"Petite fleurs" for Spring

In November of 2010 I was able to attend a two-day workshop with Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts sponsored by Hollyhill Quilt Shop in West Linn Oregon.  Joanna is a fabric and pattern designer and I had recently read about her in one of my favorite quilting magazines.  It was a fun-filled weekend and I needed to exercise a lot of self control to keep my purchases to only five of her patterns and a little bit of fabric.

This is one of the five patterns and the quilt uses a Charm Pack (a stack of 5 1/2" squares) and a Honeybun (a roll of 1 1/2" strips) that I also purchased.  I bought the yellow border fabric shortly after but didn't purchase the green stripe for the inner border (or the cute polka dot for the backing) until this past March.  You might think that it is necessary to purchase all of the fabric for a particular project before you begin, that the fabric will be all gone if you don't, or that you won't be able to find anything to match, but it's rare not to find just the right fabric to finish a project.  In many cases, adding something new and different into the mix is just what a quilt needs.  That is exactly how I felt about this green.  I actually had the option to buy one of the light greens in the quilt (it was available on the clearance table) but the stripe was just better.

So this pattern and fabric had been sitting on a shelf for more than two years and in January when life seemed to slow down a bit, I pulled it out.  I thought it would be quick and fun (I was 50% right), and I am always pleased with myself when I complete something I already have.  It's like making a delicious meal with stuff that's hiding in the freezer or panty.  It's very satisfying (is that a pun)?

I had to go hunting in my scraps and stash for enough lights for all the background fabric and added some prints from another collection (left overs from Annie's wedding quilt that I have yet to blog about).  But it all came together and I started making the blocks.  This block (below) is Block A.  It finishes at 5" square so all the little squares are only 1".  Crazy, I know.  It was fun to make but definitely not quick.  There are 30 of these plus 22 half-blocks along the outer edge of the quilt center.

The second block (below) is Block B.  It finishes at 4" square and was not quite as crazy to make as the one above but still fussy with the tiny little pieces.  There are 42 of these.

 The alternate cream blocks are all 4" x 5" and are placed vertically for the Block A rows and horizontally for the Block B rows.  I'm sure that all makes perfect sense.

I wasn't able to get this quilt top finished in January like I had hoped and left it home when I went to Arizona in February.  But I got back to it when I returned in March and it was ready for the quilter and delivered in April.  The quilting pattern is called "Wild Roses" and it is perfect.  I love dense quilting but this quilting pattern is open enough to keep the quilt fresh with a vintage feel.  And the roses and rosebuds mimic the flowers in the prints.

 

Lately I've been thinking that all of my blog posts look the same.  They are all about the same thing, after all, but I thought maybe I should be more creative in my photography because that is the best part.  So here is my attempt at making things a little more interesting.  I really do enjoy that chair when the weather gets warm.

I took this picture this afternoon before it clouded up and started raining.  Last week it was beautiful and sunny and Annie and I spent three days planting 192 impatiens around the yard and filling 6 flower pots.  It was hard work but we are already enjoying the beauty of our labors and will continue to all summer long.  Seeing the bright pinks and purples out my window makes me smile and makes standing at the kitchen sink a joy (almost).

Last month I mentioned my fabulous pattern find and this week I made the first block. This block is 16" square - much quicker and easier to make than the tiny little blocks above.  I'll be sharing as I go along and maybe by the end of summer I can share the finished product.