2020 Monthly Color Challenge - September

Subtitle: How to fix a quilt block boo-boo

Well folx, somehow we have made it thru 2020 all the way to the month of September. And that means a new block in the free Block of the Month party hosted by Patterns by Jen.  Jen has been churning out lovely 2020 Monthly Color Challenge block patterns every month, with each month having a different color focus.

I present to you: cinnamon!  (Bird inspiration: cinnamon teal)

When I signed up to participate as a blogger for 2020, I chose months with colors that spoke to me.  I mostly play in the warm/earth tones end of the color wheel, so cinnamon was such a natural fit.

Here is my completed block

Astute fabric aficionados will notice the use of Fairy Frost by Michael Miller (color: coin) as my feature fabric.  This follows last month's use of neon pink Fairy Frost in the flamingo block.

It was a fun block to try out the technique of 4-at-a-time flying geese (otherwise known as no-waste flying geese).  And to give a bit of breathing room, in the face of some of my previous busy blocks.

But what I really want to share with you today is how to come back from adversity when making a quilt block.  Because we all know that "adversity" happens.  And in this case, it was more adversity than even a seam ripper could have helped with.

Did you notice my block's boo-boo?  Not sure how it happened, but I managed to cleanly cut off a corner of the background fabric, after the block was constructed.  (If you saw my cluttered, disorganized sewing space, it might make perfect sense. #honestcraftroom as Jen says.)

 

The old perfectionist me would have cut a new square of the needed size and re-sewn that portion of the block.  But maybe I wouldn't have had enough extra fabric to do that--I am making these blocks entirely from stash, after all.  So what other option does one have?

Well, you can just patch that bit with more of the same fabric.  Not the first time I've done this sort of rescue (not the first time I've cut into a completed block, yikes).  And although it looks glaringly obvious when I'm 10" away from the block, I've never had a regret about using this technique once the quilt was complete and in use.  The quilting step hides a multitude of sins.

Things to keep in mind if you "patch" a quilt block this way:

• cut off more fabric, if that makes the area to patch a more regular shape (in this case, a 45-degree angle, instead of the random hack that was there originally)
• pay attention to grainline of your patch, where possible (another reason for making the 45-degree angle)
  
• if the fabric has a strong pattern, be willing to overlook pattern-matching issues (this mottle does not count as a strong pattern)
• oversize your patch and trim to size after it is stitched in place
  
• press open this seam, so the patched section lies flatter
• due to pressing seam open, consider a shorter stitch length and switching to a matching thread color (seams pressed open tend to show stitching more than those pressed to one side)
• most importantly, don't point out your mistake!  Unless you're writing a blog post about it, know one ever needs to know.
  

 

Thanks for reading this far.  Be sure and go check out the other bloggers who are showing off their September blocks.

Wendy of Pieceful Thoughts

Sarah of Sew Joy Creations

Alla of rainbows. bunnies. cupcakes (that's me!)

Tammy of Tamarinis

Sandra of Textile Time Travels

Joanne of Everyone Deserves a Quilt

And did you know there are SPONSORS?  Link up your block at the end of September (to Jen's linky party) and you might win something from one of these generous donors (these are the 3rd quarter sponsors--prizes will be awarded October 1st)

 

Sponsors July thru September

Quilters Chic - PDF Pattern

For The Love of Geese - PDF Pattern

Carole Lyle Shaw - Pattern and Grunge bundle

Quilters Dream Batting - Dream 80/20 - 60" x 60"

The Fat Quarter Shop - Fabric Bundle

Warm Company - Warm 80/20 - 55" x 60"

Warm Company - 1 yard Insul-Bright

Make Modern Magazine - 6 month subscription

Patterns By Jen - Superior Thread S-Fine 50

Patterns By Jen - Magic Wand

 

Text It! Blog Hop - life is short...

Hello BlogHoppers!  I'm Alla (rhymes with Paula).  I love fabric and whimsy and learning new things, so I jumped on the chance to play with wool and applique in ways that are new to me.  Welcome to the "Stay Awake" day of the Text It! Blog Hop.


When I was looking thru Sherri Noel's book Text It! Quilts and Pillows with Something to Say, there were so many projects that appealed to me.  I knew I couldn't make just one.  In fact, I'm working on 3! (I may have a problem with focus.)

But the main one I wanted to share on the Blog Hop was the  Stay Awake wallhanging.  The reason?  This sign on my kitchen door:

It was a phrase my mother often used.  I purchased this decal from the Etsy shop It's Written in Vinyl just after mom was killed in 2015.  Needless to say, I knew which project was first on my list.

Sherri's book encourages you to make the projects your own: there are seven full alphabets included, not just the letters for the words in the book.  Advice: if you do change the wording, some other things might have to change:

• the amount of wool/fabric needed for applique
• the size of your background fabric
• the orientation of the piece

This last change, orientation, came as a surprise to me.  I was placing my words this-way and that on the background, and just couldn't get them to look right to me.  The word "dessert" was just too long; no other words wanted to fit on the same line with it.  So I switched from landscape to portrait.

Behind the Seams: cup applique from the back

For the cup and saucer applique, I used a freezer-paper technique from Jenifer Dick's book The Modern Applique Workbook.  This was a new-to-me technique, but it worked out well.  Just as shown in the Text It! book, the individual pieces are layered--cup over the saucer, cup interior over the cup--rather than being fully separate from each other.  For the freezer-paper technique, I stitched everything down with a narrow zigzag monofilament. Which is another new-to-me technique.  (Don't you love learning new things?!)

I also chose to piece my background, because I really wanted to use this chocolate-bar novelty print for the word "dessert".  But I also totally wanted to use a cream-colored wool felt (this project in the book uses wool for all the letters).  Solution?  Two different fabrics for the background, with the cup and saucer applique artfully spanning the dividing line.

Had so many questions as I worked with wool for the first time.  I discovered: wool felt is not the same as felted wool.  It all worked out in the end.

Since my amazing chocolate-bar-print really didn't show up as well as I hoped, I chose to add a novelty chocolate border.  More is more, I always say.  #maximalist


My final note on construction involves outlining the applique letters.  I used machine blanket stitch on the quilting cotton letters.  Since I have worked on multiple projects from this book, I have ended up using three different sewing machines.  Each of their blanket stitches are just a touch different, requiring adjustments of stitch length and width, and especially tension.  I also learned that there is such a thing as a non-stick sewing machine needle (who knew?), which could have helped with the buildup of gunk on my needle while blanket-stitching around the applique letters.  Advice: choose the sewing machine with the knee-lift when doing blanket stitch around applique!

My whip stitch (before I ripped it out)

For the wool letters, I tried the recommended whip stitch by hand, but didn't end up liking the way it looked.  I think my use of wool felt, rather than felted wool, contributed to this.  I un-stitched, and used a simple running stitch instead.  For thread, I tried cotton sashiko floss.  I had heard some of my wool enthusiast friends talking about how nicely it pairs with wool, and has a matte finish.  It was definitely easy to work with in this application.  I bought mine through Kimonomomo.  (I will be giving away a skein to a commenter on this post; see below.)

Buy the book

Sherri's book is so awesome!  As I said at the top of this post, I'm working on other projects from the book, because they are just so very appealing.  Plus, I've used her alphabets to write messages on other projects I had in the works, too.  If you'd like to purchase a signed copy of the book, you can get it directly from the author at her Rebecca Mae Designs online shop.

Giveaways (win the book?)

• Book publisher Martingale has generously offered a copy of the book for me to give away to a lucky visitor to this blog (U.S. only).  
• Aurifil is giving away two spools of thread.
• I am offering a small bundle of fat quarters of the swirl and chocolate fabrics used in my project plus a skein of sashiko thread.
• Grand prize: Sherri Noel has a final giveaway bundle available through commenting on any/all of her Blog Hop posts (like today's post)

To Enter:  
Leave a comment below telling me what phrase you'd like to applique onto a quilty project. Winners of the 3 different prizes will be selected by random drawing on March 19th.  (If your comments are set to "no reply" I have no way to contact you and you cannot win.)
If you live in Canada, Joanne is holding the giveaway for the book from her blog, Quilts by Joanne.

Keep Hopping

Sharing posts with me today are:
Becca Fenstermaker  at Pretty Piney
Katie Bock at Sewing with Katie

Thank you JW Marriott dessert bar!

Go show them some love!


Plus, see the full schedule of bloggers at Rebecca Mae Designs. 



The Blog Hop for Text It! started on March 4th and goes through the 16th.  Thanks so much for visiting!

