Been Making Shawl

And I finished last night. Haven't taken a new photo, of course, but here is what it looked like shortly after I started last month, which was about halfway through. The pattern is called Dripping Diamonds.

I used just over 2 skeins of Patons Lace in the Bonfire colorway. So it's more than 1000 yards of yarn. I also beaded the last row with small orange beads. Probably should have used larger ones. Now I just have to block it.

A Quilt for my First Grand Niece

I gave it to her and her dad Saturday after a little birthday party when they stopped at Hal's parent
s home on their way through town. I couldn't mention it till now on my blog the very, very slim chance someone from Hal's family actually read my blog, saw it and spilled the beans. But now it's safe. I used 99% new fabrics, a few I had laying around used in other quilts. Only 2 squares have fabrics used in clothing I made, two aprons last year.

This is one of the many variations of a star square. I used the quilt as you go method, in other words I made each square separately with the batting and backing (in this case flannel) which I then quilted and then stitched together with narrow strips. This is the second time I tried this method, it went a little better than the first time.

I did not do the traditional method of quilt making, i.e. make the whole top in one piece, then the sandwich and then the quilting because I discovered flannel is very stretchy and would bunch and pinch and roll and do horrid things because I just couldn't pin it tight enough so it would not move. It didn't help that I used a fluffier batting than I usually use which made the bunching even worse.

Here it is, very colorful because I have read babies like primary colors. There are twenty 10.5" squares total.

I found 2 coordinating flannel prints that I thought would be great from the back as the family has a golden retriever called Henry who is very much a part of the family. Here is a closeup of the back.

I like it so much I'd like to make a colorful quilt for myself someday.