waiting quilt

Before I start my post today, I wanted to say a BIG thank you for all your wonderful comments on my scrap vortex quilt. Each and every one is much appreciated! THANK YOU!

I'm sure you've seen -and you probably own-at least a few mini charm packs. Each one contains 42 2 1/2" pre-cut squares. Moda aptly calls them Candy. (I'm not sure what other companies call them.) They are cute, sweet, and too good to pass up! But, what DO you do with them? EVERYONE that I talk to asks that. Since I have a deep love of the 2 1/2" square (as you can see here, here, here, here, here and here) I thought I would tackle this "problem". I'm developing a line of Candy Patterns that highlight these little gems. I was going to work up 3-5 patterns to start with and release them all at once, but I am way to impatient to do so!

My first candy pattern is called "waiting." Fabric is scrumptious by Bonnie and Camille.

This idea has been in my head for years and years. I'm excited that it has finally been translated into fabric! It was inspired by the loading icon on my iPhone. You know, the one that spins around when files are waiting to load. (How's that for everyday inspiration?) I thought that it would be fitting to turn that design into a baby quilt, as there is much waiting when that new special bundle is about to arrive.

Believe it or not, this pattern uses just one mini charm pack for the blocks. The background and cornerstones are additional, obviously. But still, not too shabby! It's been awhile since I made a quilt with a white background. I love how crisp and fresh it is!

I used the serpentine stitch on my Janome to quilt it. (Setting #19, for those of you who have a Janome Horizon.) It took awhile to quilt, but the texture is amazing! This was a new to me technique and I was nervous to use this quilt as a guinea pig. Every 2"-5" or so I drew a guideline with my hera marker to make sure that my lines were on track and mostly vertical. The quilt shifted quite a bit, but I always worked from the top down, so the shifting was evenly distributed. Phew!

For the binding I used some children at play fabric that was aging (nicely) in my stash. Cut on the bias, it makes a beautiful finishing touch for this quilt. I do love me some red gingham!

The backing is a sweet little red riding hood print by Tasha Noel for Riley Blake. I had just enough for backing and I'm sad that I don't have many scraps leftover. I keep reminding myself that fabric is to USE, not to hoard....and maybe some day I will actually believe it! :)

The quilt measures 38" square. The pattern is available as an instant download and you can purchase it here if you are interested.

Happy Monday to you!