I'm too OLD for all this NEW efficiency

Starting to feel old: the number of apps and software efficiency tools I want to learn is growing... at the same time my patience with learning new technology gadgets is growing thin.

Weren't we promised a world where technology would make our lives simpler?  It seems, lately, that all the digital things that will make my life easier involve me learning a new widget. I mean app. Or software. Or some such.

What follows is a list of the software/apps I am currently struggling to learn.  (Keeping in mind that I generally love learning new things...)

BOM block drafted in EQ8

EQ8 - The pinnacle of quilt design software. Finally upgraded from EQ6 (thanks for the birthday $$ Dad!)  I know more than I think I do, but there's a learning curve nevertheless.  My heart's desire is to be able to easily upload images of my fabric stash, so that my quilt designing is taken to the next level.

AirTable - I gave up on Trello for project management. I have high hopes for AirTable. I really do want to be an organized human when I grow up.

SquareSpace - I want to migrate from Blogger to my own website one day.  Students from previous sewing and quilting classes have asked where I am teaching next.  Prospective quilt shops and guilds would like to know what I teach and when I might have openings in my schedule.  And maybe I have a couple patterns to sell...someday.  Meanwhile, I am fiddling with my employer's SquareSpace website, and feeling entirely inadequate to the task.  (They should never have let me into the deep end of the pool with their website: people can see it.)

Canva edit of someone else's design

Canva - Free web-based graphic design! What could be more lovely?  Umm... So far, I've Real Estate Listing into a Come See Our Booth flyer.  But there's So. Much. More. I want to do here.  (And, being American, I want to do it right now. All of it.)
managed to tweak someone else's

QuickBooks - as a proud member of the gig economy, I need professional handholding to keep my micro-biz finances in order.  Paid my subscription $$, can't it just do all the work for me?

BoxStorm - implementing an inventory system at work.  Inventory is no joke, y'all.  Oh, and this software supposedly will connect to QuickBooks (if only I knew how to find the magic portal).



[Unnamed photo-editing program]  I have used Picasa for my photo-edits for over a decade.  And I like it.  I understand it, it works for me.  So, of course, Google has dropped it from their suite of offerings.  I am still holding on; I don't need to share my pix online in albums, or order prints from within my photo editor.  I just want to mitigate my pretty-poor photography skills with easy edits. I did download GIMP to give it a try, but I'm not there yet.


Stuck in the past, I am.

Mid-month Check-in

"Forgiveness is important when you're trying to do something every day." --Abby Glassenberg, from the While She Naps podcast

It's more than halfway through the month of December, how is my 31 days of blogging coming along?  Well, dear reader, you have probably noticed that I have not written a blog post every day.  Yup, that happened (or didn't happen, really).

Pro's and Con's: what have I learned so far?

1. As of this post, I have published 9 blog posts in December.  This is more posts than I had in the entire year before December.  So... essentially going from not-blogging to somewhat-frequently-blogging.
2. The app on my phone no longer supports my blogging.  So I don't have the option to quickly snap a picture or 2 and have a simple blog post that way.  I should probably download one of the paid apps for this purpose--the photo step really tends to get in the way of quick posting.
3. On at least 3 occasions this month, I have been at a place where I consciously chose to sew instead of blogging.  If I get the chance to choose sewing, that will almost always win.  So how do I structure blogging so that it doesn't actively compete with sewing?  Hmm, something to think about...
4. Even Cheryl Sleboda, the lovely hostess of this 31-day challenge, has missed a few days.  December daily anything is HARD.
5. Perfectionism really gets in my way.  Always.  I have 29 draft posts in "partially completed" form, that could become published blog posts.  If only I didn't need to: take the picture, edit the picture, find the link, mess with the formatting, etc. etc. 



Hand sewing beats blogging?

6. My posts tend to be looong wordy.  True daily blogging would require shorter posts, with less emphasis on them each being a work of art.

These seem like valuable lessons.  I think embarking on new adventures and taking on challenges can provide those lessons in ways that clumping through life in my normal manner would not.  Have you learned from a recent challenge?  I'd love to hear about it.

Guild Blocks (Done Early)

Quilt guild meets this Saturday, and I've had my blocks done for over a week. Go me!

First up: this block is called Another Star, and instructions can be found here at the Quilter's Cache website.

