this and that

My sewing mojo has been in full swing lately and I've been working on various projects at what sometimes feels like an almost manic pace - not enough hours in the day or days in the week when you account for working, cooking, and sleeping... if only I could just keep sewing!

I've finished blocks 51-58 of my libertyhexystar quilt.  

It's been so interesting working on this quilt with the rules that I've made for it -  each fabric will be used only once, and I really want to use EVERY fabric that I receive in my monthly bundle, which results in some blocks that are not completely my taste (I'm looking at you, bottom right!) but when I've done a test run to lay them all out I love the combined effect. 

I've also been working on a swap with my sister - she made me a pouch with cats on it, and I made her an hour basket with some economy blocks that she had loved in a baby quilt I made last year.  

I had never made an hour basket so I did a test run first

And then I made hers -- I mailed it yesterday and loved it so much I wish I had made two!  

Liberty Hexy Stars

Sometime last fall, I decided to start buying Liberty fabric.  I had the chance to actually see and feel some in person over the summer... and it really WAS everything that people rave about.  But because I have a *bit* of a hoarding problem, and because it's really hard for me to cut into my "special" fabrics, I didn't want to buy any until I had a plan to use it.

I knew it needed to be English Paper Pieced.  The fabric is soooo soft and silky, it screams for hand piecing. And I wanted to branch out from hexagons...So I googled, and I pondered, and I agonized.  And then I came across this quilt.  

A quick order from paperpieces.com and I had a template and hundreds of paper diamonds.  I joined a Liberty fabric club so I'd get 10 pieces of Liberty each month - a surprise to see and cut and pair together. An ever-evolving supply of options that would keep it interesting.  I know myself, and my attention span... almost every quilt I have ever started with a specific plan has not been finished.  I can't choose fabrics in advance - a general idea, yes.  But an actual plan with all the fabrics picked and cut?  I never finish them.  I mean, I plan to.  Someday.  Really.  

I've worked on this here and there... slowly piecing together my hexy-stars.  And now, suddenly, I have 50 completed blocks.  Using 100 different Liberty prints.  And I can see the finished project taking shape, and I am in love.

  

because 4 EPP projects isn't enough...

Years ago, I bought one fabric that started an idea, a long-term plan for a future quilt... and I've been collecting fabrics slowly, keeping them all to one bin as I waited for enough variety of fabrics.

  

And then I had enough fabrics for a start, but no pattern that fit.  But then I saw the Smitten quilt by Lucy Kingwell.  And THEN I saw that there was a paper piecing pack available... so now my templates are cut and I'm ready to start fussy-cutting.  

And because every project deserves a good home, I picked up this adorable little lunchbox to store my beginnings and remind me of our recent trip to Door County

Where we also saw some surprise Alpacas at a craft fair :)