a quilt top and a winner

i had an ambitious plan for the weekend (ambitious for me at least), i wanted to finish up the quilt top for the polka dot string quilt that i'm making for my mom, and i did it! i settled down in my sewing room, and literally sewed for the entire day on saturday, from 11am to 2am (i did take a trip to the grocery store because the fridge was empty). i'm soooo happy with how it's turned out! now i have to figure out what i'm going to do with the quilt back, and how to quilt it....

i debated about whether i should leave the paper foundation on for the piecing, but decided against it at the end. i spent a good 2 hours peeling off all the paper while watching random tv shows online, and another 2 hours to press each block with a healthy spritz of best press.

i was warned about the trickiness of piecing the string quilt so i was fully prepared and didn't faze at all!

for the coming weekend, i'm hoping to have the quilt back design nailed down and hopefully finish piecing the back, or at least most of it. and that will give me enough time to baste it, quilt it, and bind it before i have to leave for home on the 26th (i also have 3 days off work between now and then so i'm pretty sure i'll be ok)!

and now what you've all been waiting for... the heather ross fabric giveaway winner. thank you all so much for your congratulations, thoughtful comments, and practical advices for my wedding planning!!! so many of you left me such great advices, some even followed up with emails with even more details, project ideas, links, and pictures. i wish i could give something to each and everyone of you! but for now, the lucky winner chosen by the random generator is...

#44 krista from anchorage, alaska!! she has a wonderful blog (and very cute kids), and she makes beautiful quilts! congratulations krista! i will send you an email to get your mailing address so i can get the goodies over to you! thank you all once again for entering the giveaway, offering me advices, and for reading my blog!