I've been working hard to finish projects lately.This postage stamp quilt that I put together last fall is the most recent finish. See this post for details about the piecing process.
The cheery colors and fun fabrics are making me deliriously happy as we wait for spring to arrive. It is still dreary and brown outside but the chickens have been out scratching in the garden and we have had a few sunny "no coat" days! Spring is coming. I'm sure of it. I snapped these photos this morning just before it started to pour rain and I am now listening to rumbles of thunder as I type. It is a happy day.
I recently purchased a roll of Quilter's Dream wool batting and have wanted to try it.
I LOVE the way the wool quilts. It may be my new favorite batting. It has just the right amount of puff and isn't heavy. They say it is washable but I haven't washed this yet. The wool also springs back a little better than the cotton after being folded. I'll be sure to let you know if I have any problems with it but so far it's a winner.
I quilted it in a simple point to point quilting pattern that follows the shape of the squares.
I worked across the quilt back and forth repeating the following two stitch patterns.
This simple quilting design doesn't detract from the postage stamp pattern while giving it just enough oomph.
The "S" curves make an interesting twisted square shape.
The backing is this fun Ikea fabric that I've been saving for years.
It is quilted with a subtle variegated thread.
I think it's time to start a new quilt!
The finished quilt measures 46'' by 58''
squares are 1.5'' finished
batting - Quilter's Dream wool
quilted with Aurifil 50wt #4651
I finally finished the quilt that consumed much of my fall. It's a queen size scrap quilt and the full quilt and directions will be featured in the next issue of Fat Quarterly.Watch for it. The entire issue is on SCRAPS. Yeah, I think I'm gonna like the whole issue. I can hardly wait.
In the same booth was this unusual leather quilt with a wool felt edging. I have never seen anything like it before.
This applique quilt with just a touch of embroidery was interesting. I like the aged color of that green.
I love the close grid quilting and feathers on this basket quilt.
This French one, however, stopped me in my tracks. The quilting was incredible. I stopped for a second look but it had already sold. I'm glad I snapped a photo the first day when I saw it.
I did a bit of scrap sewing this weekend. I made some pieced binding for the Paris quilt and put together another stack of string blocks.
String piecing is very therapeutic and allows me to mull over other projects while I sew.I also made some bee blocks for 
She requested "low volume" strip sets. These are all from my "lights" scraps. I hope they are low volume enough. The photo makes them seem more printy and high contrast than they are.We also weeded and spread mulch on my herb garden and even had a little "campfire" last night. We thought we should at least have one evening fire before the mosquitoes get bad.Did you have a productive weekend?
Really, it slays me. I know that if I had started with yardage of that fabric I wouldn't feel the same way. It was precious and I had to include it in this quilt.Are you like that? Do some fabrics make you emotional? Is it just me? I got a little teary feeling this morning cutting a center for a tiny star out of the very last scrap of fabric left from a dress I made myself in 1975. Sigh.Look, they are crushed under their own weight.
This little stack is making me very happy. I think I'll just keep it and pet it for awhile before moving to the next step.
After making a few of those, I remembered the 
I am still deciding how I want the single strip of color to look but so far I'm pleased with how this is progressing. I tried a single strip of triangles, and also a double strip with the triangles side by side oriented the same way but both of those layouts seemed boring compared to these.
Perhaps I should wait to ask M's opinion before I go any further.I can always work on the big pile of white half square triangles until I make up my mind.
I have been quite busy with projects this week. Today, I finished the little quilt for the Doll Quilt Swap. I ended up quilting in the ditch around all of the pink sections. All of the other ideas that I had seemed like they would be distracting to the small pieces.
The quilt measures 13 inches square. It was fun to work with some bright springy colors. We still have about six inches of snow on the ground here so we aren't seeing much spring color outside.
I hope my partner likes it. Shhhh. It's a secret; I can't tell you where it's going yet.
I spent the afternoon making some more tiny stars. A couple more afternoons like this and I'll get all the stars for this quilt finished.I think I'm finally starting to get in the rhythm of the school day. I have been listening to Harry Potter on tape while I sew. Jim Dale does a superb job reading them. If you haven't listened to his recordings of the Harry Potter books, I highly recommend that you do.I am making a list of other books to listen to after I finish the Harry Potter series.What book would you recommend?
"That morning I walked to school looking down at all the different colored pieces of cloth in my coat. All the stories the Quilting Mothers had told me about the rags and who they belonged to, I knew by heart. I had ended up choosing the most worn pieces for my coat because the best stories went with them."
