Well, the verdict is in...

...and it probably isn't what you expected.

First off, thanks for all for the input on my border conundrum. When I posted about it, I was leaning toward just using white because I felt the black darkened it up a little too much. However, the black border with turquoise binding got a lot of votes, so I did what I should have done in the first place and pulled out the binding fabric for more auditioning.

I definitely liked the pop of turquoise against the black border. It brightened things up considerably.

Icky inside lighting. Sorry.

When I removed the black, I still liked the brightness without it. And then, Wanda made a point about the advantages of a darker border for baby/toddler quilts, which got the wheels turning again.

I really need to get new light bulbs in the kitchen

So I moved that top four inches up and to the left -- and decided I liked this best of all:

This keeps the quilt bright and happy, and I'll use the black for binding (already cut! hooray!), which will be functional, add more contrast and pull it all together. Three birds, one stone!

For anyone who thinks I flat-out ignored all your suggestions, it was quite the opposite. There were some great points made, and everything I heard was just what I needed to get me thinking differently and headed in the right direction.

Couldn't have done it without you. Thanks!

Border-line insanity...

In order to relieve some of the pressure from having to produce a gajillion quilts in three weeks (at least that's what it feels like), I am doing something I should probably be doing every time I face a deadline:  resorting to the Duffle Bag of Forgotten Tops, that dark place in my house where completed flimsies get abandoned and can only dream of making it to full-on Quiltdom.

This is one of the few lucky ones that got out ((I swear I heard little voices cheering "you have been chosen!" (yes, that's a Toy Story reference) as I returned the bag to the closet)) -- made a few years ago for a friend who put in a request for something girly just after it was completed (doh!), it's totally appropriate for a baby due this May whose gender will be a surprise for the first-time parents. This means I can complete a UFO and save time! Woo-woo!

All but six of the colored squares are Jan Mullen prints and finish at 1" (blocks are 2"), so it wasn't very big. I added the purple and white borders this weekend to make it a little less dizzying and a little larger.  I was going to add a third border of black, but I'm not sure I like it. Binding will be the bright turquoise by Archie's tail.

I've been auditioning it with and without since yesterday, and can't make up my mind. It really shouldn't be this complicated.

This kind of indecision can derail me for days, which I really can't afford at this point, so I need some objective opinions.

Whaddy'all think?

Where did January go?

It seems like I'd just started on my little batik project, and then all the announcements hit:  FIVE babies due this spring/summer and two weddings! Rather than spring into action, I think I was numbed at the prospect of all that sewing and spent the month in denial.

It's going to be a busy few months! I have a couple projects in the planning stages, one with fabric purchased and one in progress, but encountered a snag with it this weekend:  I didn't have enough coordinating prints for the tarragon Kona. But instead of going out to buy more fabric (because I really, truly do not need any more fabric in my house), I got out the PaintStiks and stencils and made some.

Cute, huh? I kind of wish I'd done these for the whole quilt!

A new year, a new start...

I have great hopes for 2012, though I think I said the same for last year -- and well, that could have turned out a lot better than it actually did. I wasn't nearly as productive as I'd hoped in 2011, so I thought I'd start this New Year out right by ignoring that tub of UFO's and starting something else.

I had Bali Pop leftovers from this quilt. It took me a while to find them buried deep in the stash, but I had an idea (and you know when I get an idea, I have to run with it) and needed to see how it would work. I did a little reorg/cleaning while I was digging, so it was worth the effort.

There was about 30" left of each strip, so I had a fair amount to work with. The middles are pieced however I felt like it -- it's a stretch to call it improvisation, but let's just say they're all a bit different. I also added some satin and shantung silks for a pop of shine. Blocks are 4" square.

So far, I like how it's turning out. This batch is only the first third of the pieces I cut, so I still have a ways to go.

Here's to new beginnings for a New Year!

Aloha, baby!

The American Girl Doll of the Year is Kanani,  a "cheerful girl who helps others by sharing the aloha spirit of Hawai’i." She's waiting under the tree this year for my Monkey Girl -- a present from her Uncle Mike.

Kanani comes with a plethora of accessories (naturally), including a shave ice stand and a luau outfit. What she doesn't come with is Hawaiian-print pajamas to match her big girl...

...or a grass skirt to wear over her tank top and shorts...

or coordinating flip-flops and a matching lei.

Yes, that lei took forEVER to make, but that was half the fun. And the flip-flops with the little beaded flowers? I was laughing as I made them, they're so darn cute!

That's the last of the homemade gifts this year -- just in time to pack in the sleigh and head home for the holidays!

Merry Christmas, all! And aloha!

The countdown clock is ticking...

Well, it's that time again -- less than a week until Christmas, and all those projects we should have been working on since June but started just after Thanksgiving need to be finished!

I just put the binding on my last Christmas quilt, to be delivered tonight. I still have to clean up some loose threads, but this one is DONE! It's destined for my girlfriend's vacation home in northern Michigan, where I'm hoping it will be well used.

Where there's a photo op, there's Archie

I'm slowly but surely working my way through my rather large stash of flannel, specifically the pine tree print I used for the sashing and backing here. I had visions when I purchased the bolt of making oodles of snuggly flannel Up North quilts. This is #3, so I have a few more to go. How many constitutes an "oodle," anyway?

In the zone...

Sometimes when I'm really into a project, I get in The Zone and can sew for hours. I'll even forget to eat.
 

Luckily, though, I have someone to provide some not-so-subtle reminders...

that it's time for dinner.

What would I do without him?