Herringbone Baby Quilt

My gray and teal scraps turned into a herringbone quilt, made minimalist.  I generally followed these instructions by Rachel, although my strips were 2 1/2 inches wide, and I made my half block 6 1/2 x 24.  If you'd like to try a herringbone block, I suggest marking the angle of the strips in your first block with masking tape on your ruler. Then flip the ruler to be sure the angles match on the other strips before your trim them.

I did some straight line quilting to echo the herringbone shape of the piecing.  I paired the prints in Kona Coal, and I got to use two Shades of Gray prints on the back that I've been saving for just the right project (notice, one of them is  a herringbone print!).

I love the contrast of the icy aqua binding, set off by one little strip of teal.

I think this quilt would look amazing photographed against a snowy backdrop, but I'm not complaining about the unseasonably warm January we've had so far!

This is a good sized baby quilt at 42 x 49, and it is listed in my shop.
With the trimmings from the herringbone blocks, I made another mug rug for my Dad.  I love this color palette for guys!

It's the Small Things

A mug rug for my dad. He'll use it everyday to set his coffee cup on, and it'll keep the granite counters from draining all the heat away. Just a small reminder of me.

I feel drawn to small projects after the completion of a long term project, for the instant gratification sure, but also for the freedom they offer. You can play with new ideas, color combos, etc without the commitment of a whole quilt.

I played around with a technique from Jacquie's amazing Broken Cogs quilt. I also got to try out my new dresden wedge ruler. This is an edgy spin on the dresden, and more masculine, I think. I also got to use orange and gray. Does any color not look fantastic with gray!? And finally I got to try some squarish meandering quilting. Phew, it's a little tricky, but fun.

I love small things when they're like this.

Another quick project (if you, unlike me, are actually a good knitter - mine took three tries and over a week) is a preemie baby hat. Save the Children is hosting a big drive for them now. Hats are due by the end of the month and go to newborn babies in developing countries. I'm hoping to have a couple more done to add to the pile being donated by a local knitting group. See this site for more info. FYI these are always appreciated by the NICU at your local hospital too.