bright like a diamond

My first quilt of 2025 was this one. I started it on New Year's Eve and finished it a few days later. Just strips cut to create diamonds that radiated color. I love how it turned it out.

My fabric pull.

I cut a piece of card stock so I could lay the strips against it -- to both not waste fabric unnecessarily and also to make sure the angle was right.

I used my 8.5 inch ruler to trim each block 

I kept the white strips in the middle and on the edges to get the layout I was looking for.

Declan holding up my progress, but holding it the wrong way. lol. 

And done!! 4 blocks wide, 5 blocks tall, each block at 8.5 inches.

I love all the rich color. I know it;s not for everybody, but it makes me smile.

All said and done, I will be making this design again. Maybe smaller block sizes next time, but I love the diamonds!

a quilty winter

 If you've been here for a bit, it is probably obvious that lately, my quilting spurts come in waves. And since the fall, I have been on a pretty productive quilting wave. Knowing my tendency to fizzle out, I have been trying to protect my hobby space. So far, so good.

Which has led to quite a few quilts.

Back in 2020, I purchased a jelly roll from Jolene of the wonderful quilting blog Blue Elephant Stitches She had made jelly rolls cut from her stash and I snatched one up. I cut the strips up for an idea, but right after they arrived, we realized after 9 short months in Oklahoma, we were moving to Florida. So I packed up my sewing room, and into a ziploc bag these strips went. 

I found a bin a few months ago with a lot of forgotten fabric and projects, including this bag of strips. I could not remember what the plan was. But I have been on a "better something than nothing" kick lately, so I started sewing them together, 5 strips at a time, finishing at 10.5 inches square, alternating horizontal and vertical. I entertained a few ideas to add more design oomph to the quilt. First,  I thought I'd add wonky diamonds at the corners of each block, laid out cut triangles and placed them on the edges of the blocks, but didn't like it. (nor did my husband, and he doesn't typically voice his opinion when it comes to quilt ideas.) Then I considered applique and put a test flower on top, but didn't love that either. So I settled on leaving it alone and letting it just be a strip low-volume quilt that was lovely without extra.

And voila. It did not linger in my etsy shop long.

Then I made this quilt above out of 3.5 inch squares. Soft pink and blue against white and cream is my ALL TIME FAVORITE COLOR PALETTE EVER. There is nothing unique or wow about this quilt, but I think sometimes the softness and the soothing color palette can be the wow. I love how it turned out. 

I love it because I included some of my favorite prints. The stars, the milk cartons, the VW buses. SO MANY ADORABLE PRINTS!!!

I have used this Bonnie Christine Art Gallery Fabrics print for a quilt backing before and it is always dreamy. Like the softest whisper of water color florals in fabric form. Sigh. I love this one.

This was another quilt from the unfinished bin. I started this in 2020, before we moved to Oklahoma, when we were in between homes in our camper. haha!!  5 kids, a dog, a cat -- and I still brought my sewing machine and a bin of fabric and tools into the camper to create during the in between. My family are all saints to deal with me.

I only got two rows in before I put it aside. Each block finished at 6 inches. -- made of 2.5 inch squares in the middle, bordered by a 2.5 inch by 6.5 inch strip on both sides. I wanted to use a variety of yellows, with splashes of blue. 

I pulled it back out a couple weeks ago and finished this one up. The stripey bindings will always be my favorite. Some of the fabrics I used are ones I have had forever -- like 2010!!! Including what I used on the back.

I initially had a backing in mind for this one, but it was very warm, golden yellow, and it didn't seem to go very well. So I pieced a backing, something I don't do as much as I used to, and ended up loving the back. Probably because I finally used my hoarded Nicey Jane fabric, and a hoarded AMH fabric.

And this one. This is the quilt that started my return to quilting in the fall. Whenever I am in a rut, I make a quilt in this layout that I have a bunch of times. Like here, here, and here. Columns of big patchwork, with some other blocks mixed in. It's both the ease and the fun in playing with different blocks and colors that always renew my quilting love. 

It ended up so crinkly and sweet, and is in my shop here.

pop star

Hi! Today's post is all about bright and happy color!! Think Lisa Frank, jelly shoes, and mixed tapes. If you don't have a memory of those, then just google life back in the olden days. haha. 

But truly, when I started on these star blocks in November, I wanted something bright and happy that reminded me of sweeter times. So I pulled all my Ruby Star Society prints that fit the bill and started making. 

I knew I wanted to do sawtooth, but wanted to make some sawtooth stars with a fun center piece. At first, my plan was to turn these into pouches. But I was having so much fun making them, that before long, I had 18 stars! So I asked instagram if they should be pouches or a quilt and the insta peeps said quilt, so a quilt they became!

At first, I decided to border each star block with bright fabrics on all sides.

I did that for half of them, but when I put them on my design wall, I felt the color became the focus, and the stars were getting lost in all the vibrant color. So I got my seam ripper and grumbled my way through seam ripping block by block. Boy, did I grumble.

I decided to leave a color print border on 2 sides, and have the other 2 sides be low volume, and alternated  the colors were top and bottom on one, and the next block, they would be left and right.

When I put them back on the design wall, I felt better about it, and started sewing them together.

This is one of those quilts where I think the binding is the best exclamation point. This quilt actually reminded me to put more thought into binding, because, boy, does a good one have an impact.

This quilt features some of my favorites!! Bananas, ice cream cones, milk cartons, typewriters, the beautiful red print flecked with gold, and my ALL TIME FAVORITE LOW VOLUME-- the Birthday fabric multi-colored dots. I WISH I HAD BOUGHT A BOLT. I am down to less than a 1/4 yard, and I will cry when it is gone. If the good ladies of Ruby Star Society ever come across this--- please please please reprint this amazing fabric. 

While the quilt is mostly Ruby Star Society, there are others thrown in. Lile those Heather Ross surfer girls!!

I really loved making this quilt and kinda wish I made 100 star blocks so I could create several quilts. The colors and fabrics just make me smile. 

a heart quilt

My first valentinesy quilt!!! I drew out my design and started cutting and it came together pretty quickly.

If I was going to do this one again, I would do smaller squares. In fact, I have done the math, and want to make this again in 2.5 inch squares. And maybe add an angled border?? I am not sure, but I would make this one again for sure!! 

I love a quilt that has a great background, and one that the fabrics and color play shine. I added it to my shop, but it has since been purchased.