For the Love of Solids2 - **Received**

What I had anxiously been waiting for was in my mailbox yesterday! Imagine my surprise(!) when the return address was the exact one I had just sent my FTLOS2 package to! Yup, Julie (Julie@Distant Pickles) of Distant Pickles and I were secret partners to each other!

Anyway, on to the splendid goodies Julie made for me!

The small project is an absolutely darling hst drawstring bag!

And here's the awesome large project! Look at that beautiful 'star' surrounded by a circle of little flying geese! Julie does impeccable work and made this piece in my fav blues, greens, and gray - perfect!

Here's some quilting detail - so nice.

Look how great even the back looks - and how handy that Julie added corner hanging pockets.

So another super enjoyable swap is complete! Good fun indeed!

By the way, if you'd like to read Julie's post on both of our projects, you'll find it here. Thanks again, Julie!

For the Love of Solids2 - Given

The For the Love of Solids swap last year was so fun and gratifying, there wasn't really any doubt if I would participate again for round two. Obviously yes. And fresh from the Japanese x and + block swap, I was easily influenced  to go rogue and make some solid blocks. Playing with some photo graphics of blocks I'd made for the x and + swap helped me figure out a plan for a variation all my own.

I pretty much grabbed the majority of my solid stash and got to work.

After stitching up the first little 5" block, I was encouraged.

This was one project where my design wall was my friend.

Bit by bit it all came together.

When it came to quilting, I wanted to show off the small center blocks as much as possible. So after detailing each of the small blocks, I echo-quilted around the large '+', moving farther apart with each row. After much deliberation, I had succumbed to the temptation to use variegated thread - the wonderfully colorful King Tut "Joseph's Coat" by Superior Threads - and was really pleased with the results.

As a final touch, I made pieced binding, matching up with each color in the big block.

For my small project, I used solid scraps to make a Lined Drawstring Bag made from Jeni's pattern. (Love the chevron twill tape I found at Amy Dunn's pinked fabrics!)

So there's the saga of FTLOS2 - sure hope my partner is pleased!

Linking up with T.N.T. Thursday and Finish It Up Friday.

52 lists in 52 weeks//week 38 and A Tiny Bag

Since making the largest drawstring bag from Jeni's pattern, I've been wanting to try some of the other sizes. (You can purchase the pattern here, though one size is offered as a tutorial here.) I decided to do double duty, and make it in all solids as my small project for my partner in the For the Love of Solids swap. Funny thing, with the pieced front, it took as long to make as the big bag {here}! And I realized after I finished that the cute ties aren't really solid, now are they?

W.i.P. Wednesday

I'm afraid my W.i.P. Wednesday report today is a bit of a repeat from my quilting retreat post, so I tried to share some different shots of my projects.

Completed projects

do.Good Stitches February blocks - These little blocks are pretty popular these days, so it was fun to give them a try. Using Blue Elephant Stitches' Granny Square Quilt Block Tutorial, I made blocks for two of the three baby quilts the Faith circle will be making this month.

For the Love of Solids Swap - My large project is now done. It's been a very gratifying process!

Ongoing projects
Hometown "Wild Thing" - Had hoped to have this done by today, but still working on hand-stitching the binding.

Solstice Stars Series - Star #4 is done. I'm sad that the series is soon over!

Sparkle QAL - No progress. Again.

Scrappy Depression Blocks - Adding to the blocks I received in the Scrapbuster Swap last summer. One down, 15 to go.

Upcoming projects  
* For the Love of Solids small project NEW
* Modern Mini Challenge quilt - yikes, the deadline's not that far off! NEW
* scrappy Metrolink 
* a zip pouch w/o zipper tabs - want to know this way too 
* Modern Crosses mini quilt

* A Christmas quilt to coordinate with my tree skirt
* "On a Whim" 
* Table runner for my cousin - I at least have the fabric now!
* Pattern for Mango 

* A light box
* Quilts for siblings #2 and #3

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday . . .

A {secret} Finish

So I finished my For the Love of Solids2 large project this weekend. This involved finishing the quilting,

my first try at corner hangers,

inaugurating my new quilt labels(!),

and quite a few hours spent on pieced binding - time-consuming, but I thought it was worth it with this mini's design.

The final reveal  remains pending . . .

Linking up with {sew} Modern Monday, Fabric Tuesday, and Finish It Up Friday.

Home, Sweet, Home

Thanks for all of the good wishes on Thursday, as I headed off on my quilting retreat! We had a great time and have already picked out a date for next year, which is cool!

Meanwhile, before I doze off on the couch, I thought I better give you a progress report! And yes, duh, I took way more projects than I had time for. But, let's focus on accomplishments:

1. Finished For the Love of Solids2 large project!

 (More in tomorrow's post, though full reveal has to wait a big longer . . . )

2. Got Wild Thing quilted, and binding made and stitched on - now time for some hand-sewing to finish.

(totally planned on some fmq, but just wasn't ready on a project this large,

so did some in-the-ditch twice through each pinwheel)

3. Made the latest Solstice Star.

4. Made three Granny Square blocks for do.Good Stitches' February project. These were really fun to make. We'll be making three baby quilts, each on different backgrounds - one on aqua, one on snow, and one on peony. That's why my blocks have different solids - they are for two different quilts.

5. Finished one of my Scrapbuster Swap blocks - a long-time w.i.p. I'm using this block as inspiration

and adding to each of the Scrappy Depression blocks I got in the swap.

My first 'test' block turned out like this:

Well, that's what I got done! Not bad, considering there was relaxing to do, eating, visiting, fabric-buying - you get the drift. All in all, a lovely quilt-til-you-drop get-away weekend!

Random

Welcome to a new week! In spite of good progress, I've no new finishes to show, so I thought I'd share some randomness.

I recently read an interesting article about sewing trends on Sew, Mama, Sew - see here. It's always a bit amusing to realize you're part of one - or more!

I've also seen some good info about ways to hang our quilts. I'll be considering these methods for hanging sleeves: here and here; and this one for sewn-in corners. Any thoughts?

And, there's a fun event over at Ellison Lane Quilts, starting today - a modern mini quilt challenge.

This challenge has an interesting schedule - a couple of weeks of blog-hopping with inspiration and tutorials and such, another couple of weeks of sewing time, and then the link-up. See the complete schedule here. Let's say I'll see how things go, but I really enjoy making minis, so I would like to join in the challenge. Anyone with me?

I had several questions following my Something's Fishy post regarding flicker-explorer. I did learn that photos chosen by explorer are sometimes dropped, picked back up, etc. Even with that info, it's kind of curious why your number would fluctuate between applications at a given point in time, but I guess my conclusion is - it can happen. When you use "Scout" at bighugelabs.com to make a 'poster' of your explored pictures, there is an option to 'include dropped'. In doing so, I was able to see all my photos {here}. And for those of you interested in the flickr widget on your blog, you can easily create it using 'Profile Widget.'

In writing this post, I discovered my in-progress project for the For the Love of Solids was selected.

I've really been having fun with this one, and am soliciting opinions on using variegated thread. Here's a little swatch of a test run. (Thread is King Tut "Joseph's Coat.")

Well, enough randomness for today! Have a great one!

Featured - Generation Q

I swear, this quilt has a life of its own! 

During its making, for the For the Love of Solids Swap, I was as challenged as I have ever been - by the use of only solids, by the design in my head for which a pattern didn't exist, by my own insecurity in making a "good enough" modern quilt for a secret partner I did not know.

And yet, when it was done, I was pleased - with myself, and with my quilt. And off it went to my partner, never to be seen again. But then, it popped again {here}, and lo and behold, today it is being featured on Generation Q {here}.

I am humbled and honored that a quilt I designed and made would be anybody's "quilt pick of the week". And yes, I am also inspired. . . to keep challenging myself. . . to continue seeking inspiration and comradery from those in the quilting community. . . to travel further on this quilting journey I enjoy so much.

Tuesday at the Table

One of my goals when I became a parent, was to raise children who were adventuresome eaters. Of course, we had a period where chicken mcnuggets and Kraft macaroni and cheese were their meals of choice, but it's been our routine to try new ingredients, learning as we go, and by the time they were in their teens, they counted among their favorite foods polenta, hummus, and risotto.

You Southerners may laugh at this, but growing up in my neck of the woods, I seriously never knew anyone who had eaten kale. And honestly, it had never occurred to me to try it. Like, why? Well, a year or so ago, I was challenged to try a new vegetable every time I went grocery shopping. So I did, and discovered (yes, for the first time) parsnips and baby bok choy and broccolini. And kale. It was Aarti Sequeira who took the hesitation away. Being a winner of The Next Food Network Star in 2010, I began watching her show. And lo and behold, one day, she made this Massaged Kale Salad. She raved on it, and to me, it sounded strangely enticing. Since I was in the middle of my 'try a new vegetable' stage, I tried it. And using Aarti's recipe, it was amazing.

Kale, by the way, is considered a superfood, containing all sorts of things I can't pronounce and don't understand, but the bottom line is it's really good for you. Since finding this recipe and realizing what a powerhouse veg kale is, I've tried to use it more often, by making this recipe, and adding it to soups, etc. (So, ok, the kale chips were so-so, but interesting, yes.)

Anyway, you can find the recipe {here}. I have subbed peach for the mango with great results, and I've heard of others substituting mandarin oranges and dried cranberries, as well as switching out the kind of seed/nut, though I really love pepitas in this salad, as the recipe calls for. Be brave! Give it a try!

And as an added quilty bonus, I thought you might like to see that my For the Love of Solids zippy is two-sided! So fun!

For the Love of Solids - **Received**

You can't even imagine how thrilled I am! After impatiently waiting to receive my For the Love of Solids swap projects, there was a box on the doorstep tonight! I was so excited! Then I looked at the return address. Hey, I knew that name! I seriously thought it must be something else I wasn't expecting. I mean there was no.way Elizabeth from don't call me betsy could have had my name! But, in fact, yes she did! What an amazing surprise to receive this beautiful mini-quilt and zip pouch from Elizabeth!! It is perfect! Both pieces are exquisite, just so lovely. I am sooo pleased! Thank you, Elizabeth!

For the Love of Solids - Given

When the For the Love of Solids swap was announced two months ago, I was immediately intrigued. I had only ever done one solid project before, and the stakes in this swap seemed pretty high. I was doubtful whether I would even be accepted - it all seemed quite daunting, yet challenging. So when I got the notice that I was 'in', I thought to myself, "Oh dear. What have I done?"

I kept close tabs on the flickr group to try and discern my partner's likes and dislikes. And after looking at the amazing stuff on her website, I knew I needed to step it up a notch. Yikes. The hardest part, of course, was coming up with a plan. After seeing her comment that she liked circles, I decided that would be a good thing to incorporate, and not the norm. I finally settled on these two blocks as inspiration:

1. [3x6] Sampler Quilt Mini Bee - 2nd Quarter 2. Taffy Go Round Pillow

Could I find a pattern for my idea? Of course not. So I set to drafting one. Other than taking one pattern design class in college, this was so not my strong area. But I tweaked and struggled until I had this:

What a mess! But I finally had a tentative plan, with 2 1/2 weeks to go to deadline! I did tweak one more time to increase the size of the arc, but then it all started coming together. Until finally, I came up with this:

For my small project, I decided to do a zip pouch, mostly because I'd been wanting to learn how, and that way, I could accomplish two goals at once. Multi-tasking is my forte! I must say, I looove how it turned out, though not without my trusty seam-ripper close at hand.

So! There you go - my first For the Love of Solids swap projects! Unbelievably, they got from Seattle to Rhode Island in two days! If you'd like to see what my partner, Tina, thought about the swap, check out her blog, Seaside Stitches.

Linking up with Celebrate Color . . .

. . . {Sew} Modern Monday, mini Quilt mondays, and Quilt Story. Enjoy!