Twist & Shout Finish

My Merry Mayhem New Year's Day Mystery quilt project is finished. I just took the last stitch last night. 

She measures 52" x 63" and I used up 8 yards of my Civil War Reproduction fabrics.  I used these CWR fabrics with the hopes of whittling down the collection I have. Isn't that funny, because you know how that goes! Sadly, they are not so popular these days but the quilt finished nicely and looks at home with its fellow antique.

This Twist and Shout quilt is my third finish for this year and I have busted through a total of 34.81 yards of stash so far in 2024. I need to attack the "binding to be" pile to bump that number up.

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This has been a busy month. Between attending our grandchildren's soccer and softball games, getting the garden planted, and keeping up with the lawn and flower beds it has been hard to get into the sewing room. 

The bees are busy and humming in the herb bed. The sage has flowered this year along with the chamomile and chives. I planted some onions, lettuce, and spinach on the other side and it is fenced off temporarily to keep the neighbor's dogs and rabbits out. 

We worked outside all week and planted the rest of the garden. It is watered and mulched, and we have high hopes for lots of fresh produce. Each year it is fun to try something new. This year's new vegetable is Armenian Cucumber. It is actually in the melon family but tastes like a cucumber. It takes the heat well so it might be a nice substitute. 

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Bernina has announced a new Quilt Along. 

This "Between the Lines" QAL is divided into 9 rows and will feature different techniques like: paper piecing, curved piecing, strip piecing and more. The finished project will measure 55" x 66" which is a nice throw size. And it is small enough to machine quilt myself if desired. 

The first row begins June 9th so head over to their site for more info.

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I'm still plugging along on hand-quilting my Siggie quilt. These blocks were the D13 block from the Dear Jane quilt. I participated in this block exchange for several years and it was such a thrill to find my "squishie" package in the mail with all the blocks by quilters from around the world. 

Some of the blocks were embellished so that is why I have decided to hand quilt it. No machine quilter would agree to working on it - unless it was free style. 

I have found that I really, really love the feel of hand quilting! The quilt is so much softer, and not stiff like it would be if machine quilted. It has taken me a few months (8 months?) and I am almost done with all the blocks. Once they are all quilted, I will have the four 5" borders to quilt. and then it will be ready for the binding. And lots and lots of snuggle time.

Perhaps you have found your block while reading these blocks? I know I always look for mine when I see a siggie quilt posted online. Let me know in the comments. ♥

"Why the big push for Quilters to use up their Stash? 

Nobody asks stamp collectors to mail letters!"