Show and Tell

 

 Well, I guess if I've been absent from the blogosphere for 2 weeks, I'd better have some quilty things to share!  Unless you'd prefer to see pictures of my unfolded laundry or dishes to wash -- I have plenty of those on hand as well!  I spent the last two weeks feeling three steps behind on everything, so this weekend, I gave myself permission to "play" in the sewing room!

 

This summer, I enjoyed joining in on the Great Granny Quilt Along (see button on sidebar for a link to the Flickr group).  Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet posted this great tutorial on how to make these 12 inch crochet-inspired blocks.  Granny Squares were one of my favorite things to make when I crocheted (before I discovered quilting!) so I was excited to try this pattern as a way to use up some Tula Pink Parisville scraps.  At first, I was only going to make a block or two a day, but I quickly became obsessed with them!  It's hard to stop making them, because each one comes out so unique, and you can't wait to see what they'll look like!

I finished quilting and binding the Parisville Granny Square quilt last week, and was inspired to play around with more Granny Squares.  First, I pulled out some Bliss scraps (trying to cure myself of the hoarding -- see this post!).  I'm really loving the way they are turning out!

I have 12 squares done so far, and 8 more partially done --- I'm torn betwen making a lap size quilt like the Parisville one (20 blocks) or making a full size one!  I'll finish the 8 partial blocks before I decide!  It has been a great way to use up some of the bags of white solid scraps I have leftover from so many Etsy projects.

 

While I was making the Bliss blocks, I started thinking about how a different background color would look.  I love using grey solids, so I pulled out some Amy Butler Soul Blossoms fabric and tried that combo. I just love the way the grey background looks with all the saturated color prints.  I incorporated some solids in these blocks as well to break up the wild fabrics.  I managed to finish 12 of these blocks, and although I'd love to make more, I'm thinking of  laying them out in four rows of three and adding a border.

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I also quilted a top that had been set aside for three years -- I sort of fell out of love with it and therefore wasn't inclined to complete it.  However, once it was quilted, I was very happy with how it turned out.  This one is headed to school for a raffle.

I've got a new batch of custom orders, including more Backyard Baby -- quilted, and ready to be bound tomorrow night!

And in-between custom orders this week, I plan to start working on some of the smaller quilt tops that I finished this summer.  I really need to start working through the pile, and the small ones are usually fairly quick to complete! This little Modern Meadow triangles quilt is loaded and ready for quilting tomorrow after school.

These smaller quilt projects should all be great topics for more frequent blog posting!