A short update

 A short update on what I've been up to this month, Two tops finished and ready for quilting since my last post. 

The last time I posted the black alternate squares were plain, but I thought they needed something to jazz them up a bit.  I chose my favorite of the fabrics and cut circles to hand applique in the centers, using the same cardboard template that was used the year we created our Quilty 365 blocks.  I find hand appliqueing circles almost relaxing, other shapes not so much!  An outer border using a third (and my last) piece of tone-on-tone black fabric with a half-inch stop border and the top seemed complete.  I'll machine quilt this when I work up the energy to spend hours at the Janome, hopefully soon.

The second top is much simpler, and in some respects I think I like it better than the one above.  This one is also smaller, ending up around 53 inches square.  Both of these quilts will be donated to our quilt ministry.  The larger one may go to the camp auction at the end of summer.  

I'm also closing in on a hand quilted finish, hopefully in the next week or so.   This next photo is from about a week ago late in the evening, the colors are brighter than the actual quilt, but the best I could do with the incandescent lamp lighting and the new camera that I'm still trying to learn.  Have moved on to the outer borders, and will be very happy to have this one in the finished pile.  The top was completed back in 2023   https://amityquilter.blogspot.com/2023/09/an-improv-log-cabin-top.html

That's about it for today. Quilting time is precious and scarce, I'd best get to it!