Fresh Sewing Day

Overall, this summer has seen numerous "littles" created, and very few actual quilts, but it's been fun for a change, and I've tried all sorts of new (to me) patterns and techniques, so it's all good in my book. Fresh Sewing Day at Lily'sQuilts is, of course, an awesome way to show them all off!

The Zakka Sew-Along has been the instigator of weekly small projects. This month, it was two "I love it"'s to two "um, I'm not so sure about this." All still good fun though.

1. Water Bottle Holder, 2. Delightful Linen Pouch, 3. Patchwork Ribbon, 4. Spoon Bookmark

Bee blocks were minimal, but they were definitely enjoyable to put together.

1. Gemstone Blocks, 2. Floating Frames

And these two little polaroid blocks sent me off into the crazy arena of swap-hosting! The *Picture-Perfect* Polaroid Block Swap seems to have a life of its own, and I'm just anxious to see it through! What great participation in the swapping group!

A couple of random littles - a triple-zip pouch I've been meaning to try for ages. I'm pretty pleased I was able to figure it out and I love the finish. Then there was another of Jeni's drawstring bags, my go-to bag pattern.

1. ">Triple-Zip Pouch front, 2. Lined Drawstring Bag

And though these aren't finished projects {yet}, they are important bits in my quilting journey, all from the Improvisational Patchwork class I took from Quilting Modern author, Katie Pedersen last weekend. Maybe next month I'll have a finish to show from this set. (I hope so!)

1. Improvisational Piecing, 2. Improvisational Piecing, 3. Improvisational Piecing, 4. Improvisational Piecing, 5. Improvisational Piecing, 6. Improvisational Piecing

And there were two quilts this month - A Taste of Marmalade in baby-size . . .

and my pride and joy this month, G.O. Modern. Finishing up this quilt with my 4x5 modern Quilt Bee blocks was a great feeling. The quilting alone was a major challenge and accomplishment for me, and it definitely has given me confidence to move ahead with my free-motion quilting. 

The photo-shoot itself was a highlight of my month as well. Talk about having the quilt in the right place at the right time. Of course you can see some of my fav shots in the blog post links above.


So it's been another full and productive month - just the way I like it!


Linking up with Fresh Sewing Day!

W.i.P. Wednesday

The weeks just fly by, don't they? And before you know it, W.i.P. Wednesday is here again! I feel like I am whittling down my to-do list though, which makes me feel really good, chalking up my second Finish-A-Long finish this week, and starting on #3!

Completed projects
Zakka Style Sew-Along project #17: This Delightful Linen Bag got its own post, of course. I'm quite fond of it.

A Taste of Marmalade - A sweet little baby quilt, with full post here.

Ongoing projects
*Picture-Perfect* Polaroid Block Swap - I'm finding blocks in my mail box every day now, and I only have 15 done. Lots more in the works though.

Zakka Style Sew-Along project #18: Bread Basket - In progress, but I've got a good start going. Another hour or so and I should have it done. Mine's all-linen, which has been lovely to work with.

QWERTY II - Do you remember QWERTY? I love that it hangs outside my office door, where I can enjoy it during the work week. Well, my coworker loves it too, so I've begun a variation for her. So far, very fun!

Upcoming projects
* Improv log-cabin quilt NEW
* more Zakka
* a quilt to coordinate with my Christmas tree skirt - NOT for Christmas in July, apparently . . .
* scrappy Metrolink
* Plus quilt for my sister-in-law
* EZ Dresden Challenge project - maybe?? maybe not??
* 100 Quilts donation quilt

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday, hosted this week by my blog buddy, Katie from Katie's Korner!

A Taste of Marmalade

A Taste of Marmalade is a baby quilt, quite simple in construction, yet a delightful little finish. The pattern is Storytime Squares, designed by Rae Hoekstra of made by RAE. I first used this pattern when I made a version for 100 Quilts for kids last fall.

For this new quilt, I was thrilled to find some marmalade charm packs out in blogland, as baby's mama had indicated she loved the fabric when I pinned it on Pinterest. 

Source: cottonway.blogspot.com via Debbie on Pinterest

The quilt finished at 42" square, a tad smaller than the original, as I used 5" charm squares, rather than the 5 1/2" blocks the pattern suggests. For quilting, I used my machine's wavy stitch, stretched out as wide and long as it would go.

Backing is an overall floral that coordinates nicely, and the binding a tiny blue and white dot, both courtesy of Ruby.

So cross off project #2 from my Third-Quarter Finish-A-Long list!

Linking up with TNT Thursday.