another UFO - actualy the 1st to be completed this year!

Well here is another UFO I suppose... or at least one I DO Plan to work on and finish this year!

I started this last year (Jan 2006) and the blocks are half done! All of the A blocks for two quilts have been made... and all last year I was planning to get the B blcoks made so that I could finishup these two tops! - but something else kept coming up and pushing this project asside! My RR became 1st priority over any of my own projects... another reason I will never do another RR!

I fell in love with the 1930's fabrics in the fall of 2005 when I saw this pattern shown in the December issue of the Better Homes and Garden's Quilting Magazine. At the time I had just signed up to participate in a 1930's noodle swap on the HGTV.com quilter's board. So I thought this would be a perfect pattern to use them on!!!

Also my friend Tracie from GA ws planning a trip to visit me in TX for January '06 - so we both swapped 30's noodles to get a larger variety to make these quilts for our little retreat project ;c)

But in the magazine the pattern called for 2" strips - and I was confortable just adding 1/2" to the sizes so that our 2.5" noodles would work... but halfway thru the cutting of the white fabric we each realized that we were not both doing the same... she was going strictly by the directions in the magazine although we had already talked about changing it to suit our needs... so all the white strips had to be cut to match....

So to make a long story short - we realized we are different when it comes to patterns. I'm the type that tweeks it as I go - and most times skips around and if I know a short cut will use it. Where as my friend is the type that has to follow step by step exactly as they are printed and no other way.

Needless to say the project didn't even get to the sewing stage and she was so frusterated that she refused to take any of the fabrics home with her when she left - "you can have it - if I take it home it will never get done b/c it is so messed up" she said.

So after she left I began making the A blocks and soon got all of them done for both our tops. They don't look so bad all together do they?

The B blocks look the same but have a whtie center and go from there... Oh and all those centers are a little larger in our quilt than in the magazine... but oh well! I think they look nice!

Tracie's birthday is December 23rd and ever since I have known her she has talked about how she hates having a Christmas Birthday - that she never receives anything special... so last eyar I really wanted to get the top done and quitled for her to give to her as her gift! Wouldn't that be special? But like I said, other obligations kept pushing those B blcoks to the back burner adn finally off the stove!

I have never even shared that I have a quilting blog with Tracie for this very reason!!! I wanted to be able to post here photos and prgress on this project as I went along. So I have never told my own best quilting frined about my blog so that I wouldn't spoil the suprise. She still knows nothing about it and over a year later she has never even asked once about the Square Deal quilt or if I ever workedon it again so if I am able to work on those B blocks again this year - it just may get done and given to her this year for her Birthday in December! :)

Right now my current project is finishing up the last 6 blocks to my 1930s BOM from last year's Quilt Club at the LQS. Above is a photo of the 1st 6 months sewn together. My goal is to complete 1 of the 24" blocks each week... and then spend 2 weeks completing the pieced boarder. So far this is the 2nd week and I am on target. :) If all goes well, I will have the top completed by the end of April (plenty of time before the twins arrive) and for my Birthday gift to myself I will use the money I get each year from my Daddy and pay to have it quilted!


Then I will get focused on those B Blocks!!! :c) and get Tracie's quilt set together and have it quilted in time for her Birthday in December!!!