Block Printing

All I had to do was mention my desire to learn about fabric printing to my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness, and voilà, I got everything I needed to get started for my birthday!

• Art of Fabric Block Printing: An Illustrated Guide with 12 Playfully Modern Projects by Andria Green @andriafaye
• Speedball Deluxe Linocut Block Printing Kit, For Fabric
• Print, Pattern, Sew: Block-Printing Basics + Simple Sewing Projects for an Inspired Wardrobe by Jen Hewett @jenhewett

For better or worse, I kind of just jumped right in! I initially was going to just carve a wonky plus block, but midstream, decided to leave some stripes in the center and each quadrant. And then of course, I had to test it out.

The top left pair were my first try - on Essex cotton/linen blend - then the white one, which is Kona. Obviously I wasn't getting very good coverage with the paint. Finally, I just set the stamp right on the paint board (a book covered with foil), and that result is on the right, again on Essex.

I know a couple of things. One, the fabric should be pre-washed, and mine was not. I spritzed it with water, then ironed it dry, but still. So there's that. Also, the point is to roller the paint onto the stamp, so I definitely need to work on my technique there, as I wasn't getting enough paint on my roller to be successful. So I'll be working on that too. So lots to learn. But meanwhile, I think I have a new hobby.

Leaf Study

This month's Bee Sewcial @beesewcial prompt came from Karen @capitolaquilter - Leaf Study. She asked for abstract, whimsical leaves, in the spirit of her previous Fantastical Flowers prompt (see my response here). For a palette, she chose a throwback to her very first prompt, Reflections, based on the Capitola Venetians.

Karen said she was fine with our blocks being on the larger side, which is a good thing, as both of mine definitely were. The first was inspired by a ginkgo leaf, and measures approximately 13" x 21".

Then the second block, inspired by a broad, tropical leaf, ended up measuring 12" x 24", but obviously has a lot of room for trimming. 

Karen is fine with untrimmed blocks, so I'll leave both of these as shown, and get them mailed off soon.

Floral Stitches Year II - Little Flowers

Finally, another Dropcloth @dropcloth Floral Stitches finish!

Here's how it looked before I started stitching.

Unfortunately, I struggled a bit with this one. There was nothing really wrong. That ring of flowers just wasn't my favorite to stitch. The petals, and then I didn't really feel like filling the centers full of French knots, so for better or worse, tried a basket-weave of sorts. It's ok.

But that's fine! They can't all be a favorite. And guess what? I have another one waiting for me. Just three more to go.

My Cloud Dancer

When I first saw the 2026 Pantone Color of the Year announced - Cloud Dancer - I thought hmmm. White. For tradition-sake, my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness went ahead and ordered us Pantone swatch cards, and the first thing I noticed, was that it was definitely not white-white. At least not Kona White (on the left below); and though closer, it wasn't Kona Snow (on the right below) either.

So of course, I chose to consult my color cards and see what seemed closest. I was surprised to find just two colors I was inclined to order - Cotton Couture Soft White and Painters Palette Rice Paper, shown left and center below with Kona Snow on the right. In the natural light of my studio window, my first choice for a match is the CC Soft White.

As you may have heard, the 2026 Pantone Quilt Challenge is calling for a white-ish quilt.

From the challenge rules:

• Aim for roughly 90% white and 10% anything else.
• "White'"can include: creams, off-whites, beiges, very pale versions of other hues, and low volume prints.

Personally, I'll be using a combination of these in my quilt project (top-bottom below):

• Kona White
• Essex White
• Diamond Textiles Top Stitch in White
• Painters Palette Rice Paper
• Cotton Couture Soft White

Though.... I also have a pile of Essex Homespun Yarn Dyed in Natural scraps that I think would be a good addition, so that's my plan. I'm tentatively thinking of adding a color somewhere in the process, but time will tell. Meanwhile, I have the inklings of a design idea, and can't wait to get started.

