Turning the Page

After completing Wild Child, with all it's HSTs and blocks, I was in the mood for a simple quilt I could cuddle up with.  I had picked up these charming pre-printed blocks at my local reuse place, which has a nice selection of craft supplies.  I've never seen any pre-printed designs like these, and I liked the rabbits and cottages. 

I combined them with my favorite 4-patch blocks, some from charm squares from Debra, and some from stash fabric.  It went together fast and easy.

I treated myself to new fabric for a big floral border, and I've picked out a coordinating piece of fleece for backing and batting.  As soon as I get this pinned, I'm going to do some fast straight line quilting.  This is a nice switch from my previous 2-year long project.

Street Fabric

I've been doing a lot of walking lately.  I've enrolled in a program to get in shape, so in addition to going to the gym, I spend a lot of time taking walks around the neighborhood.

We've also added Sarah the Rescue Dog to our household, and she requires these walks too, so between Sarah and the get-in-shape plan, I'm spending lots of time cruising the neighborhood.

In my town it's pretty common for people to leave things they want to get rid of on the curb.  Lots of times it's just junk, but recently Sarah and I stumbled on a stash of Street Fabric.
 

Yes, it was spread out over the ground in a snarl, and yes, it had been rained on, but I recognized that it was the good stuff right away.

In this trove were fat quarters, half yards and even one yard lengths, in addition to some sewing remnants of quilt shop-quality fabrics.

 I scooped up as much as I could and carried the wet ball back to my house.  Yes, of course, I ran into a neighbor on the way, who was polite enough not to ask what that wet ball was that I was carrying in one hand, while holding the leash in the other.  The next day I went back and rescued the fabrics I missed the first time, and assured myself that I hadn't missed any.  After washing and ironing the goods, you can see what I took away.  Who knew I'd get more than fresh air and exercise for my troubles? It's like Santa missed the chimney, but got close to the house.

A Big Finish

Happy 2020, may the new year bring us health and creativity.  I'm celebrating the new year with a big finish: a king sized quilt I made for my daughter Allie and her husband Brandon that I worked on over the last 2 years.

The pattern is Bonnie Hunter's "Wild Child" from her book String Fling.  I made my quilt in a similar colorway as the one in the book because I happened to have a whole bunch of solid turquoise fabric.  In fact, I still have a bunch.  Lord knows where I got it.

 It was a lot of fun assembling the fabrics for this quilt.  Lots came from stash, but I also bought some novelties to reflect the interests of the recipients.

Under the pillow turn are portraits of Allie and Brandon's three cats.

Here is some math for this project:  112 x 96 inches, 168 blocks, 1680 half-square triangles.  Lots of matching seams (I did get better at it as I went along).  I was feeling brave and straight-line quilted it myself. 

The quilt has gone to live in its permanent home, where the cats are already sleeping on it, and the people are sleeping under it.  

 On to the next project...

PS.  For some reason, I don't get email notice of comments.  I'm trying to fix it.