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April 22, 2024
Easy as pie baby quilts - and Finally Finished! from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

Make lemonade from lemons, right? And I’m a huge fan of lemon pie.

Fifteen years ago I started a quilt (actually, several quilts were started) and did not finish it. This was back in the days of owning a quilt shop where my eyes were bigger than the time I had to get things done. 

A book by Sandy Bonsib—“Sweet Treats”—had several easy-to-make quilts, each based around two blocks, and all named for pies and other desserts.  

At the time, I thought it would be a good idea for a club at the quilt shop. I started ...

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February 3, 2024
A new Tattoo quilt—The Intro from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

This project may prove my undoing or the welcome of epiphany moments—time will tell.

I have sort of a like-hate relationship with foundation paper piecing, and I’m hopeful this will be the gateway to a love of it.  I consider the technique a necessary evil in some situations, and have tried to avoid those situations.  But I learned of this particular quilt pattern when Tula Pink showed hers in her Tula Talk Tuesday videos on Facebook and Instagram in mid-2020 and was immediately smitten. This was during the Click Buy Now period; I bought the pattern and a ...

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December 31, 2023
A quilt for Mary Jane - Finally Finished! from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

 One of my oldest UFOs is ready for gifting!

I mentioned to someone recently that I am a great starter, but finishing this quilt makes me feel like I can tackle all those projects waiting in The Bins. 

I talked about this quilt in a post a year ago.  I got the top assembled, pieced the backing, and packed it up in anticipation of The Move.  

More about the quilt—when I owned a quilt shop, we were contacted by Rhonda Dieker, the author of and designer of the quilts in the book “Wacky Rails.”  She was doing a book ...

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January 20, 2023
Happy 2023! from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter


A new year, and new possibilities. 

The Hubs and I were busy from Thanksgiving through this week making decisions and purchases for the new house, and there are more of those coming up.  Things have been moving at what seems to be light speed on the inside of the house.  Three weeks ago (I think) the drywall went up.  The brick was delivered two weeks ago; cabinets and trim were installed last week; and paint starts this week.  This morning we selected indoor lighting and purchased our gas fireplace logs.  Photos are up on the house page.  It's been ...

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December 9, 2022
The latest quilt du jour from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

Squirrel! 

 When texting last weekend with two people who used to be my bosses, I learned that one of them was selling her home of 30+ years and downsizing to a much smaller home in a retirement neighborhood.  I asked her if I could bring something for her new home when she moves in, and she said she has so much stuff to get rid of (think losing 2,000 square feet) that she didn't need another thing.

Yes, she does--she needs a quilt.

I had always intended to make her one.  The other ex-boss got his quilt last ...

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July 13, 2022
It’s a new week. from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

Never mind that it's Wednesday--I’m off from work!



Just a sampling of some of my stash...

I’ve been obsessing lately about my fabric stash.  The studio in the new house will be two rooms for a combined square footage of less than 300 square feet.  I will probably do what I’m doing now; store it in the closet of one the rooms to protect it from light. 

I have been looking at quilt patterns and other fabric makes for ideas on how to quickly use up the stash that I no longer desire.  I did give ...

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February 21, 2022
What's next? from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

While I have plenty of UFOs in The Bins, I've been at a tiny bit at of a loss of what to start next. I made my list for the year, but didn't put them in any type of order for completion. One UFO that's been waiting in the wings, not so patiently, is next. 

I have written a little bit about this project--the Stitch & B!tch Sampler from 2016. Cindy and LeiLani and I used to meet once a month to sit and sew. Covid and life nipped that in the bud. Anyway, the three of ...

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December 29, 2021
Finally Finished - A Bit Askew - and some Christmas sewing from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

 I took this one out of the bin in March and thought…no. It went back in the bin.

And just like that, it was 3 months later and the deadline for it was less than a week away. Funny how that works out.

So almost 3 months ago I got the top on the design wall and thought, that’s not so bad:

Then I thought, does it really need the borders? 12 years ago I had planned, and cut, two borders. But I was really liking what I was seeing on the design wall.

But what was I ...

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August 1, 2021
Sew-cation! from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

Ah, bliss. I have to use up some vacation time and decided to take a week off.

I started with a plan but decided on Monday morning of that week to chuck it—the project I thought I was going to work on was not speaking to me in a good way at all. I gifted the baby quilt to my neighbors…and in my excitement completely forgot to get a proper photo of it. This is the last photo I took of it, just before I buried the threads and hand sewed down the binding:


I have 2 project ...

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April 16, 2021
Next Project Bin on deck - #21 from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

 This one may take awhile.

What’s in the bin?

Broken Crayons quilt — a flimsy


International Mystery Tour Egyptian Pyramids quilt — all rows are pieced (I think)

Rouenneries Baskets — a NESTY for a pattern I designed in Electric Quilt for French General’s first line of fabrics.

Stitch & B!tch Sampler — a UFO I have stewed over for years.

Of these projects, the NESTY has gone back into the fabric stash. The rest will be completed this year. First up is the Stitch & B!tch Sampler.

In November 2016, Cindy, LeiLani and I went to the Houston quilt show. We ...

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March 21, 2021
Happy National Quilting Day; Welcome, Spring; and—Project Bin 22 is empty! from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

...even if it wasn’t all necessarily quilting projects.

Actually, there are some scraps left. And while I thought it would be fun to do something with those scraps, I decided against it because I want to move on to Project Bin 21.

And, this is the first time in several years that I am able to celebrate #NQD by QUILTING. And, it’s the first day of a long-awaited vacation and today may be my only chance to do it, so this will be a very short post!

The last item in PB22 was a bunch of patriotic fabrics ...

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March 15, 2021
Another small project - Fun and Done from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

...from another online class!

FWIW, online classes are a necessity given our current global pandemic state. I know I've mentioned that I'm not necessarily a fan, but remember when I said how much I clicked the "Buy Now" button? This was the result of one of those moments.

I've done some collage work and while I like it, I think my technique can be improved. I subscribe to Emily Taylor's (Collage Quilter) (NAYY) newsletter and she offered in... November? December? a free online class showing how to use her method to create her Winter Cardinal pattern ...

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January 23, 2021
Present from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

 As in:

  • Here and accounted for; 
  • Being in the moment; 
  • A gift.

“Present” will be my word for 2021.


I’m not much for doing the latest thing and it seems the “word of the year” may have become passé or swallowed up in COVID posts. But this word popped in my head this morning along with the above definitions, and I thought, “Why not?”

Because I wasn’t present for the bulk of 2020.

A lot of that is due to the pandemic, but I need to take ownership of part of it due to my own struggles. I ...

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January 3, 2021
Happy New Year! And, a Finally Finished! from A Prim and (not so) Proper Quilter

Yes, dear readers, today is only January 2, and I have a Finally Finished to reveal. And some thoughts about learning curves.

Happy New Year! I know I already said it, but it feels good to say it. 2020 is SO LAST YEAR as the kids say, and I think we are all grateful that it is.

Who knew a year ago that when I may have mentioned how awful 2019 was, that 2020 would be worse?

But more about 2020 in another post. I know it's been a while since my last post. There are many reasons for ...

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  • the bins
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