A bit of a catch-up and Moda Building Blocks

Welcome to 2015 my quilty friends.  As you can tell, my plans to blog for the last few months have gone awry.  However I have made it a goal to put up at least one post before I go back to work after the Christmas break, so here goes ...

I have been up to various bits and pieces since I last typed here.  First, I made some table toppers for my mother in law.  Pinks and blues were requested.  I used the Anna Maria Horner feather block pattern, which is very pretty, for one of the toppers.  One of the many things on my wish list is a whole quilt of these.  The other two were a tree trunk pattern.  Lots of blank space and improv piecing.  I could almost call myself a modern quilter.  Heh.

Table toppers.

Near the end of the year, when I was crazy busy at work, I spontaneously decided to make a king sized quilt top out of an eclectic pile of Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler and Kaffe fabrics.  Sensible decision.  Not.  This has been dubbed the Hot Mess quilt, because, well, it is one big hot mess!  It was very quick to make though - 10" squares alternated with 10" quarter square triangles.

Hot Mess before sewing.

It is going to be backed in leopard print Anna Maria Horner velveteen, which is delicious and soft and should keep us toasty warm in winter.  I just need to track down a long arm quilter for this one, because I have no intention of quilting it myself!

There is a drunkard's path cushion to go on the bed with the quilt.  This has been piped and backed in the velveteen, in a different colourway.  This was my first attempt at machine piecing curves, which, as it turns out, is not such a big deal.  If I had fussed less and tried earlier, I could have figured these ages ago!

It's a Hot Mess cushion front

It's a Hot Mess cushion back.  20" square with a zipper at the base.

I have also made some good headway with the Gypsy Wife quilt.  I had called it finished, but now I have realised that it needs the extra borders if it is going to go on our bed.  That means we are having a little break for a while!  I was pretty proud of myself for getting this far.

Gypsy Wife in Tula Pink Prince Charming

I made various little bits and pieces for Christmas, including some sew together bags, this little dumpling pouch for the Monday Modern group secret santa, and a little liberty pin cushion.

Little dumpling pouch, how I love making you so.

You can never have too manner pin cushions, you know?!

My latest project is the Moda Building Blocks quilt.  Some of us in the Monday Modern group are giving it a go.  I was completely ambivalent about this as a project until I found a pretty low volume version on Instagram, and then fell in love.  I am having so much fun with this at the moment.  I am trying to get as many blocks done as I can while I am still enthusiastic and before I get back to work.  I know that work is going to be flat stick as soon as I start, so it's sew, sew, sew at the moment!

It doesn't all fit properly on the "design wall" (aka the hallway with a sheet)

6" of Sleeping Beauty

6" of Brambleberry Ridge and Emmy Grace

18" of Heather Ross, Tilda and Brambleberry Ridge

Block 2 - 36" of massiveness

The two largest blocks are 36", which is MASSIVE, and the smallest are 6".  There are 48 blocks in total, so I can see it taking all year. *sigh*

What have you been up to?  Anything fun?  Was Christmas lovely?