Spring has finally sprung in Minnesota, and I’m so thankful for warm days, green grass, budding trees and singing birds! Maybe that’s why I decided to add another piecing project to my list! I’ve started working on a darling pattern called “Springville” by Thimble Blossoms, and I\’m using a beautiful new fabric collection by Lella Boutique called “Nest.” Here are a few of the blocks I stitched up:
I went out on a limb (pardon the seasonal pun), and selected a very soft yellow for my background fabric. I’m hoping the final result will be a cheery row of homes and trees surrounded by sunshine! The yellow I selected is a Moda Bella Solid Canary (#9900-272). Oh, and you’ll probably notice that I threw in a few Fig Tree prints as well. The trees and the grass are all Fig Tree prints from my stash. Once again, I\’m pulling from the scrap buckets and have a great time!
I started this project last weekend during the semiannual quilt retreat I look forward to every spring and fall. A couple of years ago I wrote about our group on my blog: Koronis Quilting Retreat. I feel very blessed to count these ladies as friends. Heck, I might even call them quilting family!
Two talented friends, Nancy and Diane, agreed to be pattern testers for me last winter. They brought their finished projects to retreat so that I could see them post-quilting. Nancy sewed up my Summer Breeze pattern, and Diane sewed up Fat Quarter Flourish. Aren’t they beautiful? (Both the quilts and the ladies!)
Both ladies sewed their projects using Fig Tree fabrics, predominantly from the Coney Island collection. Diane’s finished project features a sweet overall quilting pattern and red gingham binding. Nancy\’s quilt is showing off some dazzling custom quilting done by a friend of hers.
This year at retreat, I will admit that I didn’t get a whole lot accomplished, but I had a wonderful time. I stitched a few blocks, ate way too much, sat by the lake, took a long walk, and had a wonderful shopping expedition with my mom and two other retreat friends, Harriet and Holly. Blessings! That is what all of these ladies are!
And so are all of you who are kind enough to read my blog and sew up my patterns. I hope that my posts bring sunshine to your life as well.
As always, get carried away quilting!
~Taunja
