Baubles

I'm procrastinating. I was putting Snippets blocks together, but that and making backings is my least favourite part of the quilting process (you'd think it would be a favourite since it puts you closer to finishing a flimsie...). So instead, I've been looking at baubles, all related in one way, shape or form to quilting. No lack of things to distract me on Pinterest...squirrel!

This scissor bangle started things off. Isn't it great? I think it was designed with hairdressers in mind but it works beautifully for quilters as well.

Then there is this stylized log cabin pendant. Beautiful.

And you know that I'm a lover of teenie, tiny scraps so this resin pendant tutorial from Gone Aussie Quilting jumped out at me. It's the perfect way to immortalize those little scraps that you just don't want to say goodbye to. I have never worked with resin so I'm not sure how challenging it is, but it looks pretty straightforward.

The last bauble isn't really a bauble at all, but it is one of my very favourite quilt themed logos. It's from the International Quilt Study Centre and Museum and I think it's just perfect. Simple and timeless, totally communicating the notion of quilting circles and the stitchers that have shared their love of the craft through the ages.

Okay, now back to work....M

Happy Spring!

According to the calendar, spring has sprung today, but there's still a lot of white on the ground in our neighbourhood. Ah well, hope springs eternal. The weather forecast has lots of sun and warmer temps in it so fingers are crossed that it will soon be greener outdoors. Indoors, there are lots of spring colours to get me in the mood.

This is Snippets and was started on a total whim earlier this year as a potential baby quilt. I just found fabrics that I liked and started cutting - no calculating, just cutting and sewing. Well, the last block is now together and there are 54 of them, so I'm thinking that's for one big baby! Looks like I may have enough for a baby quilt and a full-sized quilt.

And these are the only two blocks that didn't find a home after all that cutting. Because there was no calculation up front of how many I'd need I thought I might be waaay over with either the HSTs or the hourglass blocks, but apparently not. Yay!

So, it's time to play with the final layout and get this together. Because it's so scrappy I could almost assemble it without laying it out but I will just to be sure that I've got the colour distribution that I like.

I've used a lot of this pretty blue floral...

and this yellow, so even though its scrappy there will be a bit of continuity. And, all of the blossoms in the quilt will keep reminding me that spring truly is around the corner. Linking up with kokaquilts for Sew, Stitch, Snap, Share....M

The Wearin' o' the Green

Happy St. Paddy's Day! I'm not Irish, but they say everyone has a little Irish in them on St. Patrick's Day, so, on the eve of the big day I've got a little green parade for you - my little 6.25" Crown of Thorns blocks made from the God's Green Earth trimmings.

The pile isn't huge - I've got 12 made now - but the blocks are so stinkin' sweet and fun to look at.

Much of God's Green Earth is still on the design wall and all of the blocks are now together, so it's time for the final layout. I've enjoyed having it on the wall because it's beautiful to look at as I sew but I have others that need to be laid out on the wall too so it's time to put all the pieces together and see where I land.

There'll be no green beer for me tomorrow, but I think I will enjoy a snack of my favourite Irish cheese/crackers with a glass of wine to celebrate the arrival of the weekend.

I'll leave you with a wee Irish blessing as you ponder your celebrations:
  May the road rise up to meet you,
  may the wind be ever at your back.
  May the sun shine warm upon your face
  and the rain fall softly on your fields.

What a lovely thought with Spring just around the corner....M

Bewitched

Hexies are one of my favourite shapes to work with, and I know that I'm not alone. It's as though I've been caught in their spell (hex: verb cast a spell on, bewitch. noun a magic spell) and more often than not I find myself leaning in to quilt patterns with them. I know I'm not alone.

Lots of other folks have been inspired by them too, and not just for quilting. There are so many wonderful ways to integrate hexies into your life and home. I've come across a few that I like and that could nicely be converted to interesting quilt patterns.

What a lovely transition from hardwood to tile. This is reminscent of a Jen Kingswell pattern with the hexies along the top and vertical strips of fabric.

Stars in the tub, what's not to love? This would be a fun quilt. You could either find the perfect fabric to fussy cut those hexies or make tiny wonky stars within the hexies.

And how about this for a library reading area? Wouldn't it make a great hand stitching corner?

I could go on, but you get the idea. Front or back, hexies do cast a spell. Maybe it's the 'bee' in me....M

Scrappy Sendoff

The gals at the church were looking for a quilt top to work on. I thought it was going to be a charity quilt but it seems to be one that they want to raffle. Either way, it was a good opportunity to move a flimsy along and get it into use, so I donated my Postage Stamp to the cause. This is from the row of large fun wonky stars that I added to one edge.

All of those 2" squares made up into a good sized quilt - 98" x 88". With the exception of the stars, it is all hand stitched.

To help move things along I also gave them the fabric for a backing (I was happy to be able to dig into my pile of backings as well!).

It shows up a little dull in the photos but it is an interesting green and works well with all of the colours in the top.

I snuck downstairs after a service to peek at their quilting progress and they are well on their way.

Not sure if those diagonal lines continue through to the centre of the quilt, but if they do it will be great. There's so many seams in this one that I'm certain that it was a bit of a challenge to find a stitching pattern the was easy to work with.

Fun as those wonky stars are, the layout appears to have been too asymmetrical for the gals - they have added a band of larger blocks and a few strips to the opposite side. No problem. It's theirs to do with as they wish and they appear to be having fun with it.

I'm so happy to see this one moved along, soon to be on someone's bed. There are more flimsies that need some attention so I think it might be time to go and visit Roberta to have her work her longarm magic. No point making them if they aren't going to be used...M

Sunshine - Glorious Sunshine

It's been an intense week around here but yesterday the clouds lifted considerably and today the weather seems to be mirroring that change. It's nice and sunny, though a little on the chilly side - the perfect day for a little hand stitching.

Anna Levens continues to grow. I was needing to add more colour into the mix so that the cream hexies that outline the large hexies have some definition, but I'm still tending to fit in a lot of neutrals. It's a bit of a dance.

And, it was taking me ages to figure out which hexie to place next - I was thinking too much -  so now I'm planning a row at a time and it's moving things along at a better pace. Hopefully I have a completed corner to share with you soon. Happy Sunday!....M