I have two quilts on my to-make list for Christmas. And ideally, I’d like to have them complete by the end of October to give me time to get to Mom’s and get them quilted.

This weekend was hot and gross again, so I decided Saturday was the perfect day to stay in and get one started. The first one I wanted to make is intended to be a summer beach/picnic quilt.

I had a layer cake of the fun, summery prints, so I started cutting up some matching solid black 10 inch squares to bang out a pile of HSTs. It went really fast, and I had them sewn, trimmed and laid out on the design bed in just a couple of hours.

Because they were big blocks, and a simple layout – I had them all sewn together with a border in just a couple more hours.

The finished size is 56″ x 65″ – perfect for spreading on the ground at a beach or in the park. I have to dig into the stash to see what I have for a back for it. I may have to buy something but we’ll see. Either way, I’m happy to have this one ready to quilt – it will be knocked off the to-do list in no time!