On this very chilly, gray, February morning (hurray!  January is over!) I thought I’d share what’s been going on here this winter.  We have no snow and don’t expect any.  The sun is supposed to come out again on Saturday, which will definitely be a welcome sight.

Here’s what’s happening:

It starts with a backing.  And then the batting.  Banjo Man is not allowed to make a mess in the kitchen during all of this.

Then a quilt top is added:

Want to see the backing?  It’s a chunk of fabric I bought 25 years ago at a long gone Fabric Place, a massive store that had all kinds of fabric and many, many sales.Pretty wild, huh?   The quilt is finished and I am now stitching on the binding.

Next up, finishing a 7-year old Quilt of Valor.

And here is one of last year’s tops:

It has also been finished–my sewing machine just zips through “stitch in the ditch” lines so nicely–and is awaiting its binding.

Another quilt top from last winter is now finished and ready for a bed:

And here is the oldest quilt top of all. It was a Christmas gift from my in-laws back in the 70’s.  My mother-in-law’s father’s sister made it, but it was never finished.  I added a border to protect the stitches years ago, but was always afraid to quilt it.  My hand-quilting skills are terrible and I have never gotten the hang of making those lovely, tiny stitches that look so beautiful.  I wanted to do it justice, but I knew I couldn’t.

But this year I am determined to do it.  Not by hand, though.  I ordered a special wide white backing.  And special white (not natural color) quilt batting.  Unfortunately my closest quilt store in Groton, CT doesn’t carry this specific white batting and three out of four online orders shipped the wrong color, so this project was delayed for three weeks.

After I finish writing this post, I will return to the kitchen and go back to pinning.  Another hour or so and I will be finished with this part of the process.  Time to reclaim the kitchen and dining area at last…and continue finishing this long-unfinished project.  I wonder when it was created.  There is just no way to know, but it WILL be finished in 2024.

At last.