Solstice Challenge Update

Just wanted to make a quick post to show the latest in my blocks for the 182 Solstice Challenge.  Here is the last block that Pat Sloan gave us. It's HUGE! About 36" square, but pretty!

The pattern called for the same fabrics in the center star as the outer points, but I switched it up a bit with the yellow center star. Not sure I like that. I'm actually thinking of removing the four floral squares in the center and replacing it with four white squares. Than I can do some fancy quilting in it. What do you think? Would you leave it, or change it to white so it shows up better?

Then, just for jiggles, I threw up all the blocks I've made so far. One is a duplicate, but I put it there anyway.

Seeing all the blocks up on the board will help make my future fabric choices easier!

Looking forward to the next blocks, but not before we get to spend a little R 'n R in sunny, warm Arizona! I am SO looking forward to that.  Especially after we spent the past two days shoveling more than six feet (yes, that's 6 Feet of solid packed) snow off the decks and around the base of our cabin in the Sawtooth Mountains. SO looking forward to warm!!!

Quilting with a smile,
Barb

Linky Tuesday

Pillow Talk

I had a request for a custom pillow recently. There was special meaning to a particular striped, knit t-shirt, and so he wanted to have me make it up into a pillow to give to his sweetheart. In fact, this was the shirt he was wearing when he proposed. What an endearing act of love to have it sewn into a remembrance pillow!

I couldn't say no, but I was having the hardest time trying to decide how to turn this knit fabric into a structured pillow top.  He wanted it for Valentine's Day, so I dug in to get the job done.

My first roadblock came when I cut out one side of the shirt, and the knit was totally wonky. The strips skewed badly, and no matter of stretching was going to bring it back into alignment. So I ditched that, and tried cutting out the backside. Ah, much better!  But not a lot of fabric to work with.

So, I decided to make an oblong pillow, and add some scrappy patchwork strips. You can't tell real well from the photo, but the patchwork strips are staggered, to give it a little interest. It worked!

Except that I was ever so slightly shy on having enough knit fabric for the last panel (far right).  So, by this point in time, I just clipped off a section from left-over knit fabric, aligned it to match the striping, and stitched it right in.  Whew! You have to look closely to even see it has been patched. Of course, I pointed out this little flaw to the new owner, because that is just my nature. They loved it anyway!

It did my heart good to make this project for these newlyweds. It put a little spark in their Valentine's celebration.

Quilting with a smile,
Barb

Linking up to:

Oh Scrap!
Linky Tuesday

Project Quilting Tuned Into Texture Challenge

Spontaneity is my middle name. And so when I read Kim Lapacek's blog about the challenge for Project Quilting - Tuned Into Texture - I decided right then and there I'd do it!

But where would I find my inspiration 'from the wild'? It's deep winter here, with literally four feet or more of snow on the ground. Not much to see out there.....or is there?

I started by looking out the window of my home in the Wood River Valley in the south-central mountains of Idaho. Little bit of melting going on and a nice ice dam forming. Oh, and then there was a cool rug in our kitchen. Or the blinds create an eerie glow with the light shining in.

 I decided I'd better get my snow boots on and venture outdoors. Heck, it was 5 degrees. No biggie.

I found some neat designs on the snowbank, as the snow had been melting ever so slightly, and it was a little wind blown..

 Then I noticed the tire treads in the driveway from the snowplow and the snow blower. Kinda cool.

And then I really liked the late afternoon shadow that the trees cast across the snow bank.

But it wasn't until the next morning, as I was showering, that I really 'looked' at the window tiles in the shower. They were blue, just like all the winter shots from outdoors. And the light played across the curved bricks in the most delightful way!

That's what I decided to use for inspiration in my new quilt. But how? Think, think, think.  I came up with the idea that simple is better.  I constructed this fun lap quilt - a really easy pattern, but the key to it was the background fabric.  It's an Art Gallery print, with small dots interlaced throughout and then some modernistic stick that remind me of pine trees on one of the outer edges.

The pattern is simplistic, with the blocks representing the shower tiles.  And for the texture of the piece, I used a pantograph that is very fluid and makes the eye move from one section of the quilt to another. 

This was the first time I'd used this panto, and I must say, I'm in love with it! It's a favorite from now on!

I put a soft gray minky backing on, and the texture on that is heavenly!  Don't you just want to run your hands across it?

So. There you have it! My first completion for Project Quilting. It was a good challenge to go from conception to completion in one week. Very fun!  This quilt is a good lap size at 50 x 59 inches.

Quilting with a smile,
Barb
Linking up with:
Linky Tuesday
Project Quilting
Show Off Saturday
Fabric Frenzy Friday
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? 
Finished Or Not Friday
Midweek Makers 
Needle and Thread Thursday