No, not the last quilt I'll ever make, but the last quilt I finished. I have at least four quilts-in-progress - all of them full- or queen-size - that need blocks joined and borders added before I can quilt them. Plus sets of blocks I've purchased at flea markets - I'm not the only one that doesn't get quilts finished!

Foundation piecing, based on a quilt in Valori Well's Stitch 'n Flip Quilts book. (I think the border is a Valori Wells batik from years ago, but I'm not sure.) I started it about 4 years ago in a class at my local quilt shop, made all the blocks, then finished a year or so later it at a weekend retreat with my quilt guild. What a great way to sew! 50 women, 50 tables, 50 machines, nearly two full days of sewing, no distractions, dozens of opinons...

I had fun playing with the free-motion quilting on this one. The BERNINA Stitch Regulator hadn't been introduced yet, so all of the quilting was done using Freehand Quilting Foot #29. I like the wide, clear sole of this foot for quilting - I can see where I'm going, and use the edges of the foot to judge how far I am from previous lines of stitching. I couldn't decide which threads to use, so I used them all - variegated threads from YLI, Superior Threads, Mettler, Sulky - all of the pink/orange/yellow and green spools in my stash. This kind of quilt is great for practicing free-motion techniques - since none of the blocks match, the quilting doesn't have to look the same either. No worries about staying inside the lines, having equally-sized loops, putting squiggles in the same places - just move the fabric and "draw" shapes.

I finished another quilt the same weekend - a group quilt made with seven children ages 7-13. It's one of my favorites, but I'll share it with you another time.

Can one have too many tote bags? I never seem to have enough for all my projects - knitting, sewing classes, dog school, lunch bag, shopping bags - plus an empty one left over to take with me when I travel. I need an "airport" bag large enough to hold a water bottle, a few magazines, my wallet, sketchbook, pens and pencils...and still small enough to fit under an airplane seat. And I fly on some very little planes!

The bag I'm making - the Miranda Day Bag from Lazy Girl Designs - is about 10" x 12" x 6", with lots of pockets for keeping me organized. If you've never used Lazy Girl patterns, give them a try. The instructions are great! Each step has illustrations AND well-written text instructions - perfect for those of us who are visual learners. Of course, I never make anything exactly according to the instructions...

Assembling Materials: When I finally located the perfect batiks in my stash I found that I didn't have enough of my favorite - the little triangles - for the cover. A trip to my local quilt yielded a few more coordinating pieces - including Benartex Triple Dye Bali batiks - and their monthly Stitch & B**** night was the perfect time to cut out all the pieces.

Machine Quilting: I found the perfect embellishing thread - Oliver Twists hand-dyed thread in the same colors as my triangle batik - which I used for machine quilting using the BERNINA Stitch Regulator.

Seam Cover Pieces Together: I wanted to bring more of the triangle colors out, so I added teeny tiny mini piping between the panels - a red clay batik on the vertical seams, blue/green on the horizontal seams. It's easy to make - cut fabric strips the twice the width of the seam allowance and place a strand of gimp or other fine cord in the center. Sew right next to the cord. I stitched mine using Piping Foot #38; Clear Applique Foot #23 also works well. When stitching to the second hald of the cover, follow the previous stitching line on the wrong side. For the topstitching I used the Oliver Twists again.

Finished Cover Pieces: More on my progress in a few days!