Summer

I considered so many different names for this quilt, but in the end I realized that the best one was simply "Summer."

The colors and prints that made their way into this piece remind me so much of the lazy summer days we spend here in Southern California on the edge of the desert. Blazing hot afternoons that fade into quiet evenings on the back patio. Long walks at local botanical gardens where my girls play hide and seek between the fruit trees. Our annual road trip to Arizona for a week with my husband's parents where we swim and hike and look for bunnies among the cactus each night before bed. These are the moments, I tell myself often, that I'm going to want to remember someday.

Fabrics by Heather Ross are the star here, but there are also a variety of other prints from my stash included. I tried not to stray far from a color palette of pale blue, orange, yellow, brown, grey, and white. The chocolate brown print by Lotta Jansdotter that I chose for the binding makes a nice frame around it all.

While I enjoy designing a quilt, I'm not always as big a fan of the quilting. Remembering how long it took me to make all those straight lines on my first Heather Ross quilt, I felt a little tired when I sat down to work on this piece. Then I decided, why not have fun with this one? So I did straight lines, wavy lines, echo quilting, free motion boxes, and even played around with several specialty stitches on my machine. Is it perfect? Nope. But I can tell you that this was by far the most enjoyable afternoon of quilting I've ever spent.

I finished the quilt this afternoon, the same day that my husband wrapped up another year of teaching and came home to start two months of summer vacation with me and the girls. And I intend to enjoy every minute of it.

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday.

Focus

I'm in love with this little quilt.

Polaroid blocks take a bit of work to get the fussy cutting just right, but the end result is worth it. My husband is the one who suggested turning the berry block askew while leaving the others in straight rows, and I love the way it looks. I kept the quilting simple -- just two intersecting lines of hand stitching in red thread. With the picture theme in mind, I'm calling this quilt "Focus."

I wanted all of the prints to be Lizzy House except for the Kona solids in white and coal, so I used some leftover pieces from Hello Pilgrim and Outfoxed for the back along with one of the blocks. I enjoy using her pearl bracelet prints for quilt binding; they really make an interesting frame. Though I hadn't originally intended it, the red and green in the quilting and binding perfectly match the colors in my featured berry block.

Lizzy House's designs hold a special place in my heart. They were some of the first designer fabric I ever bought. I knew when I first saw them that my children would love them, and I couldn't help loving them too. While I've used most of her fabric to make items for my daughters, this quilt is for me. I have it hanging next to my desk where I'm going to enjoy looking at it every day. It's a great reminder to me to focus on the small but important things in my life, and to remember why they matter.

Linking up to Fabric Tuesday, WIP Wednesday, and the Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link Up.

Super Spy

The I-Spy quilt that I've been working on for my girls is finally done, and not a moment too soon. They've been waiting to pounce on it ever since I pulled out the charm squares from my Ellison Lane Quilts swap. I went through at least a dozen ideas for this quilt, but in the end, I decided that simple was best. "After all," my husband said, "it's all about the game, right?" The grid of modern fabric squares is separated by strips of my beloved grey -- is there anything that does not look great with this color? -- and bound by Lizzy House's Pearl Bracelet in red and white.

On the back I put a print which I absolutely adore, Michael Miller's Retro Escapees in aqua. I've been saving this one for a kid's quilt, and this was perfect. It's almost like having another I-Spy game on the back. I love the way the light shining through the quilt makes the back look like it's all lit up with Christmas lights.

This is going to be a well loved quilt, I can tell already. All I had to do was toss it on the floor and say, "Alright, girls . . . it's all yours." And yes, all three of them did actually pounce.

Linking up to Sew Modern Monday, Manic Monday & Fabric Tuesday!

Progress

Thanks so much to all of you who left such kind comments about my scrappy mini quilt over the weekend.  I've learned that I'm not the only one who uses sewing as an alternate route to sanity. I'm so thankful for this amazing community of quilters we have online. What a blessing!

Last Thursday I received a lovely package in the mail: my treasure trove from the Ellison Lane Quilts I-Spy Charm Swap. I spent a few minutes late last night playing around with ideas for the quilt I want to make for my daughters. I'm really looking forward to putting this one together.

I'm also still churning out a few more Hello Luscious pinwheel table toppers for the upcoming ladies' tea at our house. Still loving this fabric too.

Most of my weekend was spent working on my mini quilt for the Modern Mini Challenge. All I have left to do is hand stitch the binding to the back, and it will finally be finished. I can't wait to show it to you, but I know I have to wait until next Monday. In any case, it feels good to be starting a week with something to show for the weekend.

Linking up to Sew Modern Monday, Manic Monday & Fabric Tuesday!