Flying geese and HST's

While Marcia Hohn's instructions for this block are just fine, I chose to construct mine a different way. 

I noticed that there were four flying geese units (one is outlined in red) and eight HST units (four of them are marked with asterisks).

My favorite flying geese method, when making 4 gooses, is the no-waste technique, which you can find demonstrated very aptly at McCall's Quilting University.  So that's what I did there.








And I tried out a HST method that I read about in a magazine.  [The math: double the finished size of your HST block and add 1-3/4"] 

Put two identical squares right sides together, with the lighter color on top, and mark along both diagonals.  Sew 1/4" away from each diagonal, on both sides of the drawn lines (4 lines of stitching).  Then carefully cut the square in quarters and along each diagonal.  When ironed open, you will have eight identical HST units.

The second block was actually more challenging, as it is constructed along the diagonal, and there's lots of bias edges to be aware of.  I'm just happy with the skull fabric hanging out in the black-and-white mix.

And happy to be done early--for once.  What deadlines have you beaten lately?

Circles BOM: first look

My inspiration fabric

Oh, Boy: it's time to start advertising for a new Block of the Month!

Theme for this BOM, which starts the first-Saturday-after-labor-day, is CIRCLES.


I have about eight circle ideas so far--out of 12 months, that's not a bad start.  I really want to explore a lot of different techniques, and I have found so many ideas in the blogosphere.

I love learning new techniques!


Here are the samples I have made up to advertise the BOM, along with the inspiration/tutorial that got me started

 

Not a circle, you say?  But this is clearly the place to start: if one is afraid of curved seams there are circle-like things that can be done using only straight lines.  In fact, there will be many months in this BOM of no curved seams, to honor those fears; then we will push past them.

Instructions for this particular log-cabin came from Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.  Bonus points for the fact that she uses scraps, as this tutorial is part of her Scrap-A-Palooza series.  Her finished quilt using this block can be found here.

Mmm, I love this technique: reverse applique!  Again, no curved piecing: a little freezer paper and glue stick make this one work.  I previously tried this technique at a retreat, as part of Block Challenge, and knew it would become part of my Circles BOM.

The freezer-paper-assist technique was shared by Barbara at Cat Patches after she learned it in a class, and she is very clear with her tutorial.  I am so thankful to all the bloggers out there who write good directions!

Finally, a slew of Orange Peel blocks.  Many of the circle techniques I am investigating look best when repeated.  This block definitely falls into that category; I love to see a sea of orange peels stretching across a quilt top.

I saw this technique in person done by my friend Joey at a retreat and just thought it was so clever: make little football shapes by stitching the focal fabric to a fusible lightweight interfacing, then carefully turning the whole assembly outside-in so that all the raw edges are encased. 

You then fuse the sucker onto your background fabric and stitch a decorative edge.  This was my first use of the blanket stitch on my new-to-me fancy sewing machine.  I would previously have just used a narrow zigzag stitch, and it would have been fine.

Free template for this block, in multiple sizes, along with a clearly written tutorial for the turn & fuse method is from the SewCanShe blog.



Well, those are the blocks on display in the shop, tempting people to start signing up.  We start circling our wagons in September.  Let me know if you have a favorite circle block or technique that I might add to the mix!

Do you like my fabric choices?  After black-and-white BOM this past year, I agonized over choosing a colorway...

Piece of Cake

Well, this is me starting new projects--regardless of any previous promises to finish things before I start new things.  (Seriously: do I even listen to myself when I make promises like that?)

It's fall: Monday Knit Football season.  So I started a knitting project.  You know, a cowl, because the weather's gonna get chilly my sister gave me the pattern!

provisional cast on with waste yarn

The pattern is called Pi Cowl, by Emily Williams.  It is a simple tube, knit in the round on circular needles, no increases, decreases (or even purl stitches!), then joined at the end into a bit of a donut shape.  The color changes represent the digits of Pi: three (point) one four one five nine, etc...

Yay for nerdy projects!

So naturally, being such a basic pattern, I figured there would be no new skills to learn.  Wrong!  But no worries: I love learning new things.

First new skill: provisional cast on.  Not too difficult, since I already knew how to wield a crochet hook.  Brilliant additional idea from the YouTube video that I watched to learn this: mark every 10 stitches, so you don't have to keep counting as the cast on progresses toward the requisite 94 stitches.

