Group Efforts

A finished top today, but not just by me... This was a group effort for Quilts for Leukemia (more info here). Blocks made by (from the upper left): Tanya in Japan; Joyce in Canada; Sue in the US; Heather in KS, USA; Katherine in Canada; Anne in the UK; Michelle in OK, USA; Caron in MN, USA; Bea in Germany; Anne in the UK; me; and Caron in MN, USA. (Please let me know if these links aren't correct - or if there's one I can add!)

To be totally honest, I think it's a bit busy! If I had it to do again, I'd put in some more white around the original blocks, but hopefully the quilting will help!

Another group effort update - in Irish Quilting Magazine! Back in the fall of 2007 I won a give-away on Kate's blog. A few months later, I wrote to Kate and asked her permission to use the blocks for a doll swap quilt for Sherry. And now the quilt has found its way into the issue #4 of the magazine! Thanks, Kate and Sherry!

Group Effort

For Kate's Another Little Quilt Swap, I decided to use some blocks I won in one of her great raffles last fall. As I recall, she made them for Quilt Univerity's Ozark Garden course. I checked with Kate to be sure it wouldn't be cheating and have put both of our names on the label. The quilt will be on its way tomorrow morning, so I hope the recipient doesn't mind if she sees it here first - of course, she still doesn't know who she is! The quilt was a great piece for practicing my free-motion quilting - I think I've nearly quilted it to death. Here's a close-up:

My Four Seasons Summer quilt was near completion, but it seems to want an added touch before heading out the door and across the water, but I'm not saying which body of water! This photo inspired the addition:

Speaking of bodies of water, I headed over the Gulf of Bothnia last week (there by plane, back by boat) and spent a long weekend in gorgeous Stockholm. I hadn't been there in twelve years and am asking all my friends to stage an intervention if I ever wait that long again. One highlight was meeting Barbara in person! We had a wonderful afternoon (and a delicious meal) at her home about 100 km west of Stockholm. I'll leave you with a few more photos of the weekend (unfortunately, Barbara and I didn't think to take any photos of our visit).