amp up the colour

This is my present WiP, a 'little miss sawtooth star' sampler. It's a classic block made with a combo of fun centers. My first version of this quilt, made in 2019, was in a soft palette of muted pretty tones with lots of white/cream backgrounds & filler blocks. 

However, I just couldn't get the idea of using brighter, multi-coloured backgrounds out of my head. So, I've amped up the colour this time round and am super happy with the additional depth and interest created by the medium/dark backgrounds. Most of these fabrics are from Anna Maria's 'good gracious' collection, I'm finding limitless possibilities from this vibrant fabric designer.

Josephine block #2

Aliyah block

Gabrielle block

quilters lacy leftovers ...

Millie block

Sadie block #2

Once I'd made 16 sawtooth blocks I began auditioning for the borders, looking for something just to corral all those colours.  I initially thought I'd use a couple of purples for my borders but am really liking this warm toned unruly garden print, all the floral vibes without me faffing about with any applique✅

Here's a peek at the design wall ...

I'm enjoying this colour exploration!

 Linda

cabin nights quilt

 

My cabin nights quilt top is finished. Love the contrast of a few bright florals and muted greens & pinks with the light backgrounds.

And I've enjoyed playing with all the fabric placements. If you look closely, you may spot what's happening.
The pattern calls for the centre of the star & points to be all in one fabric – but I figured if I did that every time, it would be too intense. The occasional one or three was perfect.
I've also added extra scrappiness to a few of my centre stars (see pic #7), and I've used two backgrounds (see pics #4 & #5) for a couple of the stars - it all creates extra interest.
Plus, there are a few places where I've embraced some joins in my fabric to get the required length (my stash is more FQs than yardage).

Super sunny day here - not complaining - but getting good pics a tad problematical. Have a great weekend, Linda

crash course in HSTs!

This project feels a little bit like a crash course in HSTs. I've made a few half square triangle (HST) quilts over the years and have definitely improved with my technique over time. 

Full disclosure: precision piecing has never really been my thing, I'm more of a "let's make this work" kind of quilter. Don't get me wrong, I do try to cut carefully and sew carefully, but I don't spin out if things go a little wonky. HSTs are the perfect example ... I know I can be a tad sloppy when I'm making them, sometimes I've ended up getting a few points cut off, and I actually thought trimming was an optional step, ha-ha!

This time though, as I'm making teeny tiny 2" HSTs, I've challenged myself to get more precise with my points. It’s all good practice. And I am hoping accurate trimming and making sure I match up a true 90º angle will make all the difference. 

There are lots of little HSTs in this which = lots of HST trimming! 

Yes, it's repetitive ... but it's also turning out to be quite relaxing.

And I'm so much happier by taking the extra time to have those little HSTs looking much better.

seven blocks done ✅

two to go

cabin nights quilt

I’ve got a lot of small pieces of fabric piling up around here - remaining fragments of FQs, leftover scrappy bits, assorted strips & strings - and have promised myself that my next few projects will use some of them up. One quilt I've wanted to make for ages now is the Cabin Nights Quilt by @prairiequiltco, a star quilt is never a bad idea, agree?

I started choosing fabrics from my stash, aiming for a colour mix that was soft and pretty, with just the right amount of pizazz! I love the idea of not overthinking it, but must admit, I had a spot of trouble pulling fabrics for this one! 

And it took a while, a lot of my stash is bold & bright, with lots of multi-coloured florals, as many of you know. But here's where I've ended up ... I have my darkish value fabrics on the right, including a few of my usual florals. In the middle are some softly muted medium/light greens. And on the left are my low value fabrics (which I'll add to as I find more), lots of light coloured prints with little splashes of colour.

hm-m-m I think this could work ...

the extra scrappiness in this centre star makes me smile

this next one is a Tilda & Ruby Star Society mix

do I love this sweet star? 

Yes, yes I do💖

Super happy with this vintage muted palette so far.

Stay tuned for more progress posts 

Linda