Binding weather...

Lots of snow and it's the perfect weather to sit under a quilt, watch some TV, drink a glass of wine and sew on a binding. This quilt came back from the quilter last week and, my goodness, am I happy with it! The pattern is from the first issue of Fat Quarterly and the fabric is Hope Valley and Kona Snow (appropriate!).

My newest quilt always goes on the back of the couch ready to pull up for an afternoon nap.

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Valentines sewing

I did a little sewing of Valentine gifts this weekend. Some zippered pouches... yes, zippers (I haven't done one in YEARS!).

They'll be filled with some goodies and shipped off today.

The pattern is from Terri Atkinson and as her patterns always do, it came with perfect directions.

I also made a few Valentiney bibs for my little noodles-with-marinara-eating grand daughter, so she can eat in style.

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Inspiration

Our Saint Louis Modern Quilt Guild has issued a challenge. Use 21 pieces of a Kona Cotton solid charm pack, generously donated by Robert Kaufman to create a quilted wall hanging. I seldom do challenges (I really don't like any guidelines), but I'm taking this one.

I'm searching for inspiration and on a recent trip to Crate and Barrel, I found a bit. This pillow... I see a block here.

A gorgeous table runner...

I think I see a bit of a pieced design in this...
This one reminds me of Oh Fransson's Tokyo Subway Map quilt along.
And the newest issue of the e-magazine Fat Quarterly is focused on solids.

Maybe I CAN do this?? Next stop, EQ7!

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Greenfield Hill

I was really reluctant to buy Denise Schmidt's new line "Greenfield Hill". But I know myself and when I start seeing all the beautiful quilts everyone starts making, I'll be scrambling to find some. After visiting some of my favorite bloggers for inspiration, here, here and here, I ordered a pack from Fabric Worm. It was one of their custom bundles, so there were a few coordinating pieces from other lines as well.

I added a few from my stash...

And ended up with a very rich looking blend of fabrics that I'm really happy with. My mix includes 2 pieces of voile that are part of the "Greenfield Hill" line. They're my favorite prints in the line, so I had to include them, but have never worked with voile before.

I decided to use the pattern from The Practical Guide to Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman called "Superstar". It's a pretty traditional block, but uses solids to make it a bit more contemporary. I plan on using several neutral solids in taupes, creams and tans.
I tried 2 blocks today, using a slight variation to the pattern. I made the background pieces a little larger, so the points will not go to the edge of the block. I think that will make me happy when I go to put the blocks together.

I found the voile a little tricky to work with. The piecing went fine, but there is a little shadowing through of the seam allowance on the front of the block. Any suggestions? Have you used voile in quilts?

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MBS recipe...

I've got an easy baby quilt over at The Moda Bake Shop today!

I wanted it to be super easy especially for beginning quilters. I included this handy tip at the end. If you're a new machine quilter and just comfortable with stippling, but want to create a custom look - change your thread color to match the fabric you're sewing on. I did a simple star in each of the small squares, but then stippled everything else. By stopping a few times to change to matching thread, I got a custom look with simple quilting.

The quilt is made with "It's a Hoot" and I love this striped backing. Looks like I pieced it.

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Quilt Story

Do you read Quilt Story? If you don't, you should. It's filled every week with wonderful pictures and, well, quilt stories. Head on over today - I'll see you there!

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My mess...

Jessica from the great blog, Twin Fibers, did a post last week titled what.a.mess. It was about what I (and many more readers) thought was a very cool pillow, but Jessica thought was a project mess. She had tried and tried to get it right, but had decided to trash the project. It brought some interesting comments and many rescuers. In the end she was able to turn her trash into someone's treasure.

It really got me thinking because I am definitely one to trash a project that just isn't working. I try not to cut out too much fabric until I know that I like how it's working. But when it's not working - out it goes! (Sometimes to charity, sometimes to trash). It's really no fun to work on something you don't like and isn't quilting supposed to be fun? I also think that if you don't give yourself permission to trash when things aren't working, you may be afraid to try a different idea or project. It can be very paralyzing. And isn't it good to know it happens to everyone?

Case in point. I started these blocks before Christmas. The pattern is "Birdbath" from Elizabeth Hartman's book, The Practical Guide to Patchwork. I love the pattern, but this is just not working in my eyes. I've decided there are too many spotty prints and the colors of gray, green and a pop of red are dull. So out with these blocks and time for a new strategy!

I'm thinking browns, teals and orangey reds...

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