Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Selfish Sewing with Sparkle...

I've been feeling a bit meh about sewing lately.  First I chalked it up to a new school year and all the craziness that ensued.  But now that the dust has settled and I've got a little more time on my hands again, I've still been slow to get back on my machine and tackle my list of quilting to-do's.  Now that I'm starting to sort through a ton of blogger-friend posts, I've seen a phrase that has me thinking again.  Selfish Sewing.

Imagine Gnats and Made With Moxie are hosting a Selfish Sewing Week where we are encouraged to sew for ourselves a little bit everyday.  The more I thought about my rut, I wondered if all the nonstop sewing that I've done and gifted away over the summer has sapped a bit of my energy away.  If I at least thought about a possible project that I can work on in bits and pieces that's actually for me, would it zap me out of my funk?

Side Note:  When I just reread those last few lines, it sounded awfully Carrie Bradshaw.  Not an intentional ripoff and a little outdated, but I'm leaving it!

So I decided to take a mental break and do some selfish sewing with Sparkle.  Molli Sparkles, that is.  If you haven't seen the amazing rainbow Broken Herringbone quilt, you are missing out.  It pretty much exploded on the internet, doncha know?  Molli decided that it was just too fabulous not to share and is hosting a Broken Herringbone QAL.  It started a few weeks ago and I've been on the fence about plunging in. I love the block design, but I've done quite a few rainbow quilts already and I'm thinking that my Roy G. Biv obssession needs a little break.

As I turned the whole QAL over and over in my mind, I kept coming back to the same idea.  Why not flip it?  Instead of making each of the blocks a different color, why not make all of the herringbone stripes black and white?  Then you can add the color back in through the sashing!  I gave myself permission to do a little selfish sewing and popped out a test block.



Swoon.  Instead of the full rainbow spectrum, here is my color inspiration and the solids I've pulled to match it:






What do you think?  I think I'm in love and inspired...and ready to get going all over again.  Thanks Molli - you sure do know how to give a girl her sparkle back.

Linking up:
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

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17 comments:

  1. Lorna McMahonSeptember 24, 2013 at 8:58 PM

    Back in the saddle again! Yeah! Glad to see you've joined in the QAL. Your block is awesome and I love the solids you have chosen for the rest of the blocks! It's going to be sweet!

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  2. ReneeSeptember 24, 2013 at 8:59 PM

    Oh I just LOVE where you are going with this! I can't wait to see the rest of the colors in their blocks. Glad you got your groove back!

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  3. QuiltinGalSeptember 25, 2013 at 7:14 AM

    Love the splash of blue with the black and white.

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  4. audreySeptember 25, 2013 at 8:23 AM

    I'd wondered what a bright sashing would do for this block! I love your version! Gorgeous!

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  5. MalinisQuiltsSeptember 25, 2013 at 9:03 AM

    Oh I really love this idea. Your block looks great!
    Love the solids you choose for rest of the blocks!

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  6. JenSeptember 25, 2013 at 9:07 AM

    First, love the S&TC reference! We all deserve to act like Carrie now and then (I might blame her for my shoe addiction). Second, love your idea for mixing up your new quilt. I can't wait to see more.

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  7. AmySeptember 25, 2013 at 10:58 AM

    I love the idea of black and white fabrics with color bands to separate. and your chosen colors for swoon are gorgeous.

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  8. SeeMaryQuiltSeptember 25, 2013 at 12:46 PM

    Love it! This is going to look so stunning! I really hope you bring it to Guild! I want to see it!

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  9. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2013 at 12:49 PM

    What a great twist on this block! I wish I had thought of it. Can't wait to see the finished product.

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  10. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2013 at 2:40 PM

    Pretty hilarious Carrie shout out. :) I'm glad you found your sparkle! And it's fun to see a different take on the block.

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  11. charlotteSeptember 25, 2013 at 3:58 PM

    Molli sure knows how to get things sparkling! Love your rendition of this block. Can't wait to see more.

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  12. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2013 at 4:20 PM

    Oh my word, that is just glorious! (Yet another variation of the broken herringbone quilt has just been added to my To Do list.....)
    Happy Selfish Sewing!
    LPC
    lpc@lynnepusscat.com

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  13. alidizaSeptember 25, 2013 at 8:30 PM

    This is fabulous!!! You know how to sparkle things up:-)

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  14. UnknownSeptember 26, 2013 at 12:43 AM

    I love your idea to make the sashing different colors. I may have to borrow that idea for a later date. Great job!

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  15. LynetteSeptember 26, 2013 at 1:12 PM

    What a fun idea for the herringbones!! I love watching everyone work on that QAL.

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  16. Kelly @ My Quilt InfatuationSeptember 27, 2013 at 5:56 PM

    That is going to look awesome! I can't wait to see it!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  17. JennieSeptember 29, 2013 at 3:53 PM

    I love your block! It will look so different to all the others!

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