Strawberry Season

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!  The hubs and I did our date night last night while our wild thing was at a karate party, so we've all just been taking it easy today.  I finished up the quilt for my mother in law, and as a nod to the cute little strawberries in the fabric, I'm calling this one Strawberry Season.  It measures 60" square, and will look great on her sofa.

The pattern in this one is so simple, just a nine patch variation, but really fits the feel of the fabrics.  I used almost all of the prints in the Strawberry Fields line, and because I got a full FQ bundle, there was enough to make this quilt completely reversible.

My MIL and I talked about it, and we both liked the variation of color in the full collection, rather than just choosing a couple of color ways.  For this throw sized quilt, I planned to only order a fat eighth bundle because there are so many prints.  As I was shopping though, I ended up finding a full fat quarter bundle for only $10 more.  At that price, it would have just been silly to only buy fat eighths (that's my story, anyway)!  I ended up using 36 out of the 40 prints in the line, opting to pull out the solid ivory fabric, as well as a few pinks.  Pulling out the pinks kept the quilt from being too soft, which is a good thing since it will be used a living room.

One of my favorite things about this quilt is the sketchy red binding, mostly because of my success with finding just the right red.  The shade of red in this collection is pretty unique.  The color is not very saturated, almost a pink-ish, coral-ish red, which gives it a little bit of a vintage quality.  As it turns out, I had this fabric in my cabinet, and it is just perfect!

I actually finished this one on Friday, but since I posted my February Fabric Deals on Friday, I didn't want to over-post.  By the way, if you missed that post, it has FOUR amazing giveaways (three awesome fabric bundles, and a $100 gift certificate!), so definitely hop over and enter if you haven't already.

Since finishing Strawberry Season, I've been experiencing a little bit of deja vu.  A few weeks ago, when I posted my finished Gemstones quilt on my personal Facebook page, my friend saw it and immediately wanted it for her daughter.  As that quilt was already spoken for, I told her I would make another one with the same pattern and fabrics.  So right now, I'm in the middle of getting that one done with a pillow to match.  And without a doubt, this one WILL have a berry binding!

Strawberry Fields, a Question, and NTT

Hello, all!  I hope you're having a fantastic week.  Since finishing Stems and Stones, I've been working on a quilt for my mother in law using a bundle of Fig Tree's Strawberry Fields Revisited.  She and I spoke last summer about a quilt that would match the more muted tones in her living room, and this collection is just perfect.

The warm red and brown, sage and apple green, and buttery yellow are muted shades, but not sugary sweet pastels.  Even though there is a tiny bit of soft pink, overall the fabrics are more grown up.  Because the prints and colors are smaller in scale and a little more traditional,  I decided on a pattern that I thought fit them best.  Also, since this quilt will be on the sofa and used practically every night, my mother in law specifically asked that the quilt not have a lot of white, which helped with my decision on the pattern as well.  I think it's going to be perfect for the room!

So, my question-  I don't know if there are many happier sights for a quilter than a brand new, giant roll of high quality batting.  I admit, a giant pile of gorgeous of fabric is definitely high on the list, too.  I know that's not really a question, but I'm getting there, I promise.

I love Warm Company batting, and I always buy my batting in queen sized, 40 yard rolls.  The batting is thick and warm, and quilts beautifully.  I am equally fond of Warm and Natural and Warm and White, and I just buy whichever variety I can find at the best price (this time, it happens to be White).  So my question is, have any of you ever used Warm and Plush?  I have seen it, and I'm tempted to try it out, but I have a hard time straying from tried and true.  I've thought about buying a single package to see how I like it, and I may do that, but again- habit just takes over.  If you have tried it, and can offer any opinions, I would love to hear them.

Okay then!  Time to check out a few of the amazing links from last week's party.  Mary from Quilting Through Rose-Colored Trifocals shared TWO gorgeous finishes.  I had such a hard time choosing which one to use in the feature, so I chose the quilt that Mary DIDN'T use for the thumbnail.  You really need to hop over and see both, though!

Ida Rather Be Quilting showed off her beautiful Cartwheels quilt.  Love the pop of color against the dark gray background!

and Oh. My. Goodness.  This Garden Party diamond quilt from Lori at Sewfrench is just stunning!

I am always amazed at the creativity that abounds week after week, but seriously.  Some weeks, it is darn near impossible to narrow the features down to only three.  This was definitely one of those weeks.  So much amazing all in one place; y'all really know how to keep a girl inspired.

So, time to show me what you've got going on this week!  Party on, friends!

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

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

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

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)