And Sew-On . . .

Whew, talk about a whirlwind week.

 Several friends came for lasagna last Sunday.  You know your dinner party is a success when there's a lot of laughter and everyone has plenty to eat.

My mother's china has only been used 4 times since she gave it to me in 1986.  Now that I'm living in one place for years instead of months, and it's finally unpacked, I hope to use it more often.

The Christmas decorations were kept to a minimum.   Just enough to add splashes of color here and there.

An old Country Living magazine photo was the inspiration for my latest quilt.  Warm browns for the churn dash block, bordered by an even warmer red.  The background print is a shirting from Whittles.com.

Just need to add the borders  . . . .  still deciding what width they need to be.

Here's the block recipe:

2 warm brown 3-1/2" squares
2 background 3-1/2" squares.
(Layer, draw a diagonal line through the middle, sew on each side creating 4 triangle blocks.  Trim to 3")

2" x 13" piece of warm brown.
2-1/4" x 13" piece of background print.
Sew together down the 13" length.  Press the seam towards the dark side and cut into 4 - 3" long sections.

The background print needs to be wider on that unit so the block trims down more easily once assembled.

The center background square is cut at 3".

Sew skinny 1/4" seams throughout and you'll end up with a trimmed 8" square.

Red sashing strips are cut at 3".

This quilt works best with a variety of light, dark, and medium prints using one print for each block.  Add some with stripes for visual appeal.  Most importantly starch fabric heavily before cutting out your strips and squares.

Dolly and I would like to wish you all a very happy and sew-full New Year.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .