Anniversary Quilt and NTT

Welcome to the downhill slide of another week, friends!  Spring has definitely sprung, and around my house, that means evenings and weekends at the baseball field and enjoying the perfect temperatures as much as possible.  Today, I have a finished anniversary quilt to share with you.  My friend's parents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this month, and my friend asked me to make a special quilt for them (for privacy reasons, I've blurred their identifying info that is embroidered in the center of the quilt.

This quilt was a long time in the making (for me, anyway).  My friend wanted the quilt to be personal and represent their family members, and she actually began collecting the handprints at Thanksgiving and Christmas last year!

She traced each family member's handprint onto Heat n Bond Lite, wrote their names on them, and mailed all of them to me.  She fell in love with the Dixie fabric collection by Allison Harris, and I think these cheery fabrics are perfectly lovely in this quilt.  I constructed the quilt in 12 inch blocks, fitting the handprints around the center.  I was even able to arrange the handprints by family group.

On the back, I used all of the leftovers, and used a navy tonal fabric to widen it out.  Wide-ish stippling kept me from quilting through the handprints and embroidery too much, and I chose a red binding to frame it out.  It's not my usual type of quilt, but I'm so happy I was able to make this quilt for my friend, and I do love the Dixie fabrics.

Last week's party rocked, and I have the highlights to prove it!  Look at this improv string diamond quilt by The Lilac Cat!

This fun quilt is by Quilting is More Fun Than Housework-

and oh my goodness, this little mini by Slice of Pi Quilts is awesome!

and because I can't help myself, I have to share another mini by Jayne at Twiggy and Opal.  What a cool twist on the pattern!

I can't wait to see what's going on at your machine this week!  Let's link up!

1. You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)