Second new skill: changing colors in the round in a way that looks almost seamless.  Thank goodness for YouTube videos!  The name for this technique is "jogless stripes" and it is not difficult at all.

These are cakes of yarn; now you know

My yarn colors.  Fun, no?  They remind me of sporty clothing from the 1970's, especially when knit into all those stripes.

Plymouth Select DK Merino Superwash

Not being well-versed in all things knitting, I didn't realize you can't knit straight from the skein as it comes from the yarn store.  That is a no-no.

Action shot: unwinding a skein

But, that doesn't mean you need to wind your yarn into balls by hand.  The well-equipped knitter (my awesome Sister) has a fancy contraption that winds it all with a few turns of a hand crank. 

I was mesmerized watching it.

And the end result is not a ball of yarn, but a cake.  Yummy.

This project will probably last me well into football season.  Just a-knittin' away.

Do you have "football season" projects?  What makes a good candidate for working on while watching (or listening to) sports on tv?

Fear of FMQ

I've been following the stashbusting sew-along all year, without really participating in the "sew along" part of things. But August's theme really grabbed me: face your fears.

I realized that fear had been holding me back. No garment sewing had taken place because of fear of cutting into those special fabrics. You know, the stashed fabrics that I have held onto for so long, just waiting for perfect to happen: perfect pattern, perfect fit, perfect execution of some tricky sewing detail (like welt pockets, or an invisible zipper, or a curved dart, etc.)

But the stashbusting community was behind me this month. We were all gonna face our fears together! A garment was finally gonna come together in 2015.

Only thing is, I told myself I had to finish the quilting on a little ol' wallhanging before I could start something new (like a garment). And guess what? Fear had been holding me back from finishing that, too!

I didn't even realize... Didn't acknowledge to myself that I was procrastinating on the quilting--I just knew it wasn't getting done in a timely manner.

Followed the mantra

PERFECT IS GOOD. 

DONE IS BETTER.

Practice session: ewww

Dived into a bit of FMQ (Free Motion Quilting--last seen publicly in this post from 2012).

Does it look like bubbles? Or sea foam?

And the quilting is DONE. Fear faced.

Not afraid of a close-up: perfect in its imperfections

Not perfect by any means, but it beats the heck outta hiding in a paper sack for another year or more. Win!

Now, can some elves come over and whip up a binding for this one so I can count the stash that was used? So very close to done done.

Thank you to all the Stashbusting Sewalong followers on The Facebook!  Seeing your work has really encouraged me.

Eyes Wide Open: Fast Fashion

Fast Fashion: here is the video that opened my eyes. Not that I didn't know some of this, but that I hadn't incorporated this knowledge into my own little bubble.

Busted: I am a consumer of fast fashion.  I have always been a huge thrift shop buyer, and have often altered clothing I find there.  But maybe that inexpensive taste for eclectic clothing morphed into a taste for more and more (cheap) clothing in general, with the result that I am buying tons of clothes--just like everyone else, it seems.

Quotes that broke my heart--yes, people, I got to researching; so should we all:

Today a fashionable dress is cheaper than a bag of dog food. How did we get here?
Our closets are larger and more stuffed than ever, as we’ve traded quality and style for low prices and trend-chasing. (Esty article, The History of a Cheap Dress)

The mass production of so much cheap clothing is an enormous waste of resources such as fuel and water. While many people donate their clothing to charities and consignment shops, fast fashion tends to be so cheaply made that no one wants to buy it... — generating the term "landfill fashion."  (NPR series, The Fast World of Fast Fashion)

A Cambridge University study reports that in 2006, people were buying a third more clothes than they were in 2002, and women have four times as many clothes in their wardrobe than they did in 1980.  (from Ethical Fashion Forum, a group working to change the paradigm of fast fashion)

How bad am I?

Well, my closet and dresser are stuffed, for one thing. 
I have bought numerous clothing items just this year, with my most recent retail purchases being at Marshall's/Ross/TJMaxx--in the clearance section!  (Clearly I was going for cheaper-than-cheap.)

