No inspiration this week...only boring quilting!

Didn't I say that I was done with flannel??? For some unknown reason last fall I bought a package of assorted 8" flannel squares, some having Strawberry Shortcake fabrics. At the time of purchase I was thinking...this would make a quick quilt for a baby. Then I started reminiscing about how much my nieces loved Strawberry Shortcake in the early 80's and thinking that they would really love a quilt with these fabrics. I waited for the idea to go away, but it took hold, and I knew I couldn't make a quilt for one niece and not the other, so I had to make two quilts. I remembered my lesson from my previous experiences with shrinking flannel and I prewashed all the squares. After washing, the squares measured 7 1/4". I started to figure out how much more fabric I would need to make two lap size quilts, instead of one crib quilt. Since I had nothing in my stash to match this stuff, I found myself shopping for fabrics to go with, for borders, backings and bindings. Oh brother...I have so many other things on the go, why did I pursue this? I hate when this happens...I get an idea and it won't leave me alone, and I get excited about it, not thinking of how much time it will actually take me! On the right is my sewing machine set up to do the quilting on my dining room table...sorry family, no cooking or eating until the quilt is done!

The older nieces' birthday was on friday. "Your gift is coming" I said to her, "it's not done yet". She is used to me saying things like this and she always says something like it makes the birthday fun last longer knowing she has a package to look forward to. I finished quilting the first one today. I quilted an "all over" pattern trying to make shapes that look like "S" ( for Strawberry Shortcake) which I am trying to show in the photo on the left. The quilt is very heavy with all that thread on all that flannel. I was happy with the striped pink binding fabric that I found. This is a photo of me happily sewing down the binding. You can see the backing fabric that I found and my little quilt-snuggling dog! I was coming around the last corner and found this mess!

The corner of the backing fabric had folded back on itself and I quilted over it. Now I have to decide if I will remove the binding, and rip out the quilting, then requilt and rebind the corner - or leave it. I'm pretty sure I will leave it as it is and sew a label over top! While I tried to calm down about that, I basted the other quilt, so I feel like I am in the home stretch now. The second nieces' birthday is Groundhog Day...do you think the quilts will arrive in New Jersey by then?!?!