Spring Has Sprung Sprocket Pillow!

Isn't that fun to say!

LOL

Last year, I crushed on this block from Christina at A Few Scraps:

and I knew I had to make one.  The hexagon paired with the diamonds is just too challenging and awesomly cool isn't!

Christina's blog is full of beautiful, loverly eye candy.

I just looked it up and I started this block in March of 2012!
Ack!

I finished it and put it away and discovered it while searching for another orphan block.

I brought it out and decided it was time to do something with it.  I'm still working on some large-ish projects, so I wanted to keep this one small and manageable time wise-ish.
The living room could use a new pillow!

Totally from scraps.  I added the peach/coral polka dot fabric and sandwiched the block (17 x 17) so I could quilt it.  Just some straight line and echo quilting to let the Sprocket...well, pop!

Also while searching, I rediscovered two vintage napkis I had scored last year too.

Have I shared this love affair, addiction, with vintage sheets, pillowcases, etc?

How fun are these flowers and the colors match the Sprocket block perfectly!

Quick trip to Joann's (rats, where is my coupon? and what do you mean pillow forms aren't on sale?) was fruitless, but a trip to Big Lots saves the day!  We like smooshy pillows here and I was able to buy a regular sleeping pillow for $3.  Instant (sort of) gratification.  So soft and cushy.

I had enough of the vintage fabric to make a border for the front of the pillow and use for the back.

And here it is playing nice with a Pillow Talk Swap pillow from a few years ago!  I am so happy with how bright and cheerful it is and the sun even came out for a few minutes while I was snapping pictures.

Ben and I are having trouble over who gets the pillow when it's time to take a break and relax.  This turn was mine and I cuddled up with the Aloha Quilt (this is the back) and a good book.

The Aloha Quilt's front!  Sorry, had to slide this in...it's one of my favorites!

So I turned one orphan block into a new, Spring pillow!

Hooray!

I also played with these

and these

I bought these eleven years ago intending to use them at our old house.  Eleven years!  Well, we put it on the market, never hung them, sold the house, bought this house and they never really matched anything we had here.

That's all about to change!

Linking up to

Quilt Story

i have to say

Freshly Pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

because life is just too dang short and bland without all these beautiful projects to look at, drool over, admire and be inspired by!

Won't you come be inspired too!





Tangerine Dream

Well, that was a couple of weeks!

At least half of those days spent thanking God for NyQuil!

There should be a short window of time one is able to get a cold. 

Like from never to....never!

This is where I was before I got sick:

spending time looking at this and thinking, "There is way too much white here!"

So, pilfered through the stash and tried this on for a while.

Blech!

Maybe this is what made me sick in the first place?  Can you get sick from the "This is a dang ugly quilt top!" virus?

Totally did not like where this was going.

Off to the sewing table with the seam ripper (you can see I've made a start at the bottom, left of the picture).

I went to Quilt.com's Block of the Month looking for inspiration on other pieced borders and found

this happy little block called Fair and Square.

So, I tried one on for size!

Hey!  I like this!  It's a lot more true to my original vision of staying with four colors: yellow, green, orange and white without all the glaringly white...white.

I made a few more using scraps.  Some of them had been hoarded forever, but if I don't use them, they just sit in a bucket....doing nobody any good!

And here I am.  Literally.  See my warm, fuzzy socked toes?

Much better!

Sticking to my four colors.  I love them!

All this blah, winter gray weather is making me sad.

Which is why I'm so happy to be able to link up to

Quilt Story

i have to say

Freshly Pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

for my sunshine, inspiration, encouragement fix!

Come on over and play!



Medallion Quilt

Medallion Quilt:  A quilt with a central motif, surrounded by multiple borders. The center is often a large square on point.

equilters definition

There are some incredibly beautiful Medallion Quilts out in blogland!

Suz at PatchworknPlay

The Ever Talented and Inspiring Cathy

Drooling.  Drooling.

Looking.  Thinking.  Doodling.

Inspired!

Just Quilts

Isn't this beautiful!  I love the fussy cutting and the colors!  Just wow!

And exhibiting extreme signs of QADD...off I go!

Every time I see this picture, I want to write a Haiku!

"Floating white petals"

Machine pieced hexagons that are about the size of a quarter when all is said and done.  I marked a 1/4" seam line on all the outer, yellow ones and hand appliqued them onto a quartered "background" of Kate Spain's "Honey Honey" and some Quilter's Choice orange and white polka dots from Joann's.

I'm auditioning fabric for the first border that will be 2", but today (Sunday) I cut out and sewed together a bunch (but not quite enough!) of white and lime HST's that will be the second border.

I decided I like this layout best. 

Work on the Snowflake Hexies continues, but everytime I lay it down to position a new snowflake...Weekips comes and "helps"!

Quilt Story
I have to say
Freshly Pieced
and
Crazy Mom Quilts
Each week you can find hundreds of amazing ideas and inspiration in the projects (some WIP's and some finished) shared on these blogs!  QuiltCon has nothing on these ladies!

(sneak peak on a WIP)