Queen of the Strawberry Patch Quilt

Queen of the Strawberry Patch Quilt

I am lucky to be able to care for my granddaughter several days a week. She's (mostly) a joy! But many things in my life have shifted to accommodate my new schedule.

My garden has been somewhat neglected this year, but I kept reminding myself about priorities. We are still eating canned tomatoes from the past year when I put up 100+ quarts, and 80 quarts of beans. Because my shelves were still full, I allowed some beds to rest, some occasional weeds, and gave it minimal life support for months. But every day we would walk the gardens, check the greenhouse, water plants, touch, smell, and be barefoot in the grass. Even if it rained, we were out there. One day we just let ourselves be rained on until thoroughly wet. We watch birds, worms, the bugs and bees, and dogs running through the orchard. Today we were out quite early talking about the moonlight. I'm smiling as I remember and write this. 

Exploding a Standard Block Setting

Flower Power Prints
 "Hapi"

The print is a past line named Hapi from Amy Butler. It's been on my design wall for a few weeks while I tried to decide what to do with it. I'm glad I waited.

Doing the Quilting Shuffle

An Embroidered Beauty

One day early this winter I visited my friend, Irene, and we put our heads together on different ways to finish up some of her numerous 'outstanding' projects. I saw this top across the back of her chair, and asked what she was going to do with it. It was headed for a local longarmer that only did pantographs, she said. Hmm. I thought and I wavered. I was not taking any customer quilts at that time, but I positively could not allow someone to quilt over top of that embroidery either. On the way out the door I told her I was taking it, I was quilting it, and that was that.

Churn Dash Baby Quilt II

Churn Dash II

I had some minor problems with the points when I made the first Churn Dash baby quilt. Check it out along with the book I'm working from in A Two Quilt Tuesday. I needed one more quilt in similar colors so I made another one.

This time I starched the squares before making the large HST, and was very careful while squaring up and trimming them. Once again, it was problematic piecing the giant nine patch. Goodness, you think I would have stopped, ripped, squared the other pieces, and then sewed it together. But, No, I just plowed on. The points aren't cut off as bad as the picture shows above, but one or two will be. I think I need a third try to work this out.

Upsides and Downfalls of Pre-Cuts

Isn't this just the cutest thing?
It's not my work, but that of Norma at 
Petit Design Co. 
The scrap rat in me loves the color punch it gives.

I'd been inspired by a 

Value Quilt Tutorial 

by 'Sew Katie Did', 

and tons of Pinterest links.