Fresh Start ~ First Project

Awww...the first project of the year!  I didn't waste any time starting something new and fresh.  A few days without the steady hum of the sewing machine going during the holidays was a refreshing and much needed break.  But in all honesty, I was itching to get back at it!

Let me introduce you to my daughter.  This is Britt.  She looks meek and mild.  But let me tell you she is a slave driver!  

When she saw the half-square table runner I made with hand dyed fabric (I blogged about it HERE), she was itching to make a quilt like it.  When I say she...I mean we.  She loves to coax me into projects!

We busted out the hand dyed bucket and began to cut, cut and cut some more!  We weren't going for a specific color scheme at all.  These beauties have been neatly folded and stored just waiting to be used.  I tell you...it was so hard for me to give in and use these!  

Britt had a great attitude about the whole thing.  'Mom, its just fabric.  We can dye more anytime we want to'.  Yep!  We can.  So, my little 'sous' chef went to work.  She cut 2~8" squares of just about every fabric we had.  

Stacks color coordinated and ready to pair up.  That turned out to be rather fun!  You get some amazing color combinations that you wouldn't normally do.

We added a few Kaffe Fasset Shot Cotton just to mix it up a bit.  Paired, pinned and ready to mark and sew!  I did all the machine work, while Britt continued her sous chef duties and ironed.

  
She may kill me for this...but look at these socks!  This is the required uniform if you are working with me!

After sewing the diagonal lines and cutting them in half, the fun began.  (the agonizing fun) 

It was time to begin the layout of this quilt.  You know, it was rather hard!  There are some many possibilities for HST's and deciding was nearly as hard as cutting up the fabric!  I cannot tell you how many different colors we have in this one...let's just say a lot!  The finished block size is 7".  We wanted to be sure they were big enough to highlight the beautiful mottled textures of the hand dyed fabrics.    

In the end this is what we decided on.  I was excited to sew these  Depending on how you look at it...the design changes!  Does it look like a hot mess?! 

The next step will be figuring out a back.  I'm thinking I will do a pieced back for this one.  (No surprise!)  

Quilting.  Since I machine quilt (free motion quilting is still on my 'to learn list'), it won't be to complicated!  I would be happy to turn it over to anyone who would love to quilt it for me!  Just throwing it out there! :)  

One thing I am sure of, I do know that I want to add a bright binding.  Maybe yellow or turquoise!  Something that frames the quilt and stands out.

I am happy that my first quilt of the year is a bright, bold and fresh!  It makes me wish spring would hurry up and get here!  

Linked to 'ANYTHING GOES MONDAY'

~and~ 

WIP Wednesday 

Freshly Pieced