a bold, fun echino boy quilt

echino-boy-quilt3

This probably looks familiar (perhaps a lot like this first one I made a few months ago), but I can’t help posting another one because I’m truly smitten with these Etsuko Furuya Echino patchwork quilts (girl versions here and here). I keep collecting the prints, and I love to combine them with some great solids for a fun, bold quilt.

echino-boy-quilt

I’m particularly fond of using the red, mustard and black prints for a great little boy quilt. I don’t make too many boyish quilts since I don’t typically like the fabrics designed for boys, but this one I love, and I think you can count on seeing another similar one in the future!

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I rarely use red – either prints or solids – but I did find a couple red solids in my stash and decided to add one to this quilt. And then I liked it so much that I decided to use that same red for the binding.

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And strangely enough (for me and my non red-loving self) I really love it!

But as usual, as much as I love the front, I’ve fallen kind of hard for the back. Isn’t that so often the way?!

echino-boy-back

Now listed in the shop! Sold! Thank you Julie!

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Posted in [search] Charm Quilts, 2010 Finished Quilts, Finished Quilts, Posts about Quilts, Quilts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

little folks scarves

little-folks-scarves

I had to make a couple scarves. How could I not? Anna Maria Horner’s voile fabrics are just perfect for a light scarf… they practically begged to become one!  Anna Maria had already shown a beautiful voile scarf in a few of her photos (there’s one shown in this post). And I know I’m not the only one with scarves on the brain. Everywhere I look I see beautiful examples, and lots of tutorials.

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I played around with some elastic thread to try to make something a la anthropologie. It’s less anthro and more homemade than I was hoping for, but I’m happy with them anyway. They’re soft, slightly ruffly, and add a little something fun to my outfits. I’m already thinking of a third… green perhaps?

Has anyone else made one? Add a link in the comments if you’d like!

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new books…

Right around this time, just as it starts to feel like Spring, I get an urge to make myself new skirts and dresses. I don’t always follow through, but I always have that thought. This year, while having that thought, I found my way over to yesasia.com to pick myself up the three Stylish Dress Books. You may be wondering why someone who has a problem following patterns written in English thinks they’re going to be able to follow Japanese patterns… I wonder that too.

japanese-craft-books

And then, while I was on my Japanese pattern book kick, I found a used bookstore in San Diego which also sold a lot of used Japanese books and picked up a couple patchwork books… and a Real Simple magazine. Of course. Because why wouldn’t you want an old (2007) copy of Real Simple in a language you don’t understand?! (it was only $1).

penguin-classics

I also picked up a couple more of the Penguin Classics to add to my collection (does 4 count as a collection?)

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Emma.

Other titles available here.

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