Some Hearts

This is about as close as I get to heart related items in my house. We aren't a Valentine's Day kind of house. Hubby has the typical male disdain, and I frankly don't care that much. But wait, these aren't my hearts!

This is the last of the round robin quilt tops from my guild (Hey, check out our new website!). We all got our own tops back on the weekend. I'll share mine soon. But this last one has hearts, so I'll share it with you today.

I added on the Prairie Braid border. I've actually always wanted to try one of these. It is very easy, but time consuming. And you do waste the fabric that you have to trim off. Oh well, it is all about the design. And it came together really well. I think it's a great finish to the top. (And please ignore my supremely ugly kitchen floor.)

Now that the tops are back with their original owners we have a few months to add to it, if we want, and finish the quilts. I can't wait to see how everyone finishes up with their quilts.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ornamental Organic

You've seen snippets of this quilt before. It was my all organic quilt challenge based on Daisy Janie's Geo Grand fabrics.

Well, Fat Quarterly picked it up and the pattern is in the latest issue. Go here to buy your own copy. The pattern includes a discussion on my challenge in making this all organic. Here's a hint - I almost made it. This is a easy pattern - no curved piecing. The colour possibilities are endless!

And, if you are so inspired, make sure you share any projects you make with the pattern with me and on the Fat Quarterly Flickr page. I'd love to see what you can make.

Thank-you to Amy for sharing the prize draw for me, Jan for her gorgeous fabric, and everyone at Fat Quarterly, especially Tacha.

Blue Birds and Red

I know, so not me, right? But that's the joy of a round robin in a mostly traditional guild. As a result, I'm using up some fabrics in my stash that I never thought would see the light of day, and I'm pushed beyond my comfort zone.

The blue birds were my first round. We were assigned applique for this one. I did think cherries, as per the suggestion of another participant, but went with the birds. I hope she doesn't mind the blue.

This second one was pretty simple as the instructions were for a plain border. Nothing more. There was a touch of red in the plaid background for the snowman, so it was an easy choice out of my stash.

Just a little fun.

Geese Going South

Participating in bees has been a challenge. I'm notorious for not finishing things on time. But I feel a bit better knowing I'm not the only one in my group. And just yesterday I found a block that I finished months ago, but never got popped in the mail. Yikes! It will go in the mail this weekend, along with the fabric for my month.

This month I've chosen a Flying Geese block. I've sent out a generous FQ of yellow, plus some greys, whites, and a touch of turquoise. I'm not picky about the size or shape of the geese within the block or how many you put in, I only ask that they all fly in the same direction. You can also make the geese any way you are comfortable doing. Some tutorials for you here and here.

Finished block size will partly depend on how many geese you do within the block. My preference is for a block either 12.5'' square, 12.'' by 18.5", or 18.5" square.

I've had this quilt in my head ever since the bee started. The one thing I don't like about bees is feeling like someone else's sewing factory. I personally, prefer to be challenged to create something a bit more unique. I also like to get something unique to the quilter back. Then I love the challenge of making it all work together. That's why I'm excited about our Mid Mod Bee and my month here at Pieced Together.