Wanderlust

Maybe it was because I needed a change from hexies or maybe it was just my QADD (quilter's attention deficit disorder) kicking in. Actually, my trolling on Pinterest is probably partly to blame too. Whatever it was, I ended up playing with a new block.

It's called the Old Italian Block (isn't that just a lovely name?) and looked like it might be a good start for a charity quilt or table runner. If nothing else, it got me dreaming of far off Italy and enjoying a glass of wine in a café on the Amalfi Coast hillside, but I digress.

If you'd like to try to make a few yourself, here's a very quick tutorial that will give you a 6" finished block. Start with an 8" block,

make 4 diagonal cuts (the centre strips are 2" wide, cut 1" on either side of the diagonal lines that cut through the block),

switch out the four corner strip pieces with a dark print (or a light print, if you started with a dark 8" square), sew everything together,

and voila, a 6.5" inch block. Alternate light and dark blocks when laying it out.

I've seen a quilt done in this pattern that really caught my eye but wanted to try it out before committing to making it. It would be lovely with all of the light pieces in this Jacobean print and a variety of tone-on-tone blues - very much like handmade tiles.

But I think that making it scrappy has lots of potential too. Either way, it was a nice escape..M

Hexies

Frames for the large hexies at the centre of my Anna Levens quilt are on the agenda today. I've got three in the works and two of the three are now together, with the pink one to go.

At least I thought there were three. That was until I moved the pile and realized that I have prepped the small hexies for a fourth block. Talk about quilt amnesia!

Fabrics have been paired so I'm looking forward to basting at least one of them into place so that I can appliqué it to its backing.

It's a rainy, cold and miserable day (when is Spring supposed to arrive?) so I went to the freezer and dug out an apple pie to bake. It's the perfect antidote for cold and rainy weather.

I also decided it was also a good day for some Shrimp Risotto with Fresh Herb Butter - total comfort food. It's been a while since we've had this and it was delicious with steamed asparagus. I like this recipe because you don't have to stir it for an eternity.

Maybe I'll see if we can find highlights of the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey games from last night - both teams are now up 2-0 in their series. Yaaaaaa - that's my boys! (I'm such a fair weather fan - only really get into it during the playoffs.).....M

Squaring the Circle

All of my circle sandwiches for the Mock Orange Peel are now sewn and all but a dozen of them have been turned right side out. There's still lots of pressing and top-stitching to do but I'm determined that this one isn't going back into a cubby for another seven years, so I work on it in dribs and drabs. I've been a little distracted by the trimmings from the circles though.

The corners that are cut away from the four-patch circles looked big enough to do something with...















...so I've been stacking them to the side and eventually making very tiny four-patches.

Finished they will be 1.5", which is pretty small, and there aren't nearly enough to make a quilt, but there are about 80 of them so I'm thinking they would make nice centres for Square in a Square/Economy Blocks. They are sort of like the starter for sourdough bread - tiny bits of one quilt feeding the creation of the next...M

The Reveal

We had a little house guest over the weekend so it was time to bring out her surprise and reveal what all of my secret sewing was about. Now when Baylea comes to visit she can lounge in her new quilted dog bed.

It seems to be a hit.

She particularly liked it when we threw a blanket on top so that she could wrap herself up in it (she is the Queen of the Snooze).

This was the inspiration that I worked from but, much as I love white in a quilt, I couldn't bring myself to use white in a dog bed.

The pattern called for covering a store bought dog bed insert but I used lots of batting and fabric trimmings to fill it instead, an idea I got from Wanda at exuberantcolour. She saves all of her trimmings for a friend who makes dog beds, which is just a perfect way to use up all those scraps. Waste not, want not.

It won't win any awards for quilting accuracy, but it got better as I went along.

I really had a hard time resolving to cut off the corners so that the bed was circular, but as soon as the first corner came off my fears were put to rest - that changed it completely.

That said, I did have a hard time saying goodbye to this little block, but it's now part of the stuffing, so at least it got used.

I wasn't sure if I had enough stuffing in it but after a little test run with the pooch in question we resolved that it was just fine, so I will stitch that opening closed.

Anyway, our precious pup now has a new little nest to spend her time in when she's over for a visit and appears to be very happy about it....M