APQ 2016 October UFO

UFO project #10 is another oldie but goodie.  This APQ challenge involves 12 UFO projects listed on a form that was submitted to APQ last December.  The projects were listed from 1 to 12.  Every first of the month starting with January 2016, APQ pulled a number out of a hat (that's just how I imagine they did it but chances are the use a random number generator - not as magical) and published the number on their site.  I have my own preferences for the choice each month, because, of course, I know what it will take to complete each one and depending on my free time and scheduling, I know the level of difficulty each project will present.  I did a happy dance when number 10 was chosen for this month's UFO. 

The project used "Not Your Grandmother's Tumbling Blocks" pattern by Marcia L. Baker.  This is a strip-pieced method of making tumbling blocks.  I love this block but the thought of making the block with Y seams was overwhelming at the stage of quilting I was in then. I loved the pattern booklet, it was very well done and easy to follow, even for a beginner. 

This project gave me a bit of a break, and I thank the quilting gods for that!  This is again a project for a class I took at Bittersweet Designs in Washington Crossing PA.  This was a wonderful shop and I started my quilting journey there.  I took a sampler quilt class and thought I had gotten in way over my head but I had good friends who got me through the tough beginning.  My completed sampler quilt is often used on my bed.  Unfortunately, this shop closed several years after this class.  I have many fond memories of this place! 

But I took this class to learn the tumbling blocks pattern but from strip sets and not from sewing Y seams.  I thought I had jumped from the frying pan into the fire!  But I did finish the two sessions of the class, but not the project!   I still have the original class instructions and I was flabbergasted to see that the dates of my class were 9/11 and 10/2 -of 1999!  1999!  So, after 17 years, this one is finally done and in use! 

These pictures show how it looked in early October.  It was in fairly good shape and really just needed a row or two more, batting, quilting and binding.  I was surprised I stored it in a place I could find it easily!  And looking at it 17 years later, I was pleasantly surprised at how nicely my seams matched!  I can only imagine how long I took to get those points to match! 

So, here is the finished product.  It was machine quilted and the binding was hand sewn down, both by me.  Since I used Christmas fabrics, (I have no idea why other than the class was given in September - did I tell you it was 1999?), I must have had thought I could finish it for Christmas.  As I think of it now, I actually AM finishing it for Christmas, just not the one I had in mind! 

The original plan was to make a wall hanging.  As you can see, it ended up as a table runner and fits perfectly on my foyer table.  It just made sense to reduce the size to something that I would get more use out of compared to a wall hanging. 

So, onto the project for November.  This one is a larger lap quilt in Civil War fabrics using the monkey wrench block.  Another oldie, ready to be completed!