30 Days of Quilt Design 21-25

21. Untitled

Numbers 21 and 22 were both inspired by my day 18 design. That one design served as direct inspiration for four others! For 21, I took the center bit and threw it on point. But it looked a bit funky, so I actually recreated it in photoshop to make the proportions happier, and I changed the corners a bit because I love me a good pinwheel.

While this color combination was a stretch for me, I like the way it turned out. I feel like I could make this quilt, and I could make it 'me'.

22. Untitled
This is the same block as 21, but with sashing added, and boy, does that make a difference! I didn't want the sashing to be white, but I'm not in love with the brown. I wonder what this would look like if I sashed it with the same light blue as the block? I really am learning that the options are endless.

If I look at them side by side, I think I prefer the no sashing look, but I think the color palettes are also heavily contributing to that conclusion. I really do need to mock them up in the same colors and verify that! 

23. Hexagon
Yet another example of my totally wicked naming skillz. 

24. Garden Patchwork
I picked up this Cloud 9 fabric ages ago, and I have been saving it for the 'right' project. (Y'all know exactly what I mean, I'm sure!) I wouldn't do it with solids--those would definitely be prints, but I think I've determined that I would love this fabric with just basic patchwork. If I didn't have a kajillion projects currently on my to-do list, I might pull fabric and start cutting now, but I'm going to exercise restraint and behave myself. (Probably.)

25. Graphic
And...back to graph paper, at least for this one. I had fun drawing this one. I think I would FMQ a quote over it in red thread. I'm thinking this one, by Carl Sagan:

"The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies, were all made in the interior of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff."

I have a thing for stars, and this quilt does nothing to evoke the feeling or appearance of stars, but it does make me feel that things aren't always what they seem, and they don't always go as expected, just like you wouldn't necessarily think of individuals as being composed of 'starstuff'. I like thinking I share the magic of stars.

And that, friends, is another set of designs for #30daysofquiltdesign. I sketched #26 last night, which means only FOUR MORE TO GO.

Hard at Work.

My in-laws are descending in approximately 1-1.5 hours--that makes it sound horrible, but I'm actually really looking forward to seeing them as my in-laws are lovely people--and I realized there has been a bit of sewing since I last chimed in around these parts, and maybe you'd like to see it?

I finished piecing all of the blocks for Lito's big boy quilt, decided on a layout, sashed them, and then started considering border options. I considered a single fabric border, but I didn't have enough of any one print to manage that. Then I thought scrappy. And THEN I decided to cut out half blocks of a sort, and do a border of half blocks (without the fussy framed bit) with sashing, which I thought would look awfully smart.

And then I laid out the quilt on my son's bed, realized it was big enough in its current state and a 5" border on all sides would make it HUGE, so I'm axing the border ideas and leaving it as is. I'll bind it in the lime solid, and I'll back it with leftover fabric from the top as I still have quite a bit left! I waffle between sending this out to be long-armed and quilting it myself.

This is where Bun's baby quilt sits at present. I think this measures 24"? But I could be wrong.

I'm making friendship stars for the next border. I've got eight done, and I need twelve more. I think I have fabric cut for at least five of those? For some reason, these 6.5" blocks are taking an awfully long time to finish, probably because I was trying to be really good about making sure my directional fabric is all proper. Then I went and sewed one up spinning the opposite direction. The Instagram folks say I should keep it as is, and I'm inclined to agree because 1) I kinda like the idea, and 2) they're taking so long that I'm loathe to seam rip anything that doesn't absolutely require it.

HSTs and 2.5" squares and trimmings. I'll finish these blocks eventually, but I'm starting to think I won't have Bun's quilt or Lito's quilt done before Bun arrives. And if not, who knows when they'll be finished? But I don't want to worry about that, so I'm not going to.

We've started a new project at my house, one that doesn't involve fabric at all! We--and by we, I mean my husband as I don't allow myself to use power tools or any tools really because I always destroy things--are building bunk beds for our boys.

My husband is my complete opposite and is requiring that each board finished is absolutely perfect and uniform, which is totally a good thing, but means our progress is slow.

And due to a kajillion (maybe a kajillion and one?) kerfuffles with our tool situation--I'm not kidding, it's laughable all of the things that have gone wrong--he has resorted to using old school tools, some of which date from the 1920s. Hopefully the situation will improve soon, but as we're still waiting on a delivery that should have been here THREE WEEKS AGO, it's hard to say when.

My good friend and her kiddos are coming for a visit just as my in-laws depart, so I'm not sure when I'll be popping up in this space again. I hope y'all are doing super well!

30 Days of Quilt Design 16-20

Goodness, I've made it more than halfway for #30daysofquiltdesign! For a girl who was hoping to make it to ten designs, I'm thrilled to have finished 20! And knowing that some of those are designs I'd actually seriously consider making--well, that's even more fun. The last couple of designs were actually put together in Photoshop. This girl is branching out! There is still plenty of time to take part in the challenge--it goes until the end of October--so if you've been considering it, I'd recommend you jump right in!

