March Mini Madness

Some would say it's bordering on madness to reach into a large heap of unfinished FMQ practice pieces from seven years ago to find the makings of a mini, but that's what happened here this month.

There's this trash bag filled with bits and pieces of things that just couldn't be thrown way when we made our cross country move back in 2014, and they had already been hanging around the sewing room for a couple years at that point.  Most all were stitched during the year-long 2012 FMQ Challenge hosted by SewCalGal (now QuiltShopGal), either as a monthly practice piece or merely doodling.  That big bag is in the way each and every time I need to empty the stash closet searching for the piece of fabric needed for a project.  So, it's now or never, either make something of them or pitch them out!

Some of the remaining FMQ practice pieces, ranging from mug rug to placemat size.

So, why on earth continue to save them?  I guess the best answer is because I don't often quilt these tiny filler designs anymore, since most of my quilts are bed size and I prefer less quilting for a softer finish. Yet, they represent a lot of work in that year of following along with the challenge, and I just can't bring myself to let them go.  Many of the scrappier pieces were either tossed or made into kitty quilts several years ago.

Anyhow, I chose this piece from the June 2012 challenge by Cindy Needham for this month's mini.  Yep, you've seen it before, the never-been-changed header photo since this blog's beginning, in all it's unfinished glory.  This was the very first quilting project I attempted with my then-brand-new Janome 7700.  You can see the original post about it here.   Fast-forward to today, and here is my long-last finished mini quilt.

The finished quilt measures 15 inches square.  I echo quilted the original circle several times, then finished off with many radiating lines out to the edges.

Then since I dislike the look of travel stitching and my eyesight doesn't allow it anyway, there were a LOT of ends to tie off and bury - each one of those radiating lines representing a new start and stop at the edge!

I decided to finish this as a companion piece to Menorah, another practice piece from 2012 that was completed last fall. I was so happy with the gold batik binding on that one that I repeated it on the current mini.

The robins and red-wing blackbirds arrived last week, proving once again that spring is coming, whether we like it or not!  And it snowed a couple inches last night ...  And the pineapple continues to head skyward on its stout stalk, its tiny purple blooms just beginning to open.

Linking up with Wendy's Peacock Party.