January and Quilting 101

This month has been filled with so many quilting techniques I learned years ago that it feels like Quilting 101.  For me a new year doesn't necessarily mean resolutions as much as a clearing out and reorganization of my supplies and looking over unfinished projects. I shredded lots of paperwork, thinking "why did I keep this anyway?" I discarded lots of instructions and pieces of projects. But when I came across the box of foundation piecing patterns, fabric strips, and triangles, I remembered how much I loved foundation piecing. So I finished the 16 Square-in-a-Square blocks and assembled them with black sashing. I found a lot of smaller blocks on fabric foundations ready to be sashed and joined. I must have been fascinated with checks, plaids, and stripes when I cut these triangles and squares.

These 6" blocks will finish about 30" square

Detail of some 6" blocks

These are about 5"

I made a bunch of tiny houses and a row of flying geese. Only one row. These are fiddly, but batik fabrics make them possible. 

Tiny houses on an 8" x 10" quilt

Raw flying geese before adding border

With borders

We had several days and nights of below freezing temps, cold enough that my pot plants I had brought into the garage lost their leaves. I'm hoping they will make it. Elizabeth and Rahrah and I hibernated in the warm house. I warmed a blanket in the dryer for Lacey in the garage on the coldest nights. She would often find a patch of sunshine in the yard in the daytime.

Lacey soaking up some sunshine