Me Time

I get so busy with teaching classes, helping organise events for my quilt group and all the tedious day to day stuff that I don't really take enough time just to sit and sew. The last couple of weeks have been a mite stressful so yesterday is was just great to do some easy, satisfying stitching. I had a new book delivered last week and was so impressed I just had to try out some of the techniques:

Although there are lots of step by step projects in the book the idea is that you take the techniques and do your own thing. I had tried some of these before but I do love a wonky log cabin so hauled some hand-dyed Moda Bella fabric from my stash and got going. An afternoon's work resulted in the beginnings of a quilt as shown in the photo at the top of this post.

This morning I did more of the 'pods' - the curvy blue shape at the top right. These I hadn't done before and were a bit more tricky but still not very hard. I then stitched leftover strips and scraps together to make a random piece:

After cutting this into 2" strips, here's the result:

I love it! Now it may sit on my sewing room floor for a couple of days while I decide if I should add more pods along the bottom.  I'm thinking I may also add another white border before binding with a pieced coloured binding. What do you think?

I'll write a more detailed review of Quilting Modern and publish it on a new blog for the 'Yorkshire Modern Quilt Guild' which I'm developing with my friend Janet of 'A Quilters Journal'. If you live in Yorkshire and love modern quilt design why not join us by following the new blog? 

Oooh one more thing today. My daughter made her first quilt a few weeks ago for a friend's first baby so I just have to show it off:

She did a really good job on it and is already planning a quilt for her (king size) bed. I'm very proud of her!