Snowball Quilt
It's snowing here today, so it seems only appropriate to share a quilt (completed in November) using the "snowball" quilt block.
This quilt started with a fabric obsession. I started collecting little bits of patterns that can best be described as "cute" - prints of fruits and vegetables in funky colors, prints with animals (including a little deer with hearts on its rump instead of spots), pastel linen plaids, and sugary florals.
I don't generally do a whole lot of cute in my home. My decorating themes tend towards bold colors and I don't think there's a single pastel in sight. None of this mattered to The Obsession with Cute.
The Obsession reared its head in fabric shopping sessions on three continents. It would not rest until there was a box full of cute. To keep the twee factor under control, I mixed in some vintage fabrics and fabrics from people I'm attached to. The resulting mix turned into a baby quilt.
The snowball block is really fun to sew because you can piece it exclusively with squares. Instead of cutting a zillion tiny triangles for each corner, you just cut squares. You align them with the corner of your big center square, and sew along the diagonal. Then you press each corner and trim the excess. For whatever reason, I'm just not so hot at sewing blocks that contain triangles. Snowball is my new best friend. My first blocks were a bit wonky, but it got easier as it went along.
I used a grey cotton shirting for the block corners, backing, and edging. I don't expect it will last as long as a quilting cotton, but
the upside is that it's wonderfully soft right now and got really crinkly in the wash.
It's handquilted with grey thread on the patterned blocks and pale yellow on the grey. They both wash out to look cream unless you look really close.
The whole cute and soft thing has started a nagging desire to create a soft, cozy mostly neutral world in my craft room. I want the space to feel more nest-like and less utilitarian. It's going to be a big challenge to get two industrial sewing machines, a loom, a cutting table, and a couple dozen clear plastic tubs to fit, play nice, AND feel like a nest, but I think I'm up for it.
Do you have any plans brewing for your craft space?