Another quilt top complete!  I can put a check mark beside Farm Girl Finery and call it a day.

But please, don’t go thinking I’ve been sewing up a storm.  I have barely touched my machine since Hallowe’en.  I’ve just been too busy between teaching, prepping for my comprehensive exams, getting ready for the holidays and family time to sew so much as a seam.  The truth is, I completed this quilt top before Hallowe’en.  I just haven’t had a chance to get decent pictures and post them here to my blog before now.  It’s sort of like time-lapse photography – emphasis on the time-lapse!

None the less, I’m really happy that this is done.  It went together very smoothly (you can see my earlier review of Kim Diehl’s book, “Simple Appeal” here).  I found the instructions for constructing the quilt top good, once I made the alterations to the cutting instructions to reduce excess fabric requirements.

All of the applique is by machine.  I didn’t use wool, which is what the sample quilt featured.  I used cotton prints from my stash instead. I used the same invisible machine applique technique that I did for Spring Bouquet, which I learned from Erin Russek’s wonderful series of tutorials.

I’ve been playing with quilting motifs and ideas for how I want Alison to quilt this although   I won’t have time to get this to her until January.   I’m definitely going to go with wool batting – I love the loft and the weight (it’s incredibly light).  I found an 6″ oak leaf wreath stencil that I think will be perfect for the outer stars.  Then a feather motif for the large central star and some kind of stippling around the main floral applique in the centre block.

You won’t see much of me for the next couple of weeks.  I’ll be writing my comprehensive exams beginning this Thursday and then the boys will be finished school and beginning their holiday break the day after I finish writing it.  But I will get a year in review post up at some point this month because I always like to go back and see what I’ve made over the course of a year.   So cross your fingers for me – I’ve been studying for this exam for eight months – and I’ll see you all on the other side!