Busy times

Hey everyone!  I've been busy these past couple of weeks, just trying to enjoy new quilting experiences and *gasp* cut into precious fabrics that I've been hoarding.  Aka, the little bits of Mendocino that I've been gathering from here and there.  And Wonderland.

But, before I show what I'm working on there, here's what I finished the past couple of weeks...

This beauty is called London Lattice.  Yes, it's more Parisville, but I named it London Lattice for two reasons.  One, I was watching the Olympics (and the qualifiers) while this quilt top was coming together.  Two, it will be going to London to live with my aunt and uncle.  They have generously offered their home to my hubby and I for a week to see England (and Scotland!) and we wanted a good hostess gift for them, since they will be giving up their week to us.  Next stop is Sarah in NY to quilt it up for us.

This top is proof that I just can't leave my new fabrics alone.  This is a plus quilt a la Jeni's plus quilt tutorial.  I used my half-yard stack of Tula Pink The Birds and the Bees in the Mist palate to make this top (plus an extra half-yard from the green colorway).  I'm still debating on the quilting of this one (straight-line to emphasize the fabric?  FMQ to practice my skills?)

This is a bee block made for the lovely Kelly in my Gone Quiltin' Bee.  My hubby loved it so much that it became a project for me to make one for him...

Meet our birdhouse.  And, before you question his tastes, his favorite color is purple.  Yes, purple.  So, he loves this pillow.  And me?  I love that I got to try some new quilting techniques from Angela Walter's new book.  Aside--This is an AMAZING book.  I feel like I have learned so much from her techniques and tips that I have to recommend it to any quilter who feels like their FMQ is in a rut.

So, now what?  I'm working with some new fabrics and techniques that I learned yesterday at my quilt guild meeting.  We had a... workshop, for lack of a better word, on improv piecing.  Before I go any further, understand that improv is my nemesis.  Seriously.  I am the product of two engineers.  I fully subscribe to the model that tab A and slot B should go together seamlessly.  But, I digress.  I went to the improv workshop with an open mind and a huge bag of scraps (why waste good fabric?).  And, I had a great time.  I went slightly wonky.  Which was a huge step for me.  Case in point...

My blocks from the workshop.  Before I go any further, I have to mention Ruth.  She is the most wonderfully evil person ever.  When we were setting up our machines for the workshop, she noticed me looking through her scraps and offered to let me play (in my defense, I offered the same to her).  BAD MISTAKE.  She had about 1/2 of a jelly roll of Wonderland in her scrap basket.  So, I took it to play with.  I figured Wonderland and wonky went together.  I don't quite know what I'm going to do with these blocks, but I'm having fun playing.

The other interesting (and useful) thing that I took from the workshop came from Adrienne.  She demo-ed improv herringbone blocks.  I've been debating doing some herringbone and hearing her technique (for people who don't like improv) really opened my mind.  To do her herringbone, she put all of her quilt pieces in a bag and randomly drew them out.  As long as they didn't have a same fabric, she just sewed them up.  Very liberating.  Here's what I have so far:

Originally, I was thinking of a pillow, but, looking at it now, I may have been thinking too big.  So, now it's looking like either a wall hanging or a baby blanket.  TBD...

I better get back to it before I'm pulled away to make dinner for the hubby.  :D