Making a Summer Quilt

A couple of months ago, I was given a gift. A friend named Norah and a couple of others got together and gave me something really exciting.

It was an entire layer cake! Forty-two 10" x 10" squares of Moda's new "High Street" fabrics! Oh, wow! But what to do with this delightful group of fabrics?

I thought about it for weeks as I worked on mug rugs and my new yellow purse. It had to be something for summer, and not anything so small as a mug rug. First I thought to do a flip-flop quilt. I made one several years ago and people keep asking for the pattern. I do help them get started, but it's a McCalls pattern, not one of my own.

Did I want to make another flip-flop quilt, though? Really? Nope. Not exactly a unique idea.

But a quilt with a whole summer wardrobe ... 

That would be fun! 

A wardrobe for a summer at the beach.

So that's what I designed, and here it is.

Oh, my goodness, what fun this was to make!

That is, it was fun once I got the wrinkles ironed out. The first plan was to use unique blocks like these. 

It was a very pretty block and on paper it looked great. So I made six blocks and put them up on my design board. 

Hmm....

Something just wasn't working.

I called in the hubby for consultation. We tried another arrangement.

Definitely not!

So it was back to the drawing board.

"What's wrong with simple?" my better half asked. "Can't you just keep it really simple?"

Well, of course! 

Brilliant!

Gotta love that man!

Nice and simple to showcase the fabrics. 

Perfectly square, straight sashings, easy to sew. 

I took the little quilt outside to our park and photographed it in the beautiful sunshine - even though it's only 33 degrees today and last night's snow still hasn't completely melted away. 

It looks nice an warm out there, so that's all that really matters.

I didn't have enough of the plain gray for the back, so had to innovate. So much more fun than a plain backing, don't you think?

Now, on to the next project!

Guess what!

I have scraps!