Shift

Believe it or not, this is the final month of Season 3 of Block Studies Collective with Tara Faughnan @tarafaughnan. Sad but true. Once again, my fabric pull was a combo of Tara's suggested palette and colors from my stash that were close to what I didn't have. Though I originally pulled a few more, the fabrics I ended up actually using were Konas Windsor, Blue Jay, Sienna, Cerise, Woodrose, Yarrow, and Dusty Peach.

The design for the month was hexagons, and though Tara gave several more options of shapes to try, I really did love the hexies best.

They were quick and easy to paper-piece, and I made oodles of them.

Eventually, I stopped and worked up a layout. In retrospect, I maybe should have stuck to clearer hexagon shapes, but you know me. I like seeing what other shapes can be created with adjoining like colors, and that's kind of the way my piece developed.

Obviously, I made a much simpler pieced back for my little quilt, using cut-offs from my original piecing.

I quilted with Aurifil 50wt 2975 [Brass], with the beginning intention to echo on each side of all the hexagons. But after doing just the sides - not the tops and bottoms - I liked the look, so let that be enough.

I'm regretting trying to do precision sewing when I was still under the weather, as I see a spot now I would have tried harder with if I'd noticed it in time. At any rate, I love this little design, and again, the palette was half the fun.

This piece finished at 15" x 15.5", and one day soon, I'll share all of my Season 3 projects together.

Cake

It's been a while since I've finished a Dropcloth @dropcloth sampler, hasn't it? I kind of took a break from the Floral Stitches series and have been working on another of the samplers from my Advent calendar. Meet Cake.

Apparently, it was inspired by a very early Dropcloth sampler - earlier than my participation. But I loved it from the minute I opened it, and I really enjoyed stitching it up.

The design itself measures 3.25" x 4.5", and I used a soft, peachy palette for the cake, variegated threads for the flowers, and bright red for the cake stand, all Wonderfil perle cotton, double-thickness. I never quite know the complete palette when I start out, so it's always nice to discover it as I stitch along.

Pantone Quilt Challenge 2026

Did you hear? The 2026 Pantone Quilt Challenge kicks off today and will run for 8 weeks through April 27. This year's challenge is hosted by Sarah Ruiz @bysarahruiz and Audrey Esarey @cottonandbourbon, and the challenge will feature Cloud Dancer, Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year.

Now I know that Cloud Dancer got a verrryyyy mixed reception when it was announced in December, and even I felt some disappointment. But if the challenge is on, I'm in!

Per tradition, my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness ordered us both Pantone COTY Swatch Cards, and yes, knowing I'd need plenty of Cloud Dancer-colored fabric for my challenge project, I've ordered a couple fabrics to see the closest match, just like I usually do. Though the challenge rules say to Make a white-ish quilt, I was still curious. All I know so far is that Kona White is not it. Not that I won't use some of that, but it's not a match. So stay tuned for more there, but meanwhile, here's a link to Pantone Quilt Challenge 2026 – Week 1. Are you in? 

February Fabric Usage

I was so close to purchasing zero fabric this month, but a friend's destash caught me up.

She wanted to find a new home for several UmbrellaPrints Trimmings packs. I remember seeing these trimming packs several years ago, but never indulged, so I was happy to do so now. UmbrellaPrints has since closed and morphed into Moonbow Australia, and I see they still have smaller quantities of trimmings for sale. Anyway, I thought these would be fun to play with - a variety of prints, colors, and substrates. 

The good news is that the several projects I worked on last month added up to a good amount of fabric usage. So I'm feeling ok, heading into March, even though I know that at least a couple of fabric purchases await me.

February Fabric Usage

Used up: 11.87 yards [8.34 projects + 3.53 recycled/donated]
Brought in: .82 yards
Net: -11.05 yards

Pillars

This month of Block Studies Collective with Tara Faughnan @tarafaughnan felt a bit disjointed, interrupted my some mid-month travel. The prompt was Pillars, with the encouragement to hand-piece, so I opted to go that route for the blocks at least. My fabrics were a mix of Tara's suggested palette and colors from my stash - Konas Sienna, Geranium, Lupine, Thistle, Grapemist, Blueprint, Blue Jay, Teal Blue, Pool, Aruba, Key Lime, and Summer Pear.

