Rabbit Trails

One of my favorite paintings is a piece of concept art that Mary Blair created for Disney's Alice in Wonderland. I ran across it once when I was doing research on her, and when a tiny version of the painting printed out along with the text, I framed it. At first glance, it looks like a soft wooded landscape...until you look closely near the lower right edge to see a glimpse of the white rabbit hurrying off on his way, the sight that sent Alice running off on her great adventure. I've often thought that this painting reminds me so much of the way I tackle my creative pursuits. I seem to follow all the white rabbits that come across my trail.

I've been playing along with the Sunny Day Supply Log Cabin Sew Along on Instagram (#sunnylogcabinsal) since last week, and it's been such a relaxing, enjoyable project for me. I decided to make my quilt entirely from my linen and canvas stash, prints I've been collecting for years but don't use as often as I should.

I cut 3" squares from a darling teatime print for my centers and then cut a whole bunch of 1 1/2" wide strips for the rest. I wanted the quilt to have a light, airy look to it, so I pulled in a lot of neutrals to balance out the colors.

Every block felt like a new adventure to me as I lay out centers and strips on my cutting mat and played with placement as you can see above. I had no idea where I was going with each one until I finally settled on something that felt right. Sometimes I would have everything in place and then get another idea and pull it all to pieces to follow that white rabbit, which almost always seemed to lead me to better things.

My original plan was to make 9 blocks, but after sewing together 4, that white rabbit came running past me, and I had to follow it. I played around with different arrangements of blocks and strips and center squares, and this was the result. It's a small quilt, only 40" square, but packed full of fabrics that I love.

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to quilt this one by hand or by machine, but that's okay. There's time. That's what I love about this sort of sewing. It doesn't matter where you go with it or how you get there or what time it takes you, just so long as you're having fun.

Playtime

Sometimes you just need a bit of playtime.

I've been working my way through deadlines and secret sewing lately, and after finishing another project last night, I suddenly decided that I needed a break -- it was time to do something just for fun. I pulled out a pile of scraps from a recent project and went back to one of my favorite blocks of all time: the scrappy log cabin. Rainbow colors, simple straight line quilting, text prints...it checks all my happy boxes and makes such a beautiful pillow.

The back is a strawberry print by Emily Isabella for Birch Fabrics. I can never say no to strawberries.

So now this pillow is sitting on my favorite chair in the living room, waiting for me the next time I want to curl up with a good book. And I'm feeling refreshed and ready to go on again.

Playtime...always a good idea.

Confessions of a Kindle Convert

I always seem to be the last one to jump on a new trend. It's not that I have anything against progress, mind you. Most of the time my reasons are either financial or motivational -- a nice way of saying that I can be a cheap stick-in-the-mud unless we're talking about something near and dear to my heart like fabric. So when the first e-readers hit the market a few years back, I wasn't interested. Nothing could tempt me to choose that little screen over holding a real book in my hands.

It's taken me a while, but after letting my husband talk me into getting one for my last birthday, I've found that there's room in my life for a Kindle. I've only bought a few e-books so far, but I must admit that it's incredible to be able to click that purchase button and instantly have them ready to read. It also works wonderfully for big books which are just plain exhausting to lug around with you everywhere. I'm finally getting past the first hundred pages in Shelby Foote's massive Civil War trilogy -- which I've started and given up on at least half a dozen times over the years -- and it's just as fascinating as I knew it would be.

Of course, a new electronic device means a new case, and I had so much fun sewing a little sleeve for my Kindle. I went with a patchwork log cabin design, using prints from some of my very favorite designers. This time I decided to hand quilt instead of using my machine, even adding two french knots at the center of those flowers on Ayumi's adorable teapot. The case is backed in brown linen and lined with a Paris map print. I finished it off with a leather button and hair elastic for the closure. It's simple and sweet...just the way I like it.

So for those of you who've been holding out like I was, give in. Get yourself an e-reader. You don't have to use it for everything, but it's pretty great for a lot of things.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to 1861...

Autumn Sky

It feels absolutely fantastic to share my latest quilt with you -- officially christened Autumn Sky. I am so ready for fall right now, and thankfully it seems like the weather may actually be starting to cooperate down here in Southern California. Of course, now that I've written that, it will be 102 degrees again tomorrow...

I adore the color palette of this quilt. It's rustic and vibrant and so very fall. The giant log cabin block lets the prints shine, which is exactly what I wanted to do.

For the backing, I used four glorious yards of colored dots from Erin Michael's lovely Lush Uptown collection for Moda. I can't get enough of this print -- it's beautiful.

This quilt is for my dad, one of the nicest guys I've ever known. I love you, Dad.

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday.