Conversely

Back in January, per usual, it took some mulling over to decide what block to have the FAITH Circle of do.Good Stitches do for our February quilt. The decision was made the second I saw Gen X Quilter's January block for her Vice Versa BOM. The pair were so unique, and I was immediately tempted to try a different layout than AnneMarie had planned!

I chose a palette of pale gray, chartreuse, and aqua/teal, with a dark gray center. These weren't the most prolific in my bee-mates stashes, so we ended up with quite a range of colors in our blocks. But look! They play along together perfectly fine.

For quilting, I used my dependable Aurifil 50wt #2600 (light gray) - which so often seems "just right" - and it did again, not screaming loudly, but definitely visible. My original quilting plan was to zip-zag vertically along the edge of those half-square triangles. And that worked great and I loved the look. See the little detail it made on the right- and left-center of the photo below? That was all well and good, but it wasn't quite enough,density-wise. So I went back and stitched vertically and horizontally between the quarters of each block. That added another little detail - the criss-cross in the blocks' center squares. I liked that too, and washed up, the amount of quilting left the quilt soft and comfy.

Here's another view of the quilting, and the backing too - a white dot on lime - "Spot On" by Robert Kaufman. I decided to go for this as a way to validate the lime in a few of the blocks on the front. {smile} Binding is the sweet Lush Running Stitch by Michael Miller in turquoise. Trust me, it's perfect.

So thanks again, FAITH ladies! You helped me create a quilt that was a joy to finish. It will be donated to Restore Innocence as soon as I get it labeled up! Oh, and thanks to AnneMarie for her delightful Vice Versa pattern. I can't tell you how many times I've said, "I wish I'd thought of that!" But I'm certainly glad she did. Anyway, now it's time for the quilt to go on to comfort and bless a young girl. That's my hope.

Linking up with SEWjo Saturday and Fabric Tuesday.

W.i.P. Wednesday

The good news: I'm going on retreat tomorrow with my local quilting buddies, the Basket Case Quilters. The bad news: I probably won't accomplish as much as I pack. But here's what I've got going:

• FAITH Circle quilt - This quilt was my plan for the group in February, and I'm beyond thrilled with the blocks I got back. They are Vice Versa blocks by gen x quilters, January's blocks in the BOM she's hosting. What a clever concept for blocks, and I'm really enjoying seeing them around about. The layout I chose using just 1 pair of blocks is quite different from the quilt AnneMarie designed. But I think it's all going to be just fine. So my goal is to get this top pieced, and then get to quilting it after the retreat.

• Mom's quilt top - You may remember the pillows I made for my mom last fall. Well Mom saw and liked the Disappearing 9-patch pattern on Pinterest, and I assured her it would be a great use for the leftover pillow fabric. I'm adding in a few stash prints so I can make it a nice lap quilt size, and though what you see below is as far as I've gotten, I have all the necessary squares cut out, so I'm hoping I can easily get this top pieced too.

• Mini Swoon - If I can get the above two tops pieced, this will be my reward. I've had the pattern and fabric chosen for a couple of months. At least now the pieces are all cut. We'll see how far I can get on this mini. Finished size is 19" square. Who knows? Maybe this will even be ready to hang in my studio by next week. One can hope!

• Postage Stamp quilt - In an effort to obliterate the contents of my overflowing scrap basket, I have two scrap projects in the works. Small bits are being cut into 2 1/2" squares. I have about 400 cut, but need around 1200 for a lap quilt. I'll keep cutting till it's time to pack, plus probably take a bag of scraps with me. I'll be using the tutorial by my friend Louise/I'm Feelin' Crafty, and adhering my squares to featherweight interfacing before sewing the blocks together.

• Cross-Stitch Blocks - Here's my other scrap project - cross-stitch blocks using the tutorial by Alyssa/Pile O'Fabric. I'm using Kona Ash charm squares as my base. I've got about 40 more x-pieces cut out, but for the pattern I have in mind, I'll need over 100 total, so I've got a ways to go there too. 

So what do you think? Do I have enough to keep me busy for the next few days? I kinda think so.

February FAITH

It's my turn to plan the next quilt for the FAITH Circle of do.Good Stitches! I'd had several ideas in mind, but when I saw the January block for Gen X Quilter's Vice Versa BOM, I knew I'd found 'IT.'

Of course, deciding on a palette is always another issue, and after considering several, I settled on this one . . .

A pale gray background (mine is Kona Ash), a dark gray center (shown is Kona Coal), chartreuse and aqua/teal. 

I really like these blocks and think the 'vice versa' is such a clever idea. Can't wait to see what my bee-mates do with them!