A Trio of Flimsies

Someone -- I wish I could remember who it was -- wrote that she was concentrating on finishing tops rather than whole quilts. The wisdom of this was immediately apparent. Flimsies are much easier to store than completed quilts. Sometimes I don't know whether to machine quilt, hand quilt, or tie until I know who the recipient is going to be. In light of my own UFO problem, it seemed to me to be a no-brainer that I should concentrate on turning WIPs and blocks into flimsies, and hang onto them until a quilt is needed and then quilt/tie and bind.
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This first flimsy is for the Central American daughter that Diana and Phil are adoping this summer. I posted pictures when the blocks were in progress. This quilt is made using the Disappearing Nine Patch block, made from two charm packs from Moda's Faded Memories line. I had bought yardage at the time I bought the charm packs. I have two more charm packs and additional yardage. This particular quilt is going to be tied in August using yellow floss.
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This quilt is the completed Amish Star flimsy. The blocks -- well, most of them anyway -- were made by members of Fat Quarters, one of the on-line quilting groups I belong to. I needed to make three more of the main size and then when they were finished I decided to make half-size versions of the block (Thank goodness for Around the Block) for the corners. I can't get enough of black and batik together, and this particular black has an interesting finish to it that makes it have more body than most fabric I'm used to. It was very easy to sew with.
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I was going to put a lattice between the blocks, but Joe persuaded me to set them side-by-side because of the wonderful secondary pattern. As usual, he was right. I don't know who will have this quilt or how it will be finished. The finish on the fabric will make it too difficult to hand quilt. I think these bright, bold quilts generally want to be machine quilted. I'll get that done when I know whose it is.
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Last summer when we were at Chautauqua, I drove over to spend some time in Austinburg with my on-line friends Kat and Holly. Kat has a machine quilting business and shares space with a quilt shop where Holly works. Holly had come up with this wonderful strippy quilt -- she would pick out coordinating fabrics, cut lengths of them, and package them up. The purchaser would cut the lengths into strips of varying widths and sew them together. I just loved the fabrics in this assortment, and bought a kit. Got the top made several months ago and then on-line found a coordinating stripe for the border. Now it is finished and ready to go into the flimsy pile. I suspect that when the time comes for someone to have this quilt, it will want to be machine quilted.