Star Progress

Here are stars 11 and 12 from the QAL. So close! I also worked on the sashing strips a bit. I really like week 11 star - I think it looks complicated but it came together really easily.

I've also been busy with a summer bag project. I splurged on a pattern from Amy Butler. I had fun making the Birdie Sling using stash fabric. The batik fabric is 20 year old Dutch Wax from my days as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zaire! The blue handles used to be curtains and now appear in several of my quilts. The inside lining is a recent thrift store find. The pattern is easy to follow but there are a lot of pieces. The lining has 2 really nice pockets. I think the pattern is well thought out. I didn't end up using the fusible fleece between the exterior and the lining like the pattern called for. I got worried about the overall weight of the bag prior to stuffage, and then the puffiness of the bag too. Seems to have worked out ok and it was definately easier to sew together without the fusible fleece. Tilt your head to the left to view the picture properly. The blue is the handle, the batik (brown) is the body. Sorry, too tired to straighten out the picture.

I am reading a really good book right now called Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Mom's Project

The new cloth arrived. My mom is very excited to begin cutting out the blocks. Here is most of the cloth and a picture of the quilt from the magazine. See my previous post for the links to the magazine and the quilt shop and quilt designer.

Interesting - the colors in the picture are more vibrant than the actual cloth. Still very lovely in person, but the colors are more subtle and kind of dreamy. My mom is looking for the pink of the borders. She is having fun too trying to track down the exact cloth.

Here is the link to the magazine picture and quilt shop/designer again. I want to be sure to give proper credit to the artist.

Lillies Classic Quilts