#16 XOXO
I had a really interesting conversation with Yvonne the other day about my weird relationship with blue--it makes me nervous to work with it--and I started thinking I needed to use it very intentionally to squash those nerves. I love blue! It shouldn't make me nervous. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I guess what it comes down to is that I feel like quilts that I've made using blue aren't very 'me'. So I need to find a way to incorporate blue into my work in a manner that still feels characteristic of my style. My aesthetic surely isn't limited by a warm color palette! Making XOXO in a scrappy orange palette would be mucho fun, but what if I made it in blue and white? Or navy and apricot?

#17 Off Topic
I had originally wanted to make this one in scrappy black and white prints or maybe C+S's blue and white collection, but then I saw this quilt on owen's olivia instagram, and OMG. (Also, am I like the last person to start following owen's olivia? Where have I been?) Black and white solids with a black and white stripe border. O.M.G. Can we say yum? So forget the prints! Off Topic would be black and white solids. With a black and white stripe border. Because how can you say no to that kind of genius??? (And then when it was done, I'd give it away because it would stay clean in my house for about thirty seconds before peanut butter hands would find it.)

#18 Tilted Star
Years and years and years ago, I found a super cool triangle image somewhere online. I have no idea where or who deserves the credit. I don't even know that the site I saw it properly credited it. But I stumbled across it the other day and thought it would look super sweet as a quilt. A quick (messy) pen sketch later, and boom. It would. Even if composing this bad boy would be a royal pain in the derriere.

#19 Untitled
I think the most exciting part of #18 came from the center bit. I thought it would look really cool as a quilt block, so I mocked it up in Photoshop and played around with colors. I really really really like this one. Like, next baby quilt I have to make will be using this block (which is probably not original and has a name already) because I'm in love.

#20 Untitled 2
This is the same block as #19, but I rotated some of the blocks and did the center bit a little different. It made me consider what the block would look like doubled in size and at different angles and in a different color palette. I have a feeling there will be at least one or two more quilts using this block in my 30 days. Maybe #21 and #22? We'll see.

Pencil Bags.

Do you ever have a project that you need to do, you want to do, but you can't seem to work up the motivation, and there's a deadline looming up ahead? I felt this way with these pencil bags.

Our homeschool co-op starts meeting next week, and I really really really wanted to make some pencil bags for my boys. It's my middle's first year of co-op, and he is so excited about his new backpack and new crayons and new sneakers. I figured I would make him a new pencil bag too. And if I made him one, better make one for my oldest too.

But for some reason, it was soooooooo hard to make these. Not because the pattern was hard. Just...I didn't want to. At first, I told myself I had plenty of time, and then, I was just procrastinating. I've had the fabric cut and ready for at least a couple of weeks, and today I finally just sat down and made myself do it.

And was it painful? Of course not.

I used this awesome tutorial from The Cottage Mama to make a couple of Three Ring Binder Pencil Bags. I first considered making the Triple Zip Pouch from A Quilter's Table, but I only wanted two zippers per bag, so I was stoked when I found this tutorial.

I did make a couple of changes to my bags. I used batting instead of fusible fleece because I'm a quilter and have batting scraps en masse. (Also, fusible anything and I are on a serious break because we have a tumultuous relationship.) I didn't include the rings because my kids don't have a three ring binder, and by the time they do, I'm guessing they may not want truck pencil bags. I feel like I made some other changes...but maybe not? I can't remember any more.

I didn't snap a picture, but I also made a truck-themed lined drawstring bag to house my middle's snacks--my oldest already has a helicopter one that he used last year. They are both very excited about their new bags, but also to be starting co-op!

This is our fourth week of school, and I'm happy to report that it's going well. And now that I have BTS sewing done, I can get back to working on Lito's big boy quilt and Vanilla's baby quilt guilt-free!

30 Days of Quilt Design 11-15

I have made it to the halfway point, and boy, am I surprised! I didn't think I'd get here, and while I've definitely slowed down in the last week or so, I'm chalking that up to life stuff.

#11 Tabled is a design I actually took from a table--better pic of the table below. I would make up this quilt in browns! Totally surprising everyone, including myself!

Honestly, I'd love to have this very table in my own home, but then again, there is something to having a table that is twice as old as I am and well used--I'm not worried when my kids draw on it in crayon.

#12 Hey Y'all. I saw the below pillow, and I loved it. And now I want a mini quilt that says "hey y'all" to hang by my door.

TOO COOL.

#13 is Rhombus. Not my favorite.

I think #14 Interlocked could go somewhere. My vision is a scrappy low volume background with scrappy tan/sand colored diamonds.

#15 Stained Glass. I have no idea how I would even accomplish this. But the idea is fun. I think I'd want to do it with maybe a metallic silver or gold background--C+S Netorious, maybe?--and some jewel colors.

And that's 11 through 15. Let's see if I can put together fifteen more designs before the end of October! Are you participating? I'm really enjoying looking at the other designs. Such fun!