Slowly working on my UFO pile. This was two about.com swaps from the early 2000's. Bearpaw blocks and log cabin blocks. Started in the center. This will take a bit to finish so I basted it first so I can take it off the machine. This is my third UFO to be quilted so far this year. I have 10 more in a nice stack on the shelf and that is just tops waiting for quilting.

I remember those.  I bet I have some put away.  I'll have to look.  It was a long time ago.  Mine aren't even a top.

Yup you should dig them out and do something with them. I set mine together shortly after the swaps and then some years later added the border and then just let it sit forever. I am currently on a mission to finish as many projects as I can and only start very few and once started get them completely done. I am doing really well with the new projects getting done and am starting to see fewer old UFOs.

I have been here in Newark, TX all week helping my grandson Matthew get off to school and get to other places he needs to be, while his Mom is in Mexico working to get her "legal US residency" finalized.  After I take him to school in the morning, I have been working remotely like I usually do at home, but I also have some opportunities to visit with friends I haven't seen since I moved from here to San Angelo.

So, Sandy and I have had a couple of nice little visits in the past few days.  The first visit wasn't very long, but that day we went to JoAnn, which is right down the street from her, and I don't even have a JoAnn's in San Angelo!  I had to hurry back here so I would be here when he got home.  Then today we had another visit that was a little longer, and we got to visit a little bit more, and I gave her a very short lesson on how to make that "whatever the name of it is" quilt - the one with the bright batiks and black background that a few others said they wanted to learn when we are in AZ.  And also today, we visited a favorite LQS who has moved to a brand new, much bigger shop.  More fabric!  haha  It's SO much bigger, they are not crowded, and what a nice fabric selection.  We had a little bit of trouble finding it, because they have no sign over the entrance, and the directions were a little confusing, but we found it partly by dead reckoning, and party by blind luck.  LOL  But we laughed and had a lot of fun, and didn't spend too much money (this time).  

So, that's what I've been working on this week.  It was very sweet to visit with such a nice quilting friend.  

Sounds like fun!  Glad you and Sandy have had a chance to get together!!

Sounds like you and Sandy had a couple of good visits. Also I bet you and your grandson are having a good vist.

I was in the mood for piecing after hand sewing the binding on my forever quilt.  So I pieced one of the kits I had put together several weeks ago.  It went together very fast yesterday evening.  Another idea from the "fast quilts" section of connecting threads, modified slightly for novelty fabrics (4  pieces in the big circle rather than 1).

Like this one too!

Amazing what you do with novelties.

You ever do one with novelties in Irish Chain? I am going to do one for my DGS. Or at least, it will be the simplified version of Irish Chain that Jenny shows on Missouri Star Quilts with 9-patches alternating with solid blocks - there is a more complicated block for Irish Chain on Quilter's Cache.

If you ever write a book about small quilts for children I have the title for it: Dazzling Novelties by Dee.

First chapter is all your pointers about how to collect hundreds of novelty fabrics.

Second chapter is all about how to cut novelty fabrics into various sizes and shapes and then store them in bins and baskets for months (and years).

And then the next chapters are all about the fun of assembling the bits and pieces into jaw-droppingly adorable quilts that will be loved by children.

Oh,I'd buy that! I bet a lot of people would do so!