Patchwork Wishes in progress

In December I spent some time playing with EQ8.  With Christmas on the way, I was feeling traditional vibes and that led me to a scrappy, traditional design style.  I could have dug into my scraps for a true scrappy quilt, but I treated myself to a stack of 10" squares of Island Batik's Shadow Blooms instead.  Insta-scrappy, 20 different prints with no effort at all!  Aren't they pretty?

I'm hesitant to write patterns using precuts because the precut sizes are not always consistent.  They're all pretty close, but I've had some be off by 1/8" in one direction.  That doesn't seem like much, unless you need a full 10" to get four 2.5" cuts, for example.  

I'm not sure about other manufacturers, but Island Batik is very up-front about the possible variation.  It's right there on the package:

Duly noted!  This pattern just uses the precuts for instant variety.  I designed the cutting so I wouldn't need a garanteed 10" to cut all the pieces I need from the squares.   There's also some yardage involved to pull everything together.

I snuck some sewing in between Christmas and New Year's when my daughter, who was home from college, was out catching up with old friends.

You see where this is going.  I do like simple star blocks!  Throw in a little strip piecing with yardage...

...then throw all the parts up on the design wall.

Yes indeed, very traditional, but I love the homey, cozy vibe that's taking shape, even with these less traditional batik prints.

Here's where I left things on New Year's Eve.

Why am I always surprised how much things shrink on the design wall when I start sewing parts together?  I know the math.  A half inch dispppears into the seam allowance at each seam (1/4" from each piece) and those half inches add up!

I haven't had time to sew since then, but I think I can get a bit done today and tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes.  I'm easily distractable these days.  For example, while I was putting the parts for this quilt on the wall, I suddenly had a picture in my mind for a different sashing, and I'm itching to see what that might lead to.  I made a note to go back to it.  For now, I must stay focused on this quilt. 

Next up on my "to do" list is to sort through several months worth of photos.  I know some quilt finishes I haven't shared yet are patiently waiting in my photo roll.  Stay tuned for those!

Then there's short quiltalong to plan.  It will be a runner featuring prairie points and be just a few weeks long.  I don't have a timeline for it yet, but keep an eye out for an announcemeent.

What are you working on this month?

Happy quilting,

Joanne