Finished a Doll Quilt top

I finished this doll quilt top for Bernie's quilt drive and linky party. She's encouraging quilters to make a doll quilt to go with Amy's dolls. Amy makes dolls that look like the recipient. It is so therapeutic for them.

Mine is 26 inches square. I made it with 4 nine patches of 5"  squares from scraps in my novelty leftovers. Then I used the disappearing nine patch trick.  I'm going to try to quilt it this weekend and send it off early next week.  The quilt is matched with an 18"  doll.

Earlier this week, I sandwiched a quilt for St. Anne's.  Here it is on my kitchen table being pinned.  I use an old corrugated cardboard cutting mat and I pin my back right into the space between the two pieces of cardboard. The two clamps you see are to keep the mat from folding onto itself.  Once that is pinned (taut but not tight) I lay on the batting and top, then pin all three together.  This saves my back as I can't get down on the floor or carpet any more.

You're seeing the back of the backing.  Another to quilt! As for me I'm linking to Crazy Mom's Finish it Up Friday, Finished or Not Friday, and Can I get a Whoop, Whoop?  Lots to inspire there.

Have plans for quilting this long weekend?  Come by and link what you're working on. We'd love to see it.  Last week's giveaway winner is Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color.  I've sent her an email.  She's getting a fat quarter once I know what color she'd like.  Want a fat quarter?  Link up to this week's party for an opportunity to do so.  Ends Thursday, midnight. Linky below.

I Like Thursday

because I get to play with fabric.  My daughter gave me some plaids AND in search for another fabric I found a bag of stripes and plaids,  so I'll be able to move forward on Unit 2 of SLOL.

Outside and catercorner to our house is a magnificent floral display:

It's a bougainvillea.  It blooms like this when it gets lots of sun and little water - way earlier than normal for the year.  I'm enjoying it while I can - who knows what it will do this summer.

The colorful part of the plant are the leaves (called bracts) which surround the true minuscule flower - sort of like the poinsettia.  I save photos like these for our hot summers as a relief from the brown and gray that can overwhelm us.

I'm off to Lea Anna's I Like Thursday post. Go on by and see her Thursday delights and those of others.

Some of This; Some of That

Giveaway still open - see last Friday's post.  I haven't shown you my 2nd Design Wall in a long time.  Here are some bits and pieces that reside there. LOL - I'm hoping they won't always reside there.

New-ish are the three new hexagon flowers I machine appliqued to the backgrounds and some more teeny pinwheels for My Small World. The rest is a holding ground for things I"m working on.

The main design wall (as you can see) is empty for a change. I actually haven't started anything recently. I'm still working on quilting my Mod-Mod. I've been held back trying to figure out how to mark a white square and then Barbara at Baltimore Garden Quilts posted the very thing I needed - How to Use a Hera Marker. Perfect!  Learn a new technique and get on with that block.

I went to a quilt show with my Mom [I'll show photos soon], and found some fabric for my primitive quilt from a vendor there - Simply Put Plus. I wasn't having much luck on the Net.

As I'm going to use up these fat quarters, I'm not counting them as adds to my stash.  She has a lot of good stuff and fabric for my primitive Sweet Land of Liberty. If you can't find plaids and such, send her an email. Since she makes kits, she'd be happy to sell fabric, too.  Her business is patterns, etc. I'll be linking to Design Wall Monday and Esther's WOW, and other linky parties under my more tab.  See you there.

We were promised rain, but it never appeared. Now they say by the beginning of next week, the eternal summer will be back.  Stay warm those of you who are really experiencing winter. We're resigned to the return of drought conditions.

Blessings to you all,