a few new things

On Friday I had the chance to attend a day retreat with some of my fellow Minneapolis Modern Quilt Guild members. It's always a lot of fun to visit and sew with others--such a nice change from sewing solo in my basement! My friend Brianne and I have been planning on making this quilt together (each making our own version) for a few months now. We figured it would be a great way to bust some scraps and by sewing together, we could keep each other accountable along the way. We don't get the chance to sew together in real life very often, so this weekend was a great chance to start it together...in person. Sharing scraps from across the table was definitely an added benefit!

The top two blocks are Brianne's and the bottom two blocks are mine. Looking at this photo, I like her blocks better! I was afraid to throw in any multi-colored fabric, but I see now that it adds a nice amount of interest without detracting from the palette. It's good to know going forward!

I even jumped out of my comfort zone and made a purple block. (What on earth?!?!) I'm thinking of limiting my quilt to green, aqua, purple, gray and black/white for the color scheme. It will be difficult to restrain myself from using ALL the colors, but then again, it might be nice to change things up.
The pattern is Quilter's Palette by the super talented Rita of Red Pepper Quilts.

This was a little project that I've wanted to do for quite some time! I bought felt balls over the weekend, but they were just too big for my acorn caps....so, as much as I was resisting, I HAD to make my own. (Sometimes it's the only way!) I used leftover wool yarn and felted them by hand in my laundry room sink. I used this video for reference, and was delighted that I was able to use yarn (it has to be 100% wool) rather than roving. I couldn't believe that it actually worked! I was squealing like a school girl when I made these. Thankfully my family is used to my many crafty endeavors and they take it all in stride. :)  I have plans to make many, many more in various colors. It was so much fun to play! If you've ever thought about giving this a try, I would highly recommend it!

Happy Monday to you!