Stitched in Color

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seed block

Did you have a good weekend?  I hope so!  We lucked out with warmer temps and sunshine.  As much fun as the snow has been, it's just fine to see it go!

It seems like many have been snowbound, putting a hiccup or two in the postal system.  Last week I was waiting on four fabric shipments, each needed for one project or another in process (I had to stop gathering flowers for want of new Kona solids).  Feeling stir-crazy and sew-crazy, I decided to jump right in to working on my March bee quilt concept.  Early, for sure, but best to jump on those ideas when they land!

scrappy happy inspiration pull

I pulled this mess of fabrics to symbolize the scrappy color scheme I'm imagining.  No purple.  Minimize orange.  Avoid grassy and limey greens.  Other than that, most anything goes!  There are lots of cool greens, cool pinks and aqua/teal blues, plus yellow (always yellow!).

Mariner's Compass block

And lookey what I made!  It's a mariner's compass block, specifically this one from Quilting on the Square, with some modifications.  I enlarged it (now finishes 14") and added a seam to the smaller spokes.

machine paper piecing

There was a time when mariner's compass blocks seemed horribly fiddly to me.  It's satisfying to reflect on how my sewing has grown.  I cut and pieced this block last night and quite enjoyed myself!  I would change one fabric choice, though.  I'm not sure that the main, top compass section stands out enough.  Maybe if I had swapped that pink stripe fabric for a saturated red print it would have done better?

I'm going to make a few more inspiration pieces for my bee mates and share the whole quilt concept closer to March.  For now, my Konas have arrived and I'm eager to start cutting!  Will be back later this week with some fabricy goodness to share.