Instagram and a New Finish

I feel like I've gone over to the dark side.  Okay, so I'm being a little bit dramatic, but yesterday I went to my monthly guild meeting, where we had a presentation on how to use Instagram, and I was totally strong-armed into setting up an account.  Again, I'm totally being dramatic, but the fact that I am so entrenched in social media and the modern quilting world, and had not yet taken the plunge into Instagram has been the topic of some good natured teasing lately.

So it's done, and I'm glad I finally jumped into it.  I resisted for so long because I didn't want to over-commit myself to yet another social media platform, and because I love blogging so much that I didn't want this side of things to suffer.  By all accounts though, Instagram is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and super easy to use, so you can find me there at myquiltinfatuation!

This weekend, I finished up my latest quilt, and incidentally, my next pattern (in the works).  The diamond shape, with the negative space reminds me of a faceted diamond ring, so this pattern is called Girl's Best Friend.  I made a quilt in this pattern a couple of years ago, but I never wrote the pattern.  I have made some modifications to it since that first incarnation, and I like this one much better.

I really love the colors in this quilt, and I'm not one to use a ton of brown in my quilts.  This Joel Dewberry Aviary fabric is just yummy though. The palette feels very calm and warm to me.  The fabrics were specifically chosen to match a friend's bedroom, and I can't wait to give it to her.

I bought half yard cuts specifically so that I would have a quarter yard leftover of each print for the back.  I like how the front feels very airy with all of the white, while the backing is an explosion of print.

The chocolate brown pebble print fabric on the binding ties the whole thing together so well.

I had just enough small scraps leftover to make a couple of throw pillows for her bed to match the quilt.  They are backed in the same Tiffany blue damask, and have the same brown pebble binding.  Each pillow is 16 inches.

I'm so excited to take these to school tomorrow and give them to her, and I hope she loves all of them!

Two Four Six

Oh, ABC Family Harry Potter Weekend, I simply cannot resist you.  It does not matter that I own all of the movies and could easily watch them whenever I want sans-commercials.  I inevitably get sucked in every single time and revel in Harry Potter love while I get lots of sewing done.

This weekend, my Harry Potter obsession afforded me the time to put this quilt top together for my wild thing's teacher as an end of year gift.  I make a quilt every year for his teacher, and give them the choice of color palette (or if they prefer, a Christmas quilt).  The colors in this quilt will match her decor.

I think the blue/brown color combo is pretty traditional, but it leans toward a modern feel.  It definitely doesn't feel rustic to me.  As such, this quilt needed a simpler, more modern pattern.  I decided to pair up the blues and browns and sew the blocks together with 2.5 inch strips running through them.  Rather than center the strips, I decided to offset them to make it a little more interesting.  The finished parts of the square are 4 inches and 6 inches on each side of the strip, hence the name- Two Four Six (the block finishes at 12 inches).  It was quick and easy, and I like it's simplicity!

Heaven and Earth

I thought that Heaven and Earth was the perfect name for a quilt with soft, sky blue and rich, warm brown.  This is truly one of the fastest quilts I've ever made, and if you're in need of a quick finish, you've got to try a wonky cross pattern.  Easy cutting and easy sewing.  What more could you ask for?  I cut the fabric on Saturday morning and sewed on the binding last night.  It's so.  FAST. 

I cut my squares at 11 inches, and my strips 2-3 inches wide, so my finished blocks are 12 inches, giving me a perfect throw size.

*excuse the dead flower in the background.  I didn't even notice it until just now!  ;)

I worried that so much brown would look heavy, but I think the wonky cross pattern keeps it looking pretty hip and not stuffy, and the pale blue lightens it up too.

I quilted it with brown thread, and used a Kona Chocolate binding.  There is so much busy pattern, (especially on the back), that I thought it needed a solid somewhere.  Of course all that pattern didn't stop me from using the scraps in the backing!

I've added that little off centered stripe of scraps to lots of my quilts lately and I really think it makes the back more interesting.  Part of me thinks I should try something different, and part of me is like- eh, what the heck!  It uses up my scraps and I like it, so I'll keep doing it.  I guess maybe one day I'll venture out and do something new on the backing...but just not today.

As I mentioned in my last post, this quilt is a gift, and the color palette matches the decor of the recipient.  I hope she thinks it's just heavenly (sorry, I couldn't help it)!

A Quick Wonky Cross

I have a little bit of a confession to make.  I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and every single time there's a movie marathon on TV, I get sucked in like a moth to a flame.  Of course I own all of the movies, but for some reason, I can't resist when they're on TV.   Watching HP with my wild thing and sewing up this quilt top- can a Saturday get any better?

I've made three big quilts in the last six weeks (plus a couple of other smaller ones).  A Dash of Luck was 72x90, Serendipity was 84x96, and Springtime Blooms was a whopping 80x100.  So, I was really ready to work on a smaller quilt.  This was a really fun and easy quilt to put together, and the cutting was simple as well which is always a bonus.  I was able to cut and piece the entire quilt top just today!

This quilt will be a gift, and the colors coordinate with the recipient's living room decor, so I can't wait to get this one quilted up and ready to give!