Happy Go Lucky Baby Quilt

Lately, I've been working on a little baby quilt made with Bonnie and Camille's Happy Go Lucky fabrics.

You may remember A Dash of Luck, my giant churn dash quilt made from this line.  Well, from a full fat quarter bundle, I was left with one 7.5(ish) inch square of each of the prints.  I've been hanging onto them, trying to figure out the best pattern to stretch them into a quilt of decent size.

I finally decided to keep it very simple and cut the squares in half, sew them into rows of "bricks," and sash them with Kona Coal.  Even still, I had to throw in some solid navy, white, and some cute orange and green polkadot fabrics to make the quilt big enough.  It will finish at about 45x52 inches.  When the quilt is turned the other way, it kind of looks like a coin quilt, although the bricks are 3 inches, which is a bit wide for "coins."

I'm not really sure what the plan is for this one yet.  I've been thinking that I want to start donating to the large children's hospital here to use for preemies, and our guild has some plans for that.  But I don't know any of the size requirements for those kinds of donations.  So once it's finished,I'll probably just hang onto this one until I find out!

NTT and A Dash of Luck Finished!

Welcome to another Thursday, friends!  I'm so happy I get to share my finished churn dash with you today.  This quilt feels so retro and homey to me.  So, I thought my antique Pyrex bowls from my grandmother would look just perfect on top of it.  The soft blue of the Amish Butterprint pattern looks right at home, don't you think?

I am absolutely in love with this fabric line, which is why I've held onto it since May.  I know all of you quilters know what I'm talking about.   I don't think I'm the only one that has special fabric that just can't be cut until you find the absolute perfect project...am I?  Well, it dawned on me that as much as I love modern quilts, this fabric needed something a little more traditional to show it off.

The churn dash pattern is exactly what I had in mind, even if it did mean 320 HST's.  Nope, that's not a typo y'all.  320 HST's for 80 blocks.  This quilt is 72x90.  I don't know what has come over me lately with these huge quilts, but I'm ready for a smaller project.  

For the backing and binding, I found these awesome Denyse Schmidt fabrics at Joann's and they look like they could be coordinating prints in this line.  I was on the lookout for a great shade of orange, and I love it when a plan comes together.   The colors are great, and the fabric almost has a gingham look, so it fits with the retro style as well!  And of course I used lots of the scraps to give the backing a little extra happiness.  

Here's a close up of the fabric detail, along with the label.  And you know me, if there's a polkadot to be found, I will use it.  So, I snatched that binding fabric right up!

Last week's party was fantastic, with 50 links for the first time ever!  I'm so thrilled that NTT is such a fun party, and I owe it to all of you!   So from my heart, I thank you!  Now, take a look at just a few of those fantastic projects from last week!

**As a courtesy to these bloggers, if you want to pin the images I'm featuring, please use the links and pin from the original source.  Thanks a bunch!

Paula, The Sassy Quilter shared her Star Surround quilt top.  I love the sunny colors in this one!

Christa Quilts shared her finished String of Pearls quilt.  Christa's quilting is just amazing!

and Candace at Saltwater Quilts shared her progress on this cute chevron table runner.  All of these gorgeous fabrics in one place!

Now it's your turn!  What's going on in your sewing space this week?  I would love to see what you have to share!

Just remember the party rules, y'all!  :)

1.  You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post to make it easier for others.

3. Spread the word and post my button or a text link.  Please find my new button on my sidebar!

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

Churn Dashing and Football

Have you ever loved something, and had it make you crazy all at the same time?  Well friends, welcome to college football season, and for me, that one thing is LSU football.  I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, most of my family still lives there, and I graduated from LSU.  So I'm a die-hard fan of all things purple and gold.  But goodness gracious- watching them play football just makes me a little bit crazy.

ps- for all of you fans of other teams, or those of you who don't care for football at all, I promise not to fill my posts with LSU references throughout the entire season, but for the very first game, I couldn't help myself.  ;)

It is so helpful for me to have something to busy myself with, so that I stay sane and don't bite my fingernails down to the quicks during the tight spots in games- which for us tends to be a lot.  So last night,  I was so grateful to have my churn dash blocks to keep myself busy.  I managed to get all of them finished and pressed, and today I laid them out and put them together.

I'm so glad I went with a classic quilt block with the Happy Go Lucky fabrics.  They have such a retro vibe and I think they work really well with this pattern.  

Later today, I'll be on the hunt for backing and binding and I'm hoping I can find the perfect shade of orange for the backing.  I already have plenty of Kona Navy that will work well for the binding (unless of course, I find a really awesome fabric that I like better).  I can't wait to get this one quilted and finished!

I'll leave you with a photo that I took last year of my beloved Death Valley, and I'll promise that it will be the only one this season.  :)

Happy football season, y'all!