Another finish...

I haven't shared this one yet -- it's my second Quilts for Kids Lenten project. Ideally I would have gotten this and "Pennants" to them in time for Easter, but I'm just happy I got them finished at all! I don't do circles (or, in this case, half-circles) very much at all, but I'm giving them a try. This design has a few more possibilities that I'm eager to experiment with...when the time allows and the inspiration hits --  a rare confluence.

From many of the pictures I've seen, it seems Quilts for Kids doesn't get many boy quilts, and a lot of those that are have novelty prints for very small children. I like this one because it's masculine colors, but not too young. The back is a little wild, but the front reminds me of basketballs, or planets. Hopefully it'll have some appeal for the older kids.

So it's washed, threads knotted, and ready to ship. And I can pat myself on the back for actually finishing something on the to-do list!

Possessed by a creative spirit...

A very odd thing happened at Chez Kwiltz today.

I awoke in the wee hours of the morning, all hot and uncomfortable in this weird heat wave we're having (91 yesterday, and two days ago we had a freeze warning -- Mother Nature must be bipolar), unable to go back to sleep. I was feeling pretty rested though, and there really isn't any returning to Dreamland anyway once you've awakened the cat, so I got up, fed Archie his breakfast, and in the dim light of dawn, before I'd even had my coffee, started cutting into fabric.

Up until 4:45am I didn't have a thought of starting a new project, and by seven o'clock, all the rows were complete.

Pardon the cat hair -- making a dark quilt during shedding season isn't perhaps the best idea

It wasn't quite autopilot, but it did kind of feel like it was out of my control. It had been a while since I'd pieced anything, and I had a new "Comma" charm pack (the result of a weak moment online last week) just begging to be opened...those two factors combined to create this overwhelming compulsion to make something NOW, and I ran with it.

I didn't finish the top, but I got a good chunk of it done before I had other work to do. It'll be a wedding gift for later this summer, and I'm thankful my subconscious (or whatever that was) gave me the head start.

And now I need a nap.

The power of positive thinking...

It took a while -- seems like none of my projects move very quickly these days -- but I finally got "Positive Thinking" done. Doesn't seem possible that I finished the top at the end of 2011. Missed the gift-giving occasion by a long shot, but better late than never, I say!

 Archie photo-bombs.

I adored this one long before I quilted it, and now? Totally in love!

The quilting (using Signature variegated "Sand Dunes" #20 cotton thread) came out about a half-inch apart, and it creates great texture -- not too much, not too little.

Not his best side.

The batting is Thinsulate -- lightweight but very warm...and, if the amount of cat hair on it is any indication, it's very, very snuggly, too. Every time I put it down, the cat was on it, and it wasn't like he had no other quilts to choose from -- he wanted THIS one. We watched close to the entire third season of "Mad Men" together while I bound it, Archie on my lap.

Yes, I know, I'm the slowest hand-binder EVER.

If I hadn't already sewn a label on it, I'd be tempted to keep this one for myself (or Archie), but it's going away soon. Maybe I need to make another one for the two of us?