Sew much to see

Ok it's a bad pun but hey...So I've been checking out the HUNDREDS of quilts in the online quilt festival being hosted by Amy at Park City Girl. I have visited over 600 blogs, yes I said 600, and none of those today so there are probably more. It has been a lot of fun, but it has meant very little sewing has been going on, well until tonight.

Over the last few days I have been playing with some squares from Metro Blue, a line from a few years ago. I had gotten them out to make a purse, but well, they had other ideas. They decided they wanted to be pinwheels, but not just any pin wheels, ones made according to this different method. Well. When fabric insists, it insists. So I made all of these.


But what to do with them? Nothing seemed quite right, and I didn't want to make more. The method wastes fabric, and the seams were so bulking I had to press them open, which I don't like doing, and being a klutz burned myself a few times.

So they sat. I stared. Nothing. Then, just as I was about to start another project (all the while ignoring Lillebet) it came to me. Yes singing angels and all lol. I even had left over fabric from the first time I attempted a purse with this line, and I say attempted because while it was fully functional and got compliments, it really didn't turn out as I wanted, so will never be photographed and shown here.

Hmm...getting there but not quite. I discussed this with DH, who is actually pretty decent at seeing and giving advice on design or colour, wanted or not lol.
And here is what I finally came up with.
I think it turned out nicely...the only thing...I'm thinking it could be a little bigger, it's currently 24" square. What do you think of flying geese, with the geese being made up of the fabric line, and the wings being white?
I'm going to bind it in the other strip fabric from the line, so it will get a little bit more scrappy from that.
I can't decide and since my Schnibble pattern and fabric are still not here I'm at loose ends right now. I'm wondering if it's going to get here in time for me to finish it for the 31st. Oh well, hazards of online shopping cross border.

Be sure to check out Emma's giveaway and her Etsy shop. Some beautiful little quilts. She is giving away a kit for the quilt below.

Quilt Festival

Welcome all Quilt Festival participants! I hope you are enjoying checking out everyones quilts as much as I am.

This is my first Quilt Festival so picking which quilt to show took some doing but I decided to show my most recent complete quilt. I made this for my hubby for his 31st birthday. One of the reasons it is my favorite is I was able to keep it completely secret from him. Now I don't lie well, in fact I'm a horrible liar, which was nearly the undoing to the surprise. When quilting this I left the pins out and hubby asked about them, all 400 something of them. My reply? I like pins. Seriously. That is what I said. Luckily something distracted him before he could interrogate me about it.
Another reason is this was a Patchwork Party kit and I really like doing things that can feel somewhat community based. So it was fun. I also loved this fabric line, Prairie Paisley by Minnick and Simpson.
Everything about this quilt worked for my husband. He's an American, from NC, and is proud of his Southern roots so both the overall design and the colours really worked for paying tribute to his home. I know it is at times hard for him living here in Canada, which in some ways is so different.

My photography skills leave something to be desired but here is DH's quilt.



I changed what was supposed to be star flowers into just stars, and made thirteen of them, to represent the thirteen states in both the Confederacy and the original 13 Colonies. Soldier's Walk is represented and the colours are pure Americana.

Click on the button below and go check out the AMAZING quilts of so many super talented others. I know I'll be up late looking around at all the GORGEOUS eye candy.




These two quilts were made from the scraps of the bigger quilt. One is Bennington, a Schnibbles pattern, by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co., and the smaller one on my door is of my own design, again from the scraps. I really like making a mini quilt from the scraps of any quilt, but especially one that gets given away, as a momento of the whole journey I take with every quilt.