Boston Top and Blog Hop...

About a month ago at the Quilts for Boston sew-in at gather here, I ended up focusing on making quilt backs instead of assembling a top.  But I promise that I'm not shirking my guild obligations - I ended up taking a packet of blocks home with me to finish a top in my spare time (Ralphie voice:  He he...that's a good one, Dad).  I chose a package with a focus on lines and stripes and was pretty excited to get it home to inspect them all and play with layouts.  As soon as I got home, I took them all out and fiddled for a while.  And promptly got stuck. 

The bag just sat there for three weeks.  It stared at me pretty passive aggressively for a while...and I chose to ignore it because I was still stuck. It was all those lines and stripes - it was just so much busier than my typical palate and I couldn't get past my own opinions and sampler prejudices.  It's not you, lovely blocks.  It's me. 

But at the eleventh hour I had a brainstorm and wondered if I could trick a couple of the blocks into creating some messages and breathing space.  Just a couple of adjustments to make these...

into this...

Then turning a block on point...

And once I gave myself permission to only use about two-thirds of the blocks, here is the finished product!  What do you think?  

In addition to not really being a sampler fan, I'm also not a big yellow fabric person.  What was I thinking??  But I'm hoping that whoever gets this finished quilt will think "happy sunshine" and not "gross egg yolk".  Here's hoping!

Another piece of news to share is that I'm participating in this year's Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop by Plum & June!  I'm really looking forward to getting to know a ton of new modern quilting bloggers over the next two months and hope that you'll join me!

Friday, June 7th

Nancy @ Owen's Olivia

Amy @ 13 Spools

Ashley @ Wasn't Quilt In A Day

Casey @ The Studiolo 

Nanette @ Yeah, I Made That

Ange @ Heart Of Charnwood

Kim @ Robot Mom Sews

Erica @ Kitchen Table Quilting

Friday, June 14

Julie @ Jolie Maxtin

Melissa @ Melia Mae Quilting

Adrianne @ On The Windy Side

Molli @ Molli Sparkles

Laura @ Little And Lots

Sarah @ Duck Egg Threads

Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

Cari @ There's A Thread

Valerie @ Between Quilts

Friday, June 21

Leigh Anne @ Ella's Cottage

Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt

Sarah @ Quilt Candy

Jackie @ NW Patchwork

Liz @ Beadqueene's Bits And Baubles

Erica @ Happy Fabric

Stephanie @ Simple Sewendipity

Lauren @ Seraphym

Amy @ Cloud CouCou Crafts

Friday, June 28

Green @ So Sew Green

Gwendellyn @ The Rainbow Revolts

Jessica @ Stitched In Thyme

Amira @ Little Mushroom Cap

Kathy @ Kayak Quilting

Michelle @ Factotum Of Arts

Paula @ The Sassy Quilter

Kris @ Sew Sunshine

Camilla @ Faffling

Friday, July 5

Christa @ Christa Quilts!

Alyce @ Wonderland By Alyce

Anna @ The Crooked Banana

Rachel @ Sew Happily Ever After 

Stephanie @ Quarter Incher

Shayla @ Sassafras Lane Designs

Caroline @ Carolines Craftiness

Lisa @ Hilltop House Creative Works

Fridau, July 12

Leona @ Leona's Quilting Adventure

Karen @ Karen, {Novice} Quilter

Anne @ PlayCrafts

Rachel @ Let's Begin Sewing...

Jan @ Sew And Sow Farm

Anna @ Quilting Along The Grain

Cath @ Wombat Quilts

Sarah @ {No} Hats In The House

Friday, July 19

Karen @ Little Birdie Quilting Studio

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures

Katie @ Snuggle Up With A Dish From Karma 

Alison @ Making Happyness

Ella and Nesta @ Ella & Nesta's Little Room

Adrienne @ Chezzetcook Modern Quilts

Nicole @ Modern Handcraft

Aylin @ AyliN-Nilya

Kelsey and Amanda @ Everyday Fray

Friday, July 26

Vicki @ A Quilter's Mission

RobinSue @ RobinSue Quilts

Elisa Lea @ Lovelea Designs

Elizabeth @ In The Boondocks

Jenny @ A Note To Follow Sew

Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts

Sonia @ Fabric & Flowers

Emily @ Sew E.T.

Em @ Sewing by Moonlight

Check them out - they will make fabulous additions to your modern inspiration list during June & July!

Linking up: