Kinda, Sorta, Suns...

Ignore the fact that those aren't really circles. Or think of them as organic suns.

I'm so close to finishing up the quilting my To a T quilt. After taking the first machine quilting class from Ana Buzzalino I decided I needed to push myself a little. I doodled and doodled. Then I basted, hoping that process would force me to make a decision. I certainly had some time to think - basting took me a while with the belly in the way!

I was pinning on a block that has the gorgeous orange print, Moira, from Echo by Lotta Jansdotter when the inspiration hit. My sketch and my reality aren't actually all that close to the design on the print, but it is the idea. And Lotta's print doesn't have perfect circles either.

I'm using Aurifil 50wt thread to quilt this. A few weeks ago I won a pack of the Mark Lipinski Basics collection by Aurifil - lucky me! One of the beige threads was perfect. And it works fantastically with the purples I've put on the back.

Binding this week...

10

One of these days I'll finish a quilt. For now, I'm comfortable starting more.

This is the stack of fabrics I put together for a quilt I'm making my husband for our upcoming 10th anniversary. It might seem girly, but these were our wedding colours. Colours that he loved then (or so he said) and I'm hoping he'll still like. It's for a king sized quilt that is for a date that is 2 months away. Yup, I am purely insane.

Insanely in love.

(Ugh, gag me with a spoon.)

I'll do my best. I got this quilt in my head and I'm on a mission.

BTW, did I mention that our anniversary is more or less my due date? I probably should have done that when I introduced The Bet the other day.

(BTW, he doesn't read the blog at all, so the only way he'll find out is if certain people say something to him. You know who you are - keep your mouth shut!)

Pretty, Pretty Voiles

When voiles burst on to the scene a few years ago, thanks to Anna Maria Horner, I wasn't all that interested. My style may be modern, but I generally prefer the traditional materials like plain old quilting cotton. Then somehow, somewhere someone gave me a piece of voile. I was seduced by the airiness of the fabric, the silky feel, the soft drape.

So, I made a scarf.

And then I started shopping. Just adding one or two pieces onto an order from nearly any on-line store. Only my favourites. Never concerned with collecting from an entire line. I've got more Anna Maria Horner, some Tula Pink, Joel Dewberry, Valori Wells, and Denyse Schmidt.

Then last week I received a few more and thought I better count how many I had. 29. 29 fat quarters or 1/2 yard pieces! It was time to stop collecting and start cutting.

It is going to take me a long time to get through the cutting. Each 1/2 yard piece yields 18 triangles plus 12 side triangles. There is no layering when you cut the voiles because that desired silkiness means the rulers slip. I'd rather take my time and cut properly than risk losing some of my fabric. Oh, and I'm cutting all of this for what I hope will be a king sized quilt.

In my head this pretty, ultra-soft quilt will drape on our bed in the summer months. For when you still want the hint of covers but not the weight of anything over you. Maybe this summer? Probably next.

100 Days of Modern Quilting

Have you been following along with the 100 Days of Modern Quilting feature running on The Modern Quilt Guild? If you haven't, you should be.

Colour, block styles, improv, it's all been there so far. Tutorials too. And there is more to come. Inspiration every single day. It is also a great showcase for modern quilts.

Yes, I know the debate between modern and traditional, and the blurry line too. (This is still where I stand.) Regardless of where you stand on the debate or in your own style of quilting, the series is a great place to see some gorgeous quilts, a wide range of quilts.

And speaking of gorgeous quilts... One of mine is being shared today. How's that for a pretty shameless plug? Your Parents are Cool is still one of my all-time favourite quilts and I'm proud to have it included in Improv Week in the 100 Days of Quilting.