Inspired Broken Diamonds Mini

 Name: Inpsired Broken Diamonds Mini

Design:  Inspired by Broken Diamonds by Kati from the Blue Chair

Size: 12" by 12"

Fabric:  Kona Scraps and Kona White scraps

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in white, 

Binding and Backing:  Kona Medium grey binding and backed with IKEA Britten numbers

My guild is swapping mini quilts with the Maritime Modern Quilt Guild.  I had no idea what to make because the swap specified a 12" by 12" mini.  I usually make BIG quilts so a mini this tiny was a bit of a stretch.  A few of my quilts are part of a guild trunk show at the moment including this one, Inspired Broken Diamonds.    I made Inspired Broken Diamonds after seeing Kati's quilt, Broken Diamonds.  She did not have a pattern for the quilt at that time so I just went for it and came up with my own.  Kati has since published a pattern called Wonky Cabins and provides instructions on how to make the broken diamonds blocks in the pattern.  Seeing my quilt in the trunk show was one of those light bulb moments. Hello, people.  Let's mini size it!  It seemed like a good idea.  The little diamonds are make by foundation piecing string blocks.  You need 2 identical quarter string blocks for half of the diamond and another 2 identical but different quarter string blocks for the other half.  That way no two diamonds are the same.  Kind of cool.  The smallest diamond in this 12" by 12" mini is finished at 1.5" and the biggest finishes at 3.5".  Just a little fussy.  Let me just say that pulling the paper off such tiny blocks was not fun.  But it looks pretty awesome.  I used scraps of Kona solids, Kona white and used Kona Medium grey for the binding.  The quilting is dense straight line, 1/4" apart with Auriful 50 wt in white.  Just snazzy.  

On the barn wall  and a close up.

Before quilting, on the ironing board and with my trusty stitch ripper for scale.  

And my original biggie sized Inspired Broken Diamonds from February 2013. Just a little bigger at 64" by 74".

Fabric Finds at Sew Sisters and free shipping today and tomorrow

I was really excited to see the new Anna Maria Horner collection, Skipping Stones,  at Sew Sisters.  I have long been an AMH fan but I am used to the incredibly saturated intense colours and vibrant prints but here she has taken her trademark prints and re-imaged them in neutrals.  Oh my goodness and are they ever lovely and so on trend with all this low volume love.  I picked out a selection and am just in total "oo ahh".  Here is a bit of a closer look at a few of the prints...

And in case you want to rush to your computer and buy some, Sew Sisters has free shipping today and tomorrow and all sorts of other lovely sales this week.

Woodland Baby

    Name:  Woodland Baby

Design:  6" squares

Size:  39" by 44"

Fabric: Hello Bear by Bonnie Christine for Art Gallery, and some stash fabrics

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in white on either side of each block

Well.  This is the first of several baby quilts for our grand baby boy to be.  Most exciting.  Our daughter has decided on a woodland theme and this lovely Art Gallery line called Hello Bear was just the ticket.  I added in some Zen Chic dots and the teepees from the scrap box and we were set to go.  The result is a soft and drapey quilt, just perfect for our wee grand boy.  I quilted 1/4" from either side of the block with my favourite Aurifil 50 wt in white.  The binding is from the Hello Bear line as well, the turquoise arrows.  I fussy cut the animals.  Just so darn cute.

And I hung the quilt for pictures next to the big woods that have not yet woken up from the winter and inside the rose arbor where our daughter and her husband married last May.  Just saying.  Lots of pictures because it was breezy and that was fun.  Have a look.  And if you are still with me at the end, you will see a gratuitous cat shot with Lucy, the quilting cat helping out.  

Time flies and a work in progress

Last weekend I spent Saturday in the company of my peeps from the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt guild.  We got together to put together as many quilt tops as possible for the Syrian refugee families that are coming to our area.  We were very productive.  My featherweight and I made enough St. Louis 16 patch blocks for a good sized quilt and then I started on a second.  Not too bad considering there was also a bit of socializing going on.

I have also been working on a grand baby quilt.  Daughter is going with a woodland theme so I ordered some of the prints from the line Hello Bear by Bonnie Christine for Art Gallery Fabrics.  Very cute.  Lovely drapey fabrics as is the case with Art Gallery.  In order to take advantage of the animals, I cut the squares to 6.5".  It looks pretty cute.  I added in a few other prints including the small grey dot from Zen Chic line, Modern Paper.  That particular dot is a lovely soft grey with a tiny dot pattern. An almost solid.  Love it.  This went together fast and it is sandwiched and ready for quilting today.

Happy Sunday!