Black and White Progress (or Lack Thereof) and Sweet Charity quilts

I haven't finished any more blocks on this quilt since leaving my sister's as I had guests as soon as I returned, played bridge for days including a three day tournament and then had another set of visitors arrive about three hours after the previous ones left!!

I have quite  few more blocks for this one done as well.  I will get back to these as soon as I finish binding my Sweet Charity commitments!

It is very  hard to see but I finally (after four winters) completed the hand quilting on this queen sized wholecloth quilt!!!!  Working on sewing on the binding now and then into the washer and onto a bed!

We met again at Coastal Sewing to make charity quilts using the disappearing nine-patch design.  This was one Miranda had already completed.  

I believe Miranda also did this one which is baby quilt sized.

This is the one Dianne made to show us how they looked.  The fabrics for this one were donated by friend Becky.  Dianne uses a consistent fabric in the centers of the nine-patches while Miranda's were random.  Both are successful.  Dianne uses a totally different technique altogether.  She doesn't make the nine patches but sews long 5 inch strips and 2 1/2 inch strips sewn together and then cut into a five inch width and a 2 1/2 inch width.  She contends this is faster and it just might be!!  I didn't do the nine-patches as quickly as I usually do as I didn't have the solid center squares. Usually I do the three rows and then sew the three rows together where they are attached as I chain pieced the three rows.  Then I just stitch up the columns.  We would really need to test Dianne's theory scientifically!!  My friend who was visiting accompanied me and acted as a "sous-quilter", cutting and ironing so I could just sit at the machine.

This was the piece that Nancy and her "team" finished during the two hours we were there.  I only got as far as having the individual patches cut and ready to sew back together.

This is the piece that Janice (my sous quilter) and I did.  I was convinced while working on it that it would be the ugliest quilt ever made but I am relatively happy with the scrappiness.  It just needs a blue binding now to pull it all together!