FO: Meow quilt

You could definitely describe me as a cat lover. I know. Shocking, right? Well, when I saw Aneela's Meow Quilt last summer, I knew I needed to make one.

I assembled this fun pile of fabric for the occasion. Kind of like pink lemonade (or maybe a strawberry basil margarita, if you prefer).

Each block was fun to sew, and a way to use lots of favorite prints.

The resulting quilt is bright, fun and happy.

The back features some more favorite prints. I love a pieced quilt back!

I decided to quilt it with a straight-line grid bordering the blocks, and then added a single crosshacth grid (sort of like whiskers?).

As much I wanted to keep it, I'm giving to a very good friend, who takes care of my kitties when I'm gone. And by the way, we have a third kitty now. E's sister moved out of the country recently, and we have given their kitty, Fitzgerald, a new home. I'll share pictures soon!

FO-(several months ago)

A scrappy quilt is the best quilt. Nicke and I were just discussing this yesterday.

And this + and x quilt, finished last fall, is a favorite example.

It all started with Badskirt's tutorial for the Japanese + and x block, as well as seeing Jessica's version at the Atlanta retreat.

So, back in November 2012, I started making blocks.

And more.

And more.

I received some orphan blocks from Val and Ambernoel, which I incorporated into the mix.

After finishing the top, I found a fun backing fabric in the new Lush Uptown line.

Those paint by number birds work so well with the scrappy front.

My only complaint? It's not big enough. Each block is 7.5" unfinished, and at 56 blocks, this quilt is approximately 49" x 56". Maybe there will be another in my future.

FO: Geodes

I really, really, love this quilt. This started with Penny's Improv curve tutorial, and my desire to make a fall-colored quilt. The do.Good Stitches Love circle made lovely blocks!

Assembling the curvy blocks was fun, but I especially enjoyed building the patchwork background. I used a variety of Art Gallery solids and sewed together strips, chopped, then repeated.

I stuck to simple quilting on the curvy blocks, just outlining in red thread. But I let the quilting shine on all that negative space, with a boxy free motion stitch.

The back features a couple of blocks, and some mixed neutral prints from the stash.
I machine-bound the quilt. I usually prefer to handsew the binding, but I wanted to practice doing it on the machine, and I think I did pretty well.

I actually finished this a month ago, but after washing, there was a small hole on one of the curves (where a seam was cut a little short). I let it marinate for a few weeks, while I decided how best to mend it.
Amy suggested a simple zig zag, which is what I ended up doing. It's not noticeable, and it will ensure that the recipient will have a lovely quilt!

Oh, and can I just say, Elliott is so sweet to help me photograph my quilts. He is a tall dude, and was totally ducking in these shots.

Feathers QAL

Just a quick hello! The Feathers QAL, hosted by Nydia and Karen, using Alison's pattern, starts today!

Several months ago, I pulled a stack of black and white fabrics for a different quilt idea, but I thought they would be fun in this design. I added some additional black/white prints, and when I pulled out this raspberry scrap of Architextures, I knew it was the perfect background. So I ordered more.

I hope to make a block today! But first, I'm finishing a late Christmas gift for my sister.

Have a lovely weekend!

WIP: Nothing but Blues

This is the sort of project without any expectation of finishing. Just because. Back in November, I started this while I was staying with my nephew for a week. At the end of the day with a three year old (whom I love dearly), a little handsewing was a nice treat. I worked on the project again at Thanksgiving, at Christmas, and the picture above is about where it sits currently.

I'm using blues from the stash, and attempting to get as far as I can without buying/swapping scraps. I've still got quite a stack of untouched blues (and I've only used a few solids so far), but it will be interesting to see how far I can get.

The hexagons are 1.5" and I'm basting with glue.