fussy cut sampler - chapter 3

march came, and march went... just like that!
this month, i did the process of making my blocks a little differently.
at the monthly class, i simply cut and planned.  mostly because this whole "transparency" concept was making my brain hurt.  i picked out a few more yellows to intertwine, since i didn't have anything to represent a lighter shade.  i also threw in some lighter blues, in hopes to balance out that color since all i had so far was navy, navy and more navy.  no shame in that, but was trying to figure out how to bridge the gap between the dark and light.  this chapter sure helped that!  i also finally got to use some of my new cat fabric that i've been dying to use - you'll see it on block 4, which i've been planning out in my brain since i knew what it consisted of (scale).
so here are my blocks, 2 of which i love, 1 of which i tolerate (it is the only block in the book that doesn't really fit any fussy cuts.  don't get me wrong, i like it, it is just missing a cat or a dinosaur!) and 1 block that i'm still debating if i tolerate it or if i will re do it to add said missing cat or dinosaur.
and there is month three!
i still need to look in to more dinosaur prints, as to add some variety in to the next blocks.
believe me, i have my etsy cart filled with a few ready to go, just waiting for that paycheck to hit!
i actually sewed all four of my blocks together at maker monday, which might be my new strategy to get these done each month.  if i use the time on the first class of the month to plan and cut, then i can just sew the other times... AND i will only have to haul my machine once.  that might be the stronger selling point.  especially if i plan to have my machine serviced at some point.  anywho...
here's the month's blocks hanging out together! as you can see, i'm trying to step back on my yellow and bring some green back in again.

candy cats quilt along - baby quilt

this quilt had a whole lot of different ideas before it became a reality.
i knew i wanted to use these bolder, primary colors but just couldn't decide on which animal to turn it in to.  why animals?  well, the momma of this fresh little one is quite an animal lover, so it only felt right.  i thought about foxes and i thought about bears, but neither one felt right.  then i saw a quilt along pop up on instagram and new it was perfect.  schnitzel and boo put together a quilt along using unicorn hart's candy cat pattern and that's when it hit me.  i had made her daughter a kitty quilt back in 2015 (daffodils & kitty cats), and so it was only fitting that baby brother had a cat quilt to call his own.
the candy cats block was just perfect, these wide eyed kitties and i had the perfect fabric already for it.  using a variety of reds, yellows, greens & oranges really popped out against the blue fabric.  i mixed the colors with one another creating a variety of kittens.
i used some pieces of red to pop against the blue when binding the quilt just to shake things up a little bit.  i did an all over free motion motif of a looser square (much like i did on my patchwork pumpkins quilt) which helped keep the kittens the main focus.  it was tricky this time, since the top thread blended so well in to the background.  i had to rely quite a bit on feeling, simply to find where my last stitch row was in order to not quilt too loosely or tightly to keep it as consistent as possible.
my mom was actually the one to suggest using the pete the cat fabric for the back of the quilt, and once the idea was in my head, i couldn't let it go.  pete is one of favorite stories to have in my preschool classroom, and whenever i have the chance i share this groovy kitty with my friends and their little ones.
it was nice to brush off my paper piecing skills for a bit, and what better way to do it than with cats?
once i got in the rhythm of it again, these cats came together quickly and oh so cutely.
as soon as it arrived to it's new home, i got to see some sweet photos of baby brother on his kitty quilt and big sister wrapped up like a burrito in hers.
i'd say that is a photo that can make any quilter happy as ever.
total quilts number: 108

half hexi smokey cat baby quilt

this poor little quilt got formulated, shopped for and prewashed back in the summer time, and then craziness hit.  jacob & sarah moved their wedding date, so that quilt had to be finished, and then i decided to make my pumpkin quilt in october (which didn't get finished until december) and so it sat.  my dear friend jessica had her second baby girl last year, and i decided she needed a kitty themed quilt.  growing up, she had a black cat named smokey, so when i found this adorable kitty fabric, i knew it was mean to be.   after months of sitting and waiting, these fabrics finally became a top in january at maker monday and got finished up just last month.  the inspiration for this quilt pattern came from one angelina showed us a few maker mondays prior, using hexagons & triangles in various ways to create different shapes and designs.  i had used triangles time and time again, so now it was time to give hexis a go, and i love it!
i may be in the midst of a fussy cut kick, but that peeking kitty was totally a happy accident!
i love that i was able to find this fabric in both colorways - the blue was perfect all alone, but the white just helped lighten things up a little bit with still having some crazy kitties in there.
i got about a yard and a half for the backing of this quilt, because these kitties were too cute to not have everywhere! i really want to buy some more just for myself to hoard. not sure the red will blend with my fussy cut sampler though... ha! i wanted the hexagons to be framed up, which looks awesome on the back as well. some portions also look a little lava lamp-esque... if that's a thing!
with this quilt officially posted, that makes it the first finish of 2018!
i had to go back and check my quilt count, because it had been that long... but this is the first out of (maybe) 20 quilts for the year.  random number goal, don't worry.  i don't actually have 20 quilts currently planned...  more like 10.  ha!
total quilts number: 107 quilts