On planning

The idea of a quilt comes easily to me, the execution not so much.  With a few exceptions, I have generally sewn quilts using fabrics from the same fabric designer and line.  Some sewists tsk tsk at this, but I really don't mind.  It takes the guesswork out of figuring out which colors and patterns will complement each other.  Plus, those fabrics were quite literally made for each other.  But I wanted to branch out and challenge myself a bit for the mini quilt swap. 

I have a new appreciation for sewists who pair fabrics from different fabrics and lines.  It's not as easy as they make it look!  I intended to pull many different colors but to my surprise, I ended up pulling mainly yellows, greens, and blues. So I embraced these colors and created a new plan.

 

This is a pattern I have been wanting to make for a while now, using this little lovely as my inspiration. I'm excited to see this come together.  

 

And there were stars in her eyes

I've had a little swap envy recently.  I see pictures posted here and there of  lovely packages filled with quilty goodness people send and receive.  I want some of that in my mailbox too!  Not to mention the joy of making and sharing something that you know will be appreciated and loved by the recipient (one hopes anyway!).  So I jumped on the bandwagon and signed up for the schnitzel and boo mini quilt swap.

My partner loves bright colors as much as I do, and after careful stalking of her flickr and instagram, I saw she liked star quilt blocks too.  I have a few trips coming up and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to try my hand at some English paper piecing.  The deadline for the swap is still a month away but I am fighting my procrastinating nature and starting now so that I will enjoy the process rather than stress my way to the finish line.

Have you participated in any swaps lately?