go Easy now

It’s HOT outside, and I’m home for a week between my summer travels. What I need right now is something simple and fun, a total soul treat with no struggle at all. I’m talking sewing, of course. And I’m talking EASY.

I won’t even bother creating my own color scheme. Instead, I’m taking inspiration from this amazing backing fabric: Connections, Color Story from Windham Fabrics. I found this 108" wide quilt backing fabric at Dragonfly QuiltWorks. They have a fantastic 108” wide fabric assortment. This particular print is now sold out, but try contacting Lora about restocking it. I bet she will!

I adore how my inspiration fabric combines colors with moods. That’s something I’d like to explicitly practice this fall. I also like the random sizes and arrangement of the watercolors. An improv quilt would pair nicely, don’t you think?

First, fabrics. I spread out my inspiration fabric on the floor and pull prints that could cultivate the same mood. I won’t use all of these. Some of them won’t be right, but making a pile of possibilities helps me loosen up and get started.

I am going to sew improv cross blocks (free tutorial!) using magic number block sizes! I can use a variety of bigger scraps for the project, as well as string scraps. I sew my first block using one of my favorite multi-color prints, the kaleidoscope of butterflies. Then I put my block and several other possibilities beside it on the design wall. Very quickly I see that I will need solids to create the more airy feel of the backing fabric. Also, incorporating solids will allow me to use these random, fun prints without it feeling too crazy. This stack of Windham’s Ruby + Bee solids offers some fresh, light shades.

So, here’s a start! I am keeping the backing fabric in view to help me stay color-focused, since I so easily veer towards more saturated and contrasty shades. These cross blocks are so, SO easy to sew. You really can’t go wrong. Puzzling them together when it is time to assemble the quilt top, now that will be a challenge.

A challenge for another day.