I just finished up my Ice Pops quilt this week. You can see more about the pattern in this blog post. I’m very happy with how this one turned out – especially because my husband really likes it and he is just a tiiiiiny bit picky.

The print fabric in this quilt is from Art Gallery’s Rhapsodia line. The light putty sashing is FreeSpirit Designer Solid Sand Dune and I never did figure out the dark putty color. That’s what I get for not labeling the fabric when it arrives!

I quilted this one in a couple of ways. First, I pebble quilted all the white areas. As usual I way underestimated the amount of time this technique takes. But I am really happy with the results – it was worth the time. After I took these photos I washed the quilt and the pebble quilting looks SO great after a wash, I am very tempted to do an entire quilt this way. I’m sure I’ll be exhausted while I am doing the actual quilting…but boy would it make an amazing quilt.

Then in the lighter putty sashing I straight-line quilted lines 1/4″ apart. I don’t often mix two types of quilting but I am happy I did with this quilt.

I am heading out of town on Saturday for a few days…I’m bringing my computer but not sure if I will be blogging. If not, I hope everyone here in the USA has a wonderful 4th of July holiday!

I’ve spent the majority of this week catching up on quilting a few things. Pebble quilting part of my Rhapsodia quilt (above).

Organic lines on an improv log cabin quilt I’m making for a workshop I’m teaching next month at the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild.

Can’t wait to share them with you, hopefully next week! All they need now is binding.

Finished just in the nick of time! I’m not sure why I continue to do this to myself year after year, but once again I started a project for Christmas just days before needing it to decorate. All year I told myself I needed to make a new Christmas tree skirt. Our old one was pretty cheap and junky and literally falling apart. Last Friday I decided to “whip one up”. Ha, famous last words, right?

I knew I wanted to make this particular pattern after seeing it in last year’s Fat Quarterly Holiday Edition. This pattern was designed by Brioni Greenberg.

I think I was delusional in thinking this project would only take me a few hours. Friday I spent the day cutting and placing the houses. Saturday I spent the day pebble quilting. I ran out of thread in the middle and had to stop and go to the store. Sigh… This quilting technique took a long time, but after seeing Brioni’s example, I had to do it. It is SO cute and my daughter thinks it looks like clouds. I also spent some time Saturday stitching down the houses. I finished those and the stars up yesterday and also added the binding. I used a red polka dot print by designer Sarah Jane’s Children at Play line.

Overall I’m really happy with how this tree skirt turned out. The pattern was fabulous. Well worth the $5 cost of the issue. I know this particular holiday decoration will be getting years of use at my house.

Things will be quiet here on the blog for the next few days as I take some time away from the sewing machine and enjoy being with my family. Wishing all my US readers a happy Thanksgiving!