Today's outfit demonstrates both the good and embarrassingly not-so-good in my wardrobe.  Jacket is one I stitched myself (Indygo Junction pattern; Me-Made May win!)  Camisole underneath is one of those $1.80 can't-pass-em-up fast fashion clunkers from Forever 21.  Jeans were purchased at a thrift store--a pair of just-barely-worn Old Navy brand (another person's discarded fast fashion).  Belt is from a discount retailer (Ross maybe?) but is already coming apart in the back, leading me to swear off cheap belts in the future.  Earrings are from a local artist/craftsperson who sells at Saturday Market, and were made from re-purposed computer chips.

Shoes (Naturalizers today) are the one area of my wardrobe that feels the best.  My bunion started insisting about 10 years ago that I not wear uncomfortable shoes, and I started paying attention.  Comfort brands became my thing, with my Dansko collection leading the pack.  I still have too many pairs of shoes (and sadly, am *always* drawn to looking at more), but at least they are quality shoes that are meant to last for many years.

What am I gonna do about this?

Sweetie reminds me that we, the little guys, influence our society en masse in 2 ways: our vote and our purchasing habits.  Well, my habits have gotta change.  I can't continue to buy clothes at this rate--even from thrift stores, even if I am getting rid of equivalent garments from my overstuffed closets.

I pledge no clothing purchases for the remainder of 2015.  This includes thrift shop purchases and clothing accessories.  Exceptions: underwear, athletic gear (if it is needed, like a new pair of running shoes), a costume for Halloween, and the possibility of a special need (like maybe a new belt?)

I also want to rid myself of those items that I don't really wear.  I feel like I declutter my clothing more often than any of my other belongings, and yet I know there are unworn items lurking in there.

Finally, I want to make my own clothes.  Garments that fit me, that are well-made, that are unique and flattering.  Sewing from my abundant stash!

How about you?  Do you have a "good closet"?  Are you a fashion gourmet...  or a fashion gourmand?

Bias Tape Applique: Almost Latte Time

The Have a Latte blog hop is going on now--

My selection from the Have a Latte line

Browse today's posts, as well as the fabulous latte-themed items shown last week, by clicking on links from the schedule of blog hoppers.  (And check back here in just a couple days for my reveal.)

One of the reasons I signed up for this blog hop: to learn a new skill!  I had a long-dormant UFO that I was hoping to accent by using bias tape applique.  Specifically, by writing words in applique.  So why not use one of the Have a Latte line of fabrics to make this bias tape?  Only problem?  I didn't know how to do bias tape applique... yet.

Internet to the rescue: I was helped immensely by Jill Finley of Jillily Studio's video



YouTube link here if the video doesn't play properly.

I assembled my tools: spray starch, brand-new bias tape maker, washable glue stick (not used in the video, but recommended to me by my LQS), and the teeny-tiny bias strips I had cut out
(1/2" + 1/2" + 1/8" = 5/8")

Really, it all went very well.  Even the machine stitching part, which usually is a pain for me to be accurate.  I credit the glue stick for basting that little fabric strip so securely.  Yay!

Here's my sneak peek: Have a Latte fabric (steamy mocha swirls) on the left, and finished applique on the right.

I love learning new things, and am so glad this adventure turned out for me.  Have you done this sort of applique?  What might you use bias tape for in other ways?  I can already think of another project that needs this technique!

Growth Cycle

Moving can be such a growth experience!  I thought we had purged and downsized our belongings before the move, but as I unpack box after box of stuff, I'm not so sure we got rid of enough.

Came across a stash of USB memory sticks full of pictures.  Where did all these pictures come from?

Thought for the day:

Almost like reading the tarot cards...

Rockin' the quilt back

Just dropped Technicolor Sky off at the long-arm quilter.  Woot.  Definitely my fastest quilt finish to date: started in October and finished the top in November. 

Needed to piece fabrics for the back, as I was determined to make every part of this from my stash.



So, in typical me fashion, I studied up on quilt backs...

My second-ever Craftsy class, taught by the wonderful Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson!
 

A well-thought-out back

Pretty good result, I believe.  I employed work-arounds in using the large-scale floral fabric, as it was mostly pre-cut pieces from a 1990's romper pattern.  I had lots of appropriately-colored batik fabric (the on-point squares from the quilt front), but I didn't particularly want to use it; I can still be stingy when dipping into my stash, don't you know.

 

Gallery of other pieced backings (always run short of fabric, it seems)

Blue baby quilt.  Another project where I was determined to use up all of a long-stashed fabric (the teal zebra).

Backing of queen-sized stack-n-whack.  It makes a very nice alternative side.