Fourth of July Collage of Quilts

Fourth of July Collage of Quilts, originally uploaded by confections.

Happy Fourth of July to all of you in the USA!

I've been away from my blog for a while this spring taking care of family. My spring cleaning efforts brought these quilts to the surface during that time. Here is an array of American flags made using different types of quilting methods and embellishments: bargello, applique, colonial knots, blanket and stem stitch. There is a mystery lap quilt among these as well.

I hope you all have a lovely time today at family gatherings, picnics, parades, beaches, however you decide to celebrate Independence Day!

I was tagged a while back by Hobbyzu, and I promise to post my seven little known facts about myself soon and tag seven additional bloggers.

Patchwork Quilt Sewn by My Sister for Our Niece

Patchwork Quilt Sewn by My Sister for Our Niece, originally uploaded by confections.

This lovely quilt was sewn by my sister Linda for our niece Eden, who turns Sweet Sixteen in June. It has been in the works (like any quilt worth its salt) for years. My niece hand-selected the pairs of fabrics for the 25-patch squares and my sister chose the complementary whole block squares from her ever-growing stash of quilting fabrics. I once joked to a friend that my sister's stash of fabrics would choke her, but mine would, in fact, kill her! I do confess I love my textiles....

We went to one of our favorite quilt shops ten days ago, The Country Loft, and my sister found the perfect backing fabric, a small-scale creamy plaid. She'll be having this special gift quilt professionally machine-quilted in the next few months, and I hope it makes a stop at our local quilt show before she bestows it upon our niece. I have a feeling a ribbon awaits it!