I am almost finished with the quilting on the Eclipse quilt. I made it just like the pattern picture, and I don’t know whether I should be proud or embarrassed. I know I can design and color my own quilt ideas and make them “real”. Sometimes it’s fun to just make it like the designer did. No second guessing color choices or yardage estimates – is that the fun part? I have been enjoying seeing pictures of the quilts from Quiltcon 2025 popping up all over. I am impressed by the construction techniques as well as the designs. Many of the quilts I like are heavily quilted, lots of small grids. I appreciate the subtle color changes that occur when layers of thread interact with solid color fabric. It’s not just a texture thing anymore, but it acts as shading. I however don’t think I would have the patience to sew a ½ inch grid for more than ten minutes.

I finally sewed the nine blocks of my Simple days quilt top together. I added a tarragon green border to contain all the scrappy goodness. I want to do some ruler work quilting on this top, so as not to detract from the embroidered sections. I have a backing ready for it too. I had played with the idea of making it into a larger quilt with the newest round of Elefantz free sewing themed blocks. I soon realized that I have too many other things going to be finished, and that this top would go back to being an UFO. It is a good wall hanging size at about 46″ square.

The fabric I ordered for the Celestial quilt came, but the background color, Bella Pewter, is way too dark. I was trying to match the wall paint color, Spanish Olive, of the room where the quilt will be hung. Initially I looked at the color on the Benjamin Moore paint site and it is a lot darker there than the actual paint chip I picked up at the local paint store. I ended up reordering the background fabric in Bella Flax, which has the greenish gray undertones, like the paint. I may get started cutting pieces for this quilt today, the BG fabric should get here later today.

I finished up the scrappy Season Study quilt top too. I went with the green inner border and the printed borders left over from the larger quilt. I still have scraps left, probably enough to make a small throw, but on to other things. Like the Gingiber Woodland friends top, it went together quickly due to large pieces and my favorite “4 at a time” flying geese making method. This one is next up on the frame. I am thinking of making the other panel into the quilt I saw with four of the larger prints surrounded by simple borders. Maybe I’ll change it up to scrappy borders though. I have a lot of the fat quarter stack I ordered for this quilt left over.

My cross stitch Manor is still growing. I made a few adjustments to the pattern, as I sew, I find somethings that work and some that don’t. I am particularly proud of the widows walk rail on the roof top. I still need to find a dark color to use inside the windows, the shutters are a color called Mascara. I need a really dark green or maybe blue, like midnight. I need to go to Michaels this week, so maybe I can look at the DMC display. I have a color card for it, but the colors are much better in person.

Be Kind.