Off On Retreat

Back in March of 2020, my long-time quilting group of friends - AKA the Basket Case Quilters - had a retreat planned. Three of us would be traveling from out of state to meet up in CA at another friend's house, but at the last minute, it got cancelled due to the many unknowns of the pandemic. Finally, finally, we've rescheduled, and I'll be traveling in a few days to meet up with them.

Of course, I need to take projects! I didn't actually have a lot going on, so I've planned some stuff. I thought it might be fun to share it all here - both as accountability - and just to keep track.

1. My Pantone challenge project. Basically the stack of fabrics I shared last week + a gingham I added in for a bit of color. I have a rough plan of what I want to make - at least where I want to start, so I'll share more of that as I get started.

2. I found just enough batiks in my stash to participate in the current Many Hands and Many Hearts March-May 2026 block drive making Mini Square in Square blocks. Cynthia Brunz @cynthiabrunzdesigns is host, and I'm happy to be able to participate for another round.

3. For reasons I won't share quite yet, I hope to make several of Heidi Staple's @fabricmutt Pixie Baskets. I'm made quite a few over the years, and am looking forward to making them again.

4. I've also made numerous Pop Open Pouches over the years, using the pattern by Aneela Hooey. Last year sometime, she published an add-on pattern for a patchwork version, and since I need a new one, I decided to try this variation. I found a mini charm pack of Artisan Cotton in my stash, and will add in what I need from a Cotton Couture charm pack. And I'm taking a couple of options for both lining and zipper, and will use what I like best in the moment.

So it's always a mystery how much one will accomplish on a retreat, AND what I'll feel like working on, so TBD what I actually get done. So stay tuned. I'll try to share progress on IG while I'm away, and of course, via blog posts once I return. See ya in a few days.

Strings

Well, I finally have my first quilt finish for the 100 Day Project/AKA 100 Days of Scraps. Meet Strings, a quilt whose front is made entirely of scrappy strings and other bits from the scrap basket.

Folks have asked, and no, I didn't use a fabric foundation. I just sewed a bunch of strips together, and then added corners. Or sometimes, I actually started with a corner, and added strings from there. I didn't worry too much about the size of each block. I just let the strings I chose to use together determine that.

What that means, is that sometimes I didn't gauge well, and bits I actually liked got trimmed off. Oh well.

Eventually, I had enough blocks to make a good-sized quilt (54" x 55"). You can see that there were places I had to add in pieced strips or much smaller blocks that I made specifically to fill a certain space.

I continued on to make a scrappy quilt back, though I did have to pull a few fabrics from stash to make blocks large enough. Other than that gray solid, all the fabrics I pulled were in pretty short supply, so it felt just fine using them up here.

I think I mentioned that I had a cold that really hung on, and by the time I was feeling up to quilting, I was also in the mood to get this one done. So I chose to quilt using a diagonal serpentine stitch about 1.5" part. I marked every 3" with my hera marker and quilted those lines, then quilted between them all again by eye. I confess that quilting in that way was relaxing but quick - ie. barely over an hour. This time, for this quilt, it felt just fine.

The thread I used was an Aurifil 50wt variegated 4570 [Silver Fox]. I thought it suited this mostly gray quilt very nicely.

I had just enough of a gray print to make a binding, which I hand-finished. So even though I did end up using a few stash pulls for this quilt, the front is 100% scraps, and what I pulled was 95% used up in the back and binding, so that felt good. All in all, I'm happy with the finish, and plan to donate Strings to our guild's giving committee.

Year of Florals II - Plate of Little Daisies

Hard to believe I only have two more samplers in year two of the Year of Florals subscription series.

This one was a mix of types of small flowers, and overall, I stitched similar flowers with the same threads

This time I did fill all the centers with French knots. I especially like the pink flower, where I used two colors for the knots.

I also really enjoyed all those Xs and knots around the flowers. 

So I'm waiting for the next to last sampler to arrive. I've seen a sneak peek, and I'm really anxious to stitch it up!

Building an Improv Toolbox

Last Saturday, I spent the day on Zoom in a workshop with Seattle MQG @seattlemqg and Sarah Goer @sarahgoerquilts, who led her Building an Improv Toolbox workshop with us. Yes, I know I've taught my own class on improv techniques in days gone by, but I'm always open to learning more, and thought it would be fun to approach it from another teacher's point of view. And it definitely was!

It was suggested we begin class with six fat-quarters, but wanting to use scraps if I possibly could, I pulled a handful of pieces from stash that were all less than a quarter-yard. Some were indeed leftover from other projects, while some were just small pieces. It ended up being a very fun mix to play with.

By lunchtime, I had a nice little collection of blocks up on the design wall. Most of the techniques I'd tried before, but not those radiating strip blocks, shown below just above the stripes. Those were created in a pair, and I enjoyed trying them. I can definitely imagine making groups of blocks of them.

There were two techniques in the afternoon session that I particularly enjoyed and look forward to playing with more - compound shapes....

And slice & shift. With the example below, I also included a pieced slice & insert strip, which basically created another type of compound block.

Below are all the blocks I was able to create during the afternoon.

So by the end of the workshop, I had 29(!) improv blocks to show for myself. That was a lot of different techniques Sarah was able to share with us, wasn't it? She's a terrific teacher, and I'd highly recommend the workshop, especially for those wanting to explore beginning improv piecing.

Meanwhile, I'm planning on somehow puzzling all these blocks together into a small quilt. And even though I don't have a clear plan forward, I haven't been able to resist sewing some like blocks together. So stay tuned. Once I've made some real progress, I'll share this project again.

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.