scrappy old maid's puzzle quilt top

36 blocks done✅

Check there's enough grey C & S for sashing✅

Super happy about turning my scraps into a finish✅

- shuffling blocks & trialing sashing 

- checking my values

Until next time, Linda

currently on the design floor ...

I love how lots of traditional blocks still get lots of love ... maybe reimagined in scrappy or reworked in a modern palette, blocks like Log Cabin, Flying Geese, Bear Paw or Jacob's Ladder.

The Old Maid's Puzzle block is a traditional two-colour nine patch quilt block that dates from the late 1800s. It has certainly caught the attention of a few lately, Rachel Rachel from stitchedincolor has made a sweet quilt in Spring colours of pink, green, yellow & brown, and Amanda from prairiequiltco has also made a delightful scrappy version too.

I thought I'd attack the stash (again) and make a trial 9" block last weekend. 

Loving this sweet block ...

so, I kept going ...

- to sash to not to sash?

Pattern: Old Maid’s Puzzle, a free pattern by @prairiequiltco.
Fabrics: I'm using a scrappy selection of old & new favourite fabrics. I've been a little obsessed focused lately - drawn to colours like these peachy pinks, rosy pinks, primrose yellow, aqua, & lavender, lots of dusty/muddy tones.  Loving the contrast of these soft pastels mixed in with splashes of bright colour. 

until next time, Linda

end of summer

To say it was a beautiful day would not begin to explain it. 

It was that day when the end of summer intersects perfectly with the start of fall.

~ Ann Patchett

- b&w pic to check my values

- loving the end of summer warm light we are experiencing this long Easter weekend

(Here in New Zealand, daylight saving ends the 7th April).

"Stars upon stars' is my favourite quilt from Jolene's new book "a year of quilts" and over the past couple of weeks I've been sewing stars to make a quilt following her colour combo fairly closely. 

The stars are the feature in this quilt. Mine are in a scrappy mix of dark prints in caramel, rose, coral, orange & browns. The nine patch blocks are mainly in a selection of lights & mediums in peach, pink, light browns & cream, all creating a soft but interesting (= busy) background effect.  

I took one final quick look at things on the 'design floor' before I started sewing everything together ... there's Kaffe mixed up with reproduction fabrics, a little Liberty, leftovers from a vintage sheet, and lots of other old & new bits from my scrap baskets. 

I focused on value rather than colour and ... hm-m-m ... arranged my blocks with haphazard abandon? or artful mindfulness? Either way, I like it. A Lot!  

Finished quilt top measures 81" x 65".

Linda

a star a day

I'm making lots of stars, fun stars with just enough wonkiness.

One star a day, or more if time permits ...

and down on the design floor ...

Stars Upon Stars WiP:

• Digging deep in my stash of early fabrics to get that vintage feeling, putting all sorts together, including shirting fabric, old reproduction fabrics, a little Liberty, leftovers from a vintage sheet, and lots of other scraps.
• Machine pieced, 14 more wonky stars to go.
• Pattern from Jolene's book "a year of quilts" and there's a free wonky star pattern on her blog @blueelephantstitches, thanks for sharing, Jolene.

show & tell on the Peninsula.

A catch up with Glenys always generates lots of ideas and gives me a chance to get caught up on some of her creative ventures. This time around I got to see her new 'meadow mist' quilt - all together and all quilted too. It's her version of the 'malted mystery quilt' (see here at meadowmistdesigns for more details) and has kept her very busy for the last couple of months.

Enjoy the photos ...

Like me, she has also been sewing along with Rachel at @stitchedincolor, making her "Positivities" BOM quilt. Glenys is favouring orange/purple/green with a background in a variety of light peach.
It's a great incentive to have another friend stitching away with me in this yearlong project, we tend to inspire each other into action.

I also showed her my exciting mail yesterday, Jolene's book "a year of quilts" arrived. We've both been fans of Jolene's work for years. Her quilts are always instantly recognisable to me (and many others I suspect) for her fabric choices.

What have you been working on this week?

Linda

positivities quilt: update

'Positivities' is a modern sampler created by Rachel at @stitchedincolor. I participated in another of Rachel’s sew-a-longs a while ago, she has a great eye for colour & design. This one is a yearlong BOM where the edges blur from area to area, and stars, squares & curves reappear throughout the quilt, all floating on a consistent background colour. 

- It's not perfect, but I'm happy.

I'm using a few different soft greens as my backgrounds too, so difficult to capture in a photo. 

Can't wait to watch my quilt grow and the colours spread.

Linda

playing with pink & teal

Another house top variation quilt is underway chez Linda's. 

'Dancing Squares' is a new favourite because it too has evolved from the need of using up those scraps. This time around, I went through my scrap baskets (yet again) but changed up the mood of the quilt. Super happy with the combo of teal & pink in these log cabin-style blocks, adding that splash of merlot makes me smile.

I'm drawn to florals, so I needed to pair them up with a few ginghams/spots/dots/solids/even a little animal print to add contrast. With these bold colours & prints dancing around my centre teal squares, each block felt like a mini quilt to me, where the colours of each round flow into the next.

Not following a written pattern is always a fun challenge ... I could see as I progressed, that this one would be another quirky jigsaw puzzle to put together! I decided on lots of pink & off -white for the irregular coping strips - creating little paths between the house blocks, and (wink wink) to fill in the gaps to help get things up to size. Finished size approx. 60" x 54".

Here's my 'modern' take on traditional ...

Now I am working on a third "house top" quilt because, you know, two aren’t enough!

Have you tried making a Gee's Bend-style quilt?

Linda