The blocks were basically stripes with optional 'caps' top and bottom.

Though I began with a thicker thread (what was I thinking?), I switched pretty quickly to Aurifil 80wt, which was very nice for hand-piecing.

The quilt backing was also pieced, using my scraps to simulate a block from the front.

The only truly disappointing part of this project was the batting scrap I used, which was a little too puffy for my liking. But I survived, and I enjoyed the quilting more once I gave it all a press mid-stream.

For quilting, I used a variegated Wonderfil Fruitti FT16 [Grapes], which complimented the colors in the quilt nicely, I thought. Plus, it's a dream to stitch with. 

With a running stitched binding in Kona Geranium, the little quilt finished at about 13" square.

One thing I did with the quilting that was quite unusual for me, was to leave all the knots from my quilting threads showing on the surface, with both the quilt front and the binding on the back. For some reason, I thought that suited this piece, and it was indeed, very freeing to do.

Weave Got This! :: :: It Begins

I hadn't touched my sewing machine in 10 days due to travel and out of town company. AND I had finished the big project I'd been working on just before leaving. I was kind of feeling like, "what now?" And it dawned on me, with the100 Day Project looming, I should get my first assignment for the guild's new BOM out of the way.

It basically involved making strip sets that will be used in upcoming blocks. They only required four of my six colors, but I'm ready for March's assignment, and really looking forward to seeing the design develop.

The 100 Day Project

"The 100 Day Project is a free, global art project built around one simple idea: show up to your creative practice every day for 100 days." You've probably heard about it, maybe even participated in it before? Well it started yesterday!

Honestly, life has been a whirlwind lately, so I didn't really get a chance to prep properly, so I'm going to jump right in and take it one day at a time. And my focus? Those scrap baskets that have been piling up, specifically my solid scraps, and the basket with blacks and grays. 

I'm confident other bits and bobs will find their way in, but that's where I'm planning to start. So far, I have two string blocks pieced, making them up as I go. Finished block size isn't important.

The first block (above) is 8.5" x 9.5"; the second (below) is 7.5" x 12". Pulling straight from the basket on the center right in the first photo, I've begun with a loose palette of black, white, gray, and brown, with (hopefully) a bit of blue in each block. 

I fully expect a variety of projects large and small over the course of 100 days. So stay tuned! And let me know if you're joining in too!

TOP SECRET

It's not often that I get TOP SECRET emails, but when I got one a couple of weeks ago, and saw who it was from, I knew what it meant. My quilt had won an award at QuiltCon 2026! And considering I only had one quilt accepted, I knew exactly who had won something, Ode to Joy.

It's always a bit rough watching QuiltCon from home. The FOMO is real. And knowing my quilt is there, especially since there is a ribbon hanging alongside it, hasn't been easy. But I'm oh so grateful for friends who send pictures!

Photo courtesy of Naomi te Wildt @quiltingnaomi

I was happy, too, to be able to watch the awards ceremony from my son and daughter-in-law's home in California! That definitely helped me feel a part of the action, and I was glad that my beemates Stephanie @spontaneousthreads and Émilie @mili.tra were able to accept the award on my and Bee Sewcial's behalf.

Photo courtesy of  Stephanie Ruyle @spontaneousthreads

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Ruyle @spontaneousthreads

Meanwhile, I'm watching eagerly from home via Instagram, seeing and experiencing what I can. And I'm glad that someone once shared that if you purchase a ticket for a day at the quilt show - even if you won't be there - you get access to the QuiltCon app. So that isn't totally satisfying, but I at least get a look at more of the quilts than I would otherwise. And there or not, I'm super proud and happy that Ode to Joy gets to spread its message just a little further.