New Sew-Along and 4th of July Squirrel

Here is the first "Granny Square" block for the new Crochet Quilt Sew-Along. Fresh Figs is hosting the SAL on Instagram, and it is based on Joanna Figueroa's new Crochet Quilt pattern. The majority of blocks I see on Instagram have gorgeous Fig Tree and Bonnie and Camille fabrics in small-scale prints and pastel shades against a white or black background, but I decided to do a Christmas themed quilt. I always like to be different. ;)

There will be 16 blocks total, and the finished size is 66" x 66". I have a couple of treasured Mary Engelbreit fabrics I am (gasp!) cutting into for this quilt. The background is a soft gray grunge-like fabric. Again, I had to be different.

This is how a black background might look when finished

There are a LOT of pieces in this quilt, and the background alone has 960 1-1/2" pieces!

In other news, I chased a squirrel the other day and cut 2-1/2" squares for a Fourth of July table runner. All our kids and grandkids will be here for the 4th, and I want to have it ready by then. The squares will be "on point", and I had to find a chart to figure out what size to cut the setting and corner triangles. Yes I did get my degree in mathematics, but quilt math is harder than calculus!

I'm joining Busy Hands Quilts in Finished or Not Friday and also Confessions of a Fabric Addict in Can I Get A Whoop Whoop (love that name.) I hope you have a great weekend!

The Coral of the Story - Pantone Quilt Challenge 2019 Flimsy

"The Coral of the Story"

The Pantone color of the year for 2019 is Living Coral, and here is my Pantone Quilt Challenge entry. I decided to call my quilt "The Coral of the Story". I fully intended to finish the quilt for this challenge, but, "life" happened, so I completed the flimsy and am entering the "Just-the-Top" category of the challenge.

Julia Hacker "Lolita" print on left; Pat Bravo "Wonderlust in Bold" on rightt

When I first got wind of this challenge, I went in search of inspiration. I found it on Blink Art in the form of Julia Hacker's print "Lolita". For some reason that print spoke to me! When I searched for fabric with coral, Pat Bravo's "Legendary" collection popped up, and Wonderlust in Bold was a nice representation of "Lolita" in my eyes. So I based my quilt around that fabric.

I went with a nice coral "Lovely" by Sandy Gervais and added other complementary fabrics I loved (see list below). Although it is hard to tell by my photo, there is a border around the main part of the quilt that matches the "stripes" in the pattern, and I will add a binding in the same color. I recently celebrated my 71st birthday, and my very smart husband gifted me with an Etsy gift card which will supply the backing for the quilt, probably a small print in coral and white.

I fell in love with Busy Hands Quilts "Home Awaits" pattern, and it seemed a good choice for featuring the fabrics I loved. The pattern was one of the best written patterns I've used, with excellent tips for pinning and pressing. However, my issue with reading patterns continues, and I mistakenly cut 2.5 inch background pieces instead of the 2.25 inch pieces specified in the pattern. The pattern was very forgiving though, and I was still able to make it look good enough for our guest bedroom!

I will add another blog post after I turn this flimsy into a quilt, but in the meantime here are the quilt details:

The Coral of the Story details:

• Flimsy size: 58" x 72"

Pattern:

• Home Awaits by Busy Hands Quilts

Fabrics:

• Wonderlust in Bold by Pat Bravo
• Lovely by Sandy Gervais for Moda
• Grunge in Teaberry by Basic Grey for Moda
• Autumn Vibes Cozy Ditzy Plum by Maureen Cracknell for AGF
• Garden Dreamer Twinkle Star Berry, Moment in Time Light, and Bumblebeez by Maureen Cracknell for AGF
• Gold solid from stash
• Green solid from stash
• Creamy white solid from stash
• Bloom Floral Scroll and Bloom Floral Scatter by Makower UK
• Meow or Never Watercolor in Robin's Egg by Erin Michael for Moda

This post is linked to the link party hosted by Bryan House Quilts and no hats in the house. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this challenge and plan to do it again next year. Go check out all the beautiful quilts as well as the amazing prizes list from generous sponsors!

I am also linking to Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts; and since this quilt was my OMG for June, I am linking to One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts!

One Monthly Goal for June - Living Coral Pantone Quilt

The deadline for the Pantone quilt challenge is June 14, and my goal this month is to get this baby finished! You can read the details of the challenge in the coral badge in my sidebar.

My pattern is Home Awaits by Busy Hands Quilts, and it is very well written with helpful tips on pressing, pinning, and assembly. It is based on 10 inch strips and 10 inch squares. I am making the large lap-sized quilt.

The challenge is all about Living Coral, and my fabric selection centered around Pat Bravo's Legendary in Bold. It's gorgeous!

After I got most of the pieces cut, I decided to add in a bit of green to the mix. I'm not a huge green person, but I like the addition.

As always, Rosie has the final say in all sewing matters.

I missed the deadline for the link to One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts, but I will still post at the end of the month linkup!