A Special Baby Quilt and more!

This weekend I get to work on a special quilt for a new arrival in our family. Our newest granddaughter is due to be born any time now. It is an exciting time for all! 

Now, in all fairness, I had the top for this quilt assembled for months. The inspiration? Well, you know those random mailings for quilt magazines that will include free patterns? This quilt comes from one of those patterns. It was so easy to customize to the fabrics I had picked. Very rarely will I not make a scrappy quilt, and this was no exception.

I had laid this top out multiple times before this morning. It was not until this morning that I noticed a rather obvious mistake - technically two mistakes!

For the green block and one directly above it, I assembled backwards likely due to hurrying in an abundance of over confidence. Do you ever do that? Get comfortable with what you are doing which forms a confidence that leaves you not double checking your work? This left me with deciding to break out Jack or leave it be. I asked my daughter her opinion, and she suggested leaving it be as she hadn't noticed until I pointed it out. This was not the first time she has seen the top. It continued to bother me, so I decided to rip it apart after getting some things taken care of in the garden.

After an afternoon in the sweltering heat, here is the final haul from the garden this round.

Over 2 gallons of beans, half a gallon of peas, plenty of lettuce, first cucumber, and wonderful zucchini - so much more as this is still the beginning.

Also after an afternoon in the sweltering heat, I came to my senses. Those blocks are staying put. It keeps the quilt unique. Anyone who is bothered by it, well, it's their problem. No quilt police here! On to getting it sandwiched, quilted, and bound hopefully before baby arrives. 

Oh! This is what my morning started with:

Cutting fabric for masks. Thirty-two masks to be exact. Some are for a couple people near and dear. Considering we do not know what this coming school year will bring, and the county next to us has already implemented mandatory masks, I am planning ahead for my family. We have been using disposable masks because we already had them. It was time to change that to something a bit more sustainable.

I will be taking on a project for work. Our infant/toddler playground needs more shade. Watch for my blog post on that adventure!

For now, keep quilting, creating, and living!

Fawn

***Edit***
I do believe in giving full credit to designers for their work. My studio has been a mess lately as we have also been purging the rest of the house. It became a resting place for "items that need deciding on later". The pattern was temporarily lost in that mix. Having located it this morning, I can give credit and show you a photo of the mailing I received with the pattern.

This pattern was created by mother/daughter designers Bonnie Olaveson of Cotton Way and Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms called Modern Vintage. I was lucky enough to get it in a mailer, but the pattern is also in Bonnie's book - Cotton Way Classics - and the August 2015 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. I think I might need to find a copy of the book! This was an easy and fun quilt to customize. As for my "mistake blocks", I might just make another quilt based on those blocks. Always inspired!

July 2020 Monthly Color Challenge

American Robin - Rust

That is the bird and color inspiration for July's block from Patterns by Jen in her 2020 Monthly Color Challenge. 

Growing up, I heard the robin referred to as

"robin red breast". While looking for a stock photo to share, I found that European robins are called this. One could assume that the elderly portion of the population where I grew up used that same name for American robins?? Possibly the two were mistaken for each other. I might have to do some more reading on this. Curious minds want to know. Here is what a European robin looks like:

They do both have the red breast. That "red breast" is truly a rust color. 

My personal conundrum for the challenge months? I have defined "oranges" already used or designated for other months. July made me get out my thinking cap when applying color use to my batik stash.

In my stash were some Island Batik 5"×5" stacks waiting for a purpose. There were not enough of any two colors for this block to follow the exact directions. It is also a block for July - one of the hottest months of the year. Taking the feel of the block a bit exotic seemed just the right thing to do. 

I picked four fabrics that would lend to the color of the month, compliment one another, and have enough fabric for me to make the block. Then cutting commenced.

This block has HSTs, so I break out my Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmer to get the best results with those units.

I will always chain piece to keep the momentum going and not waste thread.

This was the original layout, but....

When it came down to it, that look just didn't feel right. Here is the finished block.

This feels like a block that could easily be put with repeats to make a quilt. I love the look, the textures in the prints, and that I was able to meet the color requirements in a fun roundabout way.