quilt for Gayle

Here is the quilt I finished for Gayle, my friend at work who is battling breast cancer. I hope she likes it. It turned out really nice. I ended up with enough extra blocks to make another one this size and then 12 blocks more. I plan to put another row around each of those blocks to make each one bigger. I have more of the pink ribbon fabric and more white fabric as well.

I also started working on the pile of quilt tops I have laying all around the sewing room.

I decided that I felt like matching tops to backing fabric and making sure the backing matched in size so when I feel like quilting, I was ready to go. I started putting the pairs together in giant ziploc bags and then putting them in a big rubbermaid tub. The tub is full of quilts ready to go and so I pulled out the quilt tops that need 'something' to be called finished. I found some really bright kid prints in the garage today when I was out there working on this quilt (looking for the backing fabric) and am now cutting borders for the 'too small' quilts. I will work on a few of these, until I don't feel like doing that anymore, and hope to find backs for these smaller quilts as well.

When my oldest goes back to college, I plan to move the quilting machine into her bedroom so that I don't have to work in the garage. It was gorgeous outside today and the temperature was just fine, but the garage is dirty and I have to make sure everything stays off of the floor. I would rather work in the house, where I can vacuum and also where I can hear the kids playing. Since she won't be home for 4 months, that will give me plenty of time to work on all of these quilts that need quilting. I will race to see if I can get all of them quilted before she gets home for the summer when I have to move the quilting machine again. I liked having it in the living room, but it took up a lot of space. The kids like to have friends over and they really can't play with their friends and the video games when the quilting machine is in the same room.

Maybe this summer, I will work on the garage and clean out a space for the quilting machine and put down some carpet so I can keep it cleaner. If only I could get rid of more junk that is just taking up space, I could make room for the machine and everyone would be happy. I hang onto things because I might need them one day and have all sorts of things that I haven't used in years. I am slowly learning to let go of things I never use and learning that it is ok.