What was I supposed to be doing today?  I don't know, because I've been dreaming in Loulouthi all morning.  Anna Maria Horner's new collection (see Anna's colorways here and individual swatches here) has hit the shelves, my order is in and I can't wait to get started!  Loulouthi is shipping now from Sew Love Fabrics!

Last week I put together an assortment of 13 prints, picking and choosing from all three colorways, and created my own little set of favorites.  I've been thinking of them as Loulouthi Morning:



Do you like my favorites?  I'm positively smitten.

I went out on a limb and asked FreeSpirit fabrics if they would be interested in partnering with me.  You know, they provide the fabrics, I make the quilt...  And, I'm so excited because they said "yes"!!!  Oh my gosh, how fun!  And so as not to be selfish, I'm also going to create a free quilt pattern for you in whatever design I produce.  Oh, and there might be some kind of giveaway from FreeSpirit.  Just sayin.

So today I'm playing with quilt ideas. Whatever I do must have large cuts of fabrics to show off Anna Maria's gorgeous oversized floral motifs.  And, I'll also be incorporating touches of hand quilting using Anna's enticing new pearl cotton boxed sets in geranium wall and reflecting pool. 

Here's the first idea that came to mind, since I've been thinking in circles lately...



This seems like a baby quilt to me.  I see hand quilting around however many of the circles feels right and machine quilting in a double grid pattern, following the block seams. Maybe we could add a Loulouthi border as well, framing the dottie center like a huge log cabin block?



What about this one for a larger scale quilt?  I like how the large rectangles allow some of my favorite large scale prints to shine and how all these straight edges would be a cinch to stitch up.  White or cream sashing creates a tile effect and could even be a fun place to add some hand quilting.  Or, I've also thought of enlarging the white sashing around the focal blocks (so making the focal prints slightly smaller) and adding stripes of hand quilting through the enlarged white sashing just around the focal blocks. 

Ok, so I probably should have done a mock up on that variation, but I'm starting to remember all those things that I am supposed to do today, so that's going to have to wait.  For now, I'm just excited to show you what's cookin and I'd LOVE to hear back from you on which design you prefer, whether or not you think you might want to use the pattern yourself.

Hey, and if you like my picks from Loulouthi, speak up.  I could see about getting a "Loulouthi Morning" bundle set up for you too! 

I do love new fabric.  Yes, I do.