Hopeful Homemaker

Today’s quilt is a second, more colorful version of my Listen Quilt .  If my first Listen quilt was all about silencing other things to focus, then this one is like listening to all the ideas bouncing around in my head.  Lots going on!  I’m calling this my Candy Shop Listen quilt because it also reminds me of looking in the window of a candy shop.

The construction of this quilt is almost the same as the original design.  However, I included some special instructions for the colorful version in the pattern anyway.  Mine features Anna Maria Horner’s vivacious lawns as the centers of the stars.  Art Gallery solids comprise all the background colors behind the stars.

The whole design was inspired by one of my favorite fabrics right now:  the regimental ties print, part of the Kaffe Collective.  I love the variety that came from cutting a busy print and using it as the trellis design, though I did pay careful attention to stripe direction as I sewed.

I departed from Art Gallery solids with the royal blue in the border.  It was just the right color, and I had it on hand.  It’s the same Amelia Blue that I used in my Lucky Lone Star quilt.  That color is a long-time favorite.

I backed my Candy Shop Listen quilt in a gorgeous Heather Bailey print.  It’s from an old collection, True Kisses, and I love the bubble gum pink in this print.  It plays beautifully with all the bright colors in the quilt top.

Melissa Kelley quilted this in one of her edge to edge designs.  I bound it in the same aqua I used in the outer border.

So there you have it:  my Candy Shop Listen quilt.  I always strive to reimagine quilt patterns in new ways.  Changing the fabric colors or prints is a simple, but effective way to do it.

Of all my patterns, Listen might be one of the most fun to make, since it comes together in a surprising way.

In May I shared the first four blocks for a new version of my Prosper quilt .  After a too-long sewing break I finished the rest, so today I’ve got more Prosper quilt blocks to share.  As with the first four, I LOVE the saturation of the nocturnal blue, and the incredible contrast it offers to the juicy florals.  These blocks are FUN.

Originally I planned to finish this quilt top immediately.  It turns out, the joke’s on me!  Instead of finishing in a week, I put everything away in preparation for houseguests, and never had time to get it back out.  Recently I carved out time to finish, and it felt great to be sewing.

I ran out of Sanderson prints to include, and started digging through some Kaffe florals.  In the end, all but one block contain at least one Sanderson print.  So I wandered pretty far from the original idea but I think they all play together well.

As I’ve said before, this quilt is fun to make.  Each block is large and dramatic, so it feels exciting to finish even one.  In the blocks above and below I mixed in some Dutch Heritage to keep things interesting.  That teal floral below is my favorite print of the collection – wish I’d bought more of it!

After making more prosper blocks, I waffled considerably regarding fabric choices for the final block.  In the end, I decided to go bold, and made a block that is less like the others.  When I sew the quilt top together, though, I think it will blend in well enough.  Mostly I struggled to find a color combination I hadn’t already used too much.  So I stepped outside the lines a little, but now they’re all finished!

Life at my house is full of exciting things right now, all of which require a lot of effort.  And that’s just fine.  But my plate is awfully full, so I’m not making any promises on how soon these blocks will become a quilt top.  Sooner or later, I’m excited to see them together!  It’s wonderful to be reminded how delightful the Prosper pattern is to make.

Happy Sewing!
-Jennifer

A few months ago I taught some classes at the Sew Simply Stitched quilting retreat.  I loved it, and I also loved taking a couple of classes there.  One of them was for a vintage quilt block I’ve always liked, the Bride’s bouquet.  I figured it might be fun to get some extra tips and tricks, if possible, and finally start one of those “someday” quilt patterns.  Here’s my first bouquet quilt block:

This block is a 12″ square and the pieces were large enough that I decided to try fussy cutting the diamonds.  Enter this fabulous fabric, designed by Odile Bailloeul, a French designer for Free Spirit Fabrics.  So many cool design elements to choose from in this one!

I opted for the bird and fussy cut six of them.

If you’re unfamiliar with fussy cutting, it’s a process where the same design element is cut out repeatedly from a fabric without concern for efficient fabric use.  It leaves what’s humorously called “quilter’s lace”, or holes in your quilting fabric when you’re done.

I use fussy quilting frequently in my quilting.  With so many incredible fabric designers in the industry, my opportunity to fussy cut incredible fabrics increases constantly!  I fussy cut the fabrics in my Arise quilts ( here and here ).  Both versions of my Listen quilts ( here and here) also contain fussy cutting.  This let me put all the faces, florals, and other design elements exactly where I wanted them.  I figure this fabric has so many awesome designs in it, I’ll have no problem using it for other fussy cut quilt blocks.

Bride’s bouquet is a gorgeous quilt block requiring one important skill:  y-seams.  Thankfully, my years of using y-seams in lone star quilts made this approachable instead of daunting.  It takes time but is rewarding.  Now I’m on the hunt for another great fabric to fussy cut in my second block.  Any suggestions?

I hope you’re doing something creative today!