I have become addicted to making octagon quilts. I really love mixing the octagons blocks with 4 patch posy blocks. I started wondering if you could take really ugly fabric and make it look great by making octagons? The thing with them is you don’t really know in advance what the finished blocks will look like. So, I set out on a quest to find a really ugly fabric and see what it came out like. I settled on this fabric called Bright Smoke. I tried to see in my mind what it would work into but there was no telling till you at least cut it out.

If you’re like me you’re looking at this going, hmmmmm. Well off I went. Lined up my repeats and started cutting. I have to say I was surprised how it came out. I like it as it’s very unique but my dog groomer walked in while I was laying out octagons to sew and she flipped. She said she couldn’t imagine that fabric made that but she was in love. It has since been finished and it’s jokingly referred to as my “body part” quilt. There are blocks of legs, heads, boobs and even one that is butt crack pieces. The day I showed it to her finished she even stayed while I washed it as she was excited to take it home. I would have to guess it’s without a doubt, one of a kind.

I’m working to finish some quilts before 2020 ends so that in 2021 I have no promised projects and no deadlines. I want to take that year and really concentrate on some new techniques or blocks, some blocks or designs I’ve struggled with in the past or just things I’ve always wanted to do.

I still have a 4 or 5 I’ll need to quilt, but I am on the piecing of the last one I have promised. Fabric for the borders should arrive this week and I can finish it up. In the meantime I did finish my tribute to Trump. Sounds funny but I call it the Wall. I had intended to layer it like the usual shadow box but as I added the grey sashing I ordered, I realized it looked like cement with bricks in it. Hence, my wall quilt. Marilyn’s husband Ken loved it so it’s been delivered to him as a gift.

The next one I got finished was my hexagon radish. I made a hexagon a few years ago then bought this as I was excited to see how it would look. Turns out I don’t really like the look of the one block wonder quilts so I added some coordinating triangles and made my own design. I was really surprised how pretty it came out for a fabric that was just radishes with leaves. Some of the hexagons almost look like Christmas wreaths. This one doesn’t have a home yet but it will eventually.

Hard to believe I haven’t posted here since October but then again I don’t live an overly exciting life. However, I did have an amazing visit from my sexy sister Jilly and her handsome hubby Mark. They are such amazing people that I just wish they’d come for a visit one day and decide to never leave.

We had our usual chiil-cation for a week and did things around town. Unfortunately with all the Covid nonsense we couldn’t do a lot but we had a great time just spending time with each other. We did get to have chicken wings at Beef’s and I know Mark was looking forward to that.

After a week of visiting, we took a second week and went to Mississippi to visit Judi, one of the ladies I’ve known forever in our facebook quilt group, but only online. Wow her and her hubby Johnny were such easy people to meet and spend time with. Kinda of like family you finally got to meet. We had a great time and even drove around Alabama before we came home.

I love these two and can’t wait till I can live where I can see them all the time. So funny, my dogs love Mark. They check his room every morning for a week after he leaves before they finally accept he isn’t hiding in there.