FINALLY! Some "Amy" progress!

I didn't know what else to title this post with, but I felt that last night I FINALLY got back into the "quilting-grove" tempo!

I headed downstairs after dinner and didn't really surface again until 12:30!!!! (I did take a few moments at 9:00 to shoosh the girls to bed since DH was in the tub, relaxing after yet another HOT day of work.)

It was another lovely "one-thing-lead-to-another" evening. I needed to piece some backing for Granny Star's second section, and wouldn't you know it!---I was JUST short of white fabric by about 2 inches!!! So, rather than scappin' it totally, I simply took some of my scraps from sewing the top and pieced an 80" strip by 3 inches wide...and v'iola! A cute, slightly pieced, back! I didn't take pics of it, but it sure is cute. Kinda reminds me of what Crazy Mom Quilts does with her backs (see blogroll on left to visit her site).

I followed SOME of the suggested quilting from the magazine, but not all. The middle of the quilt is finished and even pieced together. It simply awaits borders now; which I just MAY get to today.

But first, I want to see if I can actually finish my June UFO Challenge, which I pulled out last night. You may recall seeing Country Spirit waaaaay back in January! As many projects do, it was set aside with other "to-do's" happened. But also, I didn't have the passion to really work on it much anymore because each block's quilting took a WHOLE HOUR! I was using a walking foot, and I got so tired of stopping and pivoting the quilt for the next "line" of quilting. It was so putzy!

When I pulled it out again last night, a light-bulb hit me----I thought of trying the BSR (bernina stitch regulator) with the "echo-quilting" foot instead of the normal FMQ foot. WOW! Was it quicker (since I didn't need to always turn the quilt in-and-out-and-around the machine bed! The lines didn't come out as "crisp" as they did when I used the walking foot, but.......

....it's DONE! (well, almost!) Binding still needs to be put on, as well as a label, and then I need to hand-sew the connector strip on the back. It is definitely small---a lap quilt, if that. Perfect for a wheel-chair! I missed the goal of getting this to Alycia (Alycia Quilts) by April, but she is already working on a collection for the next "deployment." This quilt WILL get finished today! (Specially since it's raining out right now and is forecast to rain all morning.)

Happy Saturday to y'all!