Last February, at our sleep-at-home retreat, I started making half square triangles for a yellow and grey quilt with bees and honey fabrics. I thought using the less desirable prints in smaller bits would showcase the others nicely. So, I made a bunch of HSTs.
Then I sewed them in pairs, intending to make pinwheel blocks.
At the overnight retreat at Febuary Hill, when I finished the potholders, the top to the Christmas mat, and the bird quilt top, I pulled out the pinwheels to figure out a design to use them. I pinned them on the design board as a border for the larger layer cake pieces of the prints I liked the most.
But the idea was a bust. I didn’t like it at all. So next, I pulled out more layer cake fabrics and decided on some that were not favorites to cut up into 5-inch squares.
This looks better, but I found I had lost my enthusiasm for the project and now just wanted to get it done so I could move on to other projects for the weekend.
I paired up the pinwheels and squares, sewed them together, then into four patch blocks. Pinning them up on the design wall again, I noticed the darkest square was concentrated to one side.
I moved some blocks around, but I should have paid more attention to the other prints. Too many of the same prints are in rows side by side when they all should be distributed better.
I sewed the blocks together, then packed it up to take home.
At home, I loaded it on the longarm and put a sweeping curve pantograph quilting on it. I wanted to have this quick finish prior to loading the bird quilt.
Quilting only took about an hour total actual stitching time, but I did it over a two day period around other things.
Trimmed up, I put the binding on by machine. At this point, I just wanted it done. Yes, this is the same yellow I used for the bird frames. I had bought a yard, so it was good to use more of it before next month’s Stashbuster report.
All finished, this will be a donation quilt. It will be fine as a lullaby quilt for someone at the shelter.
That is the last of the projects from retreat. Now I have to get going on the fair!! And that means finishing both the bird quilt quilting then binding, and the Jewelry Christmas Tree handwork. I am so behind this year, and turn in day for the fair is in 24 days!
From My Carolina Home 
Love all progress pictures you took. I always mean to do that but somehow forget in all the excitement of sewing. It turned into a darling lullaby quilt.
I think it turned out very pretty. Those are lovely fabrics and I think the end result will make someone very happy. I chatted with a lady at our quilt guild charity sewing day on Monday. She is a prolific “state fair” person, entering in every category she can, and it was fun to see her work when I went to the fair last month. Equally fun was chatting at the guild. She said that turning in her entries is easy because it is all done at once, so why not enter as much as you can. 🙂 Good luck to you with finishing things up and getting all your entries ready to go.
good luck in getting all your entries done
All is well that ends well and I have no doubt you will come out on top. You always do.
Random is as random does & it generally doesn’t work for me. I often see people insist they just reach in the scrap bin & sew up whatever comes out then show their magnificently color coordinated quilt that can’t possibly have been random, could it? It’s hard to go forward when you lose enthusiasm on a project; you made a very sweet little quilt. I think quilters are hypercritical of their own work & see things that don’t matter to the general audience. I think it’s fun to hopscotch around the darker squares in the bee quilt & imagine someone else will enjoy doing it too.
Carole-good for you that you kept going and finished it. It is much easier to just stop and put it away when a project is not quite what we want/envision. It will be a lovely donation quilt and it is DONE!
You always have such great ideas for the fair. Now that you are able to concentrate on those projects, I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
You made the project work and finished it – congratulations. I know what you mean about being behind. Wishing you good luck, full bobbins and limited seam ripper time as you work towards the fair.
I think that’s a sweet little quilt! It is hard to balance lights and darks sometimes, when you’re working with a fixed set of pieces. Someone’s going to love that quilt, though, and get a lot of use out of it!
You stay so very busy! I’m admiring you from afar, because I don’t want to catch your fervor or fever.
I love how you find a place for the less-than-favorite fabrics! And the end result was cute, so hey, win-win!
I really like it! Yellow is not my fav, but the pattern – worked nicely and maybe with a different color way you’ll love it too. I was thinking maybe a gardener would like it – I can see it draped over a lawn chair, (cover those pesky pieces of metal). You are always so caring, the charities will love it.
Wishing you happy finishing for your fair projects!
Someone is going to love the charity quilt and the caring effort that went into it!
I am fussy on so many aspects of quilt making when I know it is going into a competition. I find myself adhering to show standards for charity quilts. I need to rethink the way I approach my quilt making.
This is really pretty, Carole. The colors are lovely and it’s a great design too.
I think your quilt turned out lovely.
when projects don’t turn out as we expect we tend to minimize the creativity and end result…but somewhere someone will think it’s a masterpiece…sometimes things just turn out the way they are supposed to be….it is a lovely little quilt, don’t short change yourself
That will be a cute little donation baby quilt. Someone will love it!