of map for me during a painful shape-shifting time of life. I still love that play, and as I worked on the label (with a scrap of lyric pulled from the title song), I played it on the computer and sang along. Nothing like a Broadway show tune to make the quilting go a little quicker.

My quilter, Cathy, did a lovely job on the quilting of pumpkins and vines (and if you know the play Into the Woods, there is a section of Jack and the Beanstock, which correlates nicely). So there it is–my first finish, and finally, a Friday Finish for myself.

Update: Original post for the Finish-A-Long is *here.*