Merry Mix Mystery Quilt

I don't think there's been a day since I finished my Merry Mix quilt top that I didn't look forward to quilting and finishing it. And finally, it's done!

A pieced quilt back seemed appropriate, pieced from scraps and yardage from my original fabric pull, including a set of 'tree' blocks I'd made incorrectly back in week one. I knew I could make good use of them!

Knowing ahead of time that I'd be keeping this one with us, a quilt that was cozy and finished was my main goal. So I went with serpentine quilting using Aurifil 50wt 2600 [Light Gray] for quilting, with 50wt 2506 [Medium Gray] in the bobbin. Lines of quilting are 1.5" apart, all vertical. With this quilt and this quilting, no marking was needed. Awesome.

Kona Emerald was used for the binding, as I liked how it brought all the other colors together. Merry Mix finished at 54" x 66", and is my first quilt finish of 2025. Loved finishing a quilt so early in the year!

Many thanks to the Merry Mix qal host Melanie Meyer @mellmeyer! The qal was so well done, and I enjoyed it every step of the way. Plus it resulted in a quilt I really love. Can't beat that! Also, couldn't resist getting a couple of maker photos with the finished quilt. Grateful for a beautiful winder day in the PNW!

Linking up with quilting JETgirl's January Favorite Finish linky.

Scrappy Sparkle Punch

Soooo.... after finally finishing my wonky stars quilt top, I hopped right to creating a pieced quilt back, and really enjoyed it! I'd found yardage of red and white stripes to use as the main fabric, and combined it with several holiday prints and a few of the leftover Christmas scraps. 

Remember, I'd used the Sparkle Punch pattern by Elizabeth Hartman for the scrappy improv stars, and the quilt top measured 60" x 72" - a generous lap-sized quilt.

With the #wonkystars a variety of colors, it made sense to coordinate quilting thread with the background, a mix of grays. Aurifil 50wt 2600 [Dove] seemed perfect as I quilted a simple grid. With the finished quilt blocks measuring 3" square, the quilting plan made for medium-density quilting. It felt like enough for this particular project, and I confess, I was able to quilt the whole thing in under three hours - pretty much a record. And also a relief, after the weeks that went into piecing. After that, several hours of hand-stitching the Kona Silver binding was the perfect reward.

I'm curious what you think about the use of various grays in the background. Due to the fact that I kept adding in more choices the further I got on the quilt, there are a lot more darker values of background in the bottom half of the quilt. Personally, I kind of like it, and think it 'grounds' it nicely. At any rate, I am pretty excited to have this one complete before month's end! AND all ready to use and enjoy during the next Christmas season.

Linking up with Meadow Mist Designs' Favorite Finish Monthly Linky.

Scrappy Christmas Wonky Stars

Before the new year even dawned, I'd started in on a new scrappy quilt project. As I was putting away scraps and such from this year's Christmas bag making, it dawned on me that maybe, just maybe, those scraps could turn into a Christmas quilt for us. Inspired by Katie Pedersen @sewkatiedid and Elizabeth Hartman @elizabethagh and their wonky star quilts, I decided to make a few blocks and see what I thought.

I definitely liked what I saw, and decided then and there to make a quilt. Bit by bit, the collection on the design wall has grown.

By now, I was thinking I'd make a queen-sized version of Elizabeth's Sparkle Punch quilt

That is.... until I realized I'd need to make over 250 wonky stars to make a quilt approximately 96" x 112" to fit our bed. Hmmm. Let's just say I'm continuing to make stars while mulling over layout options that aren't quite as star-intensive as the original Sparkle Punch, without losing that nested element that I really like. OR do I just make a lap-sized Sparkle Punch instead? So we'll see! Not quite sure where I'm headed now, but time will tell.