Quilting mojo returns...

If you read my blog yesterday you saw that I am coming off an unbelievably productive week ... I cross stitched, I dyed linen,  I knitted and I sewed... and I got something finished in all those endeavors... this week I have high hopes too of doing a lot ...although so far today I'll I've accomplished is brunch and a trip to Micheals for 6 skeins of floss that only cost me $35... yeah, pricey right?  The floss was inexpensive but a couple, a few, a bunch, heck a whole lot of other stuff jumped into my cart... I'm obviously not moving quickly enough through the aisles to avoid cute things from flinging themselves off the shelves and landing in my cart... oh well, got some  Spring decor and some odds and ends.

Anyway, yesterday I showed the baby quilt I did for my daughter-in-law's shower on Saturday... Trip around the World pattern done in Richard Scarry fabrics I've been saving for years for the right occasion.

And I finally got the binding on this quilt... which has lead me down another path I'll talk about in a minute... this is the Moda Love pattern done in the Fancy collection by Lily Asbury... this quilt has been around for five years... I hang my head in shame for being such a procrastinator but in my defense shiny things keep catching my attention...

And I finished this top that I started because of the Moda String A long... ta dah!!

I took my inspiration from this quilt in Small Pieces, Spectacular Quilts by Mary Elizabeth Kinch and Biz Storms...

My pieced blocks finish 12"... when I started I made the first couple 16" ... and then I did some math and realized the quilt would be enormous and all I wanted was a large throw... so I downsized and I'm happy with this version that is about 61" square. My sashing and borders  are 6" finished.

There are fabrics from a ton of different designers in this quilt all sashed and bordered in  the Pool colorway of Moda Grunge... I'm calling it Hot & Cold Running Strings... and along with the brights there are a bunch of novelty prints mixed in giving it an eye-spy vibe...

and since I'm over the moon with this one I'm going to let you see every single block... sunglasses may be necessary...LOL

This was a lot of fun to make but oh so messy messy messy... and it didn't make a dent in  my scraps... but I do think I might make another quilt in this string fashion this year.  If you want to see more string quilts take a look at this tag on Instagram... you can see it here.

I found some yardage in my stash for the back... forgot to take a pic before I sent it off... it is wild and crazy. I bought it to do a Stack N Whack years ago... it has been maturing on my shelves for years, and I did have a bit of a pang when I cut it to make the back... I realized that if I didn't use it now I probably would never use it... I have oodles of fabrics to do Stack N Whack and there is only  a slim possibility that I will get  all those done. I convinced myself that it is better to use the fabric that just let it languish ... however it makes me feel a bit old and a bit morbid... I'm kinda admitting my own mortality will not surpass the depth of my stash... trying not to dwell on that but find joy in the fact that the fabric is wonderful and I'm using it. I'll post pictures when it comes back from the quilter. I sent it to David not realizing he was going on vacation. I don't need it right away but I shall anxiously await it's return.

So with several finishes under my belt last week I told myself perhaps I could finish up some of my WIPs... a sensible thing to do... and I got out a couple of plastic bins and perused these projects ... and then resealed them and started something new...

As I was putting the binding on the Moda Love quilt I looked at all the versions that are showing up here on Instagram... and there was one done in American Jane fabrics which you can see here... I LOVE LOVE LOVE American Jane fabrics... and I have 2 quilts for my bed made from her stuff ... but I want another one... I want this Moda Love quilt done in American Jane fabrics in the same crazy quilt fashion of the quilt I just put the binding on... and that is what I started... here's one of the blocks I've completed...

I have 7 finished and need 30 blocks total... I ordered some background fabric ... cream with the yellow polka dot...which should arrive today... can't wait to play with this some more.

So the weather has been all over the spectrum here in southwest Ohio... I'm glad the sub zero temps have gone and today started out sunny ... it has since started to rain but the temperature is 60 degrees, so I'm sitting out on my sunroom porch with my laptop and the Dude ... we've been watching the birds as I filled the feeders before the rain started...

I'll be linking up in a couple of places today... Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday ... and Quilting is more Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!... and Love Laugh Quilt for Making Monday. 

Here's hoping my week and yours is as productive as it can be!

happy stitching-
carol fun