parsley and coal

I started a new project last week. I'm going to turn these two stacks of fabric

into a quilt that resembles this crude sketch:

Here's what I've got so far:

That's all, folks!

Big ole mess

Remember those improvised blocks I made from scraps?  Well, I finally decided to make a mini quilt out of them.  My initial idea was to simply sew them together and create a back using additional scraps.  Not content with something simple, I made a few alterations.

I honestly don't know how to feel about it.  Part of me definitely hates it.  But the remaining part is keeping an open mind, hoping that the quilting and binding will improve the whole look of the quilt.

The plans I had for the back of the quilt under went several revisions.  I had a stack of "butt ends" that I cut off from the strips I used in the zig zag quilt. 

I sewed them together in rows and ended up with this:

I took out my rotary cutter.

Yuck.
Guys, I'm like King Midas in reverse.  :(

Red! Red! Red!

 This was my original plan for the wonky star quilt:

I wasn't exactly thrilled with the quilt when I saw it at this point in it's construction.  As much as I liked the color scheme, the blue star didn't seem to fit.  The smallest star, from afar, looked like a giant, blotchy stain.  After some hesitation, I decided to go in a different direction and created another block.

Wow!  I can't get over the richness and vibrancy of the red.

What a huge difference a few simple tweaks can make.  I'm glad I took a risk (albeit, a relatively small one) and experimented a little.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

I was playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 this weekend when I noticed a potential quilt pattern etched on the floor of a bonus room.

 This pattern really caught my eye despite its simplicity.  Maybe I'll turn this sketch into a real quilt one day.  

Oh, by the way, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an awesome game and far exceeds the excellence of its predecessor, Super Mario Galaxy.