Eve of the Eve of the New Year

I finished the backing yesterday, so woke today determined to get everything pin basted before heading out to visit Mom this afternoon. And I succeeded (with time for a shower, to boot)!

In the past, I've pinned the outer edges very closely--end-to-end closely--but this time I dropped that step. It'll be interesting to see if that's a time advantage or detriment in the long run.

Here's a peek under the table before removing the basted quilt sandwich:

Due to the corner, it appears the stripes and strips of the backing are running at 90 degrees from each other, but in truth everything runs in one direction only. You'll see that later when the finished quilt is photographed, promise!

I'm not ready to quilt this yet--I'm still pondering quilt designs--so when I got home this afternoon I spent some time working on Mom's January banner. Here's what I got done before stopping for dinner:

What on earth could I be doing?!?

As I knotted each bead, even with a surgeon's knot it became clear I'd need to secure them with something. I hoped I had some Fray Check lurking about, but I thought I used it up in this project. (Having linked to it just now, however, I realize/remember that I didn't find it then, either, and instead used the product I ended up using tonight to secure those knots: Simplicity "Insta-Pin". Some things never change!) (I'm beginning to wonder when, exactly, I ever owned a bottle of Fray Check.)

After checking the usual places for the elusive/imaginary Fray Check, I thought to look in my antique sewing chest.

I love this little thing! I haven't opened it, fully, in some years though, so was surprised by what I had stashed in its layers. Not a bottle of Fray Check, in case you were wondering, but instead a banner of sorts:

This is pieced together then sewn onto some black T-shirt fabric, with long ties extending from the top. I wore this around my neck, hanging down my back, when I attended large quilt shows (the International Quilt Show in Houston, in particular). What a throwback to an entirely different Internet experience, and what a difference only 20 years has made to our online interactions!