So, taxes. Ugh. I hate doing them, and each year I say that I’m going to pay someone to do them for me so I don’t have to think about them. Once again, I waited too long, and now I’m forced to do them myself. I gathered all my paperwork, sat down with my laptop, realized that I was going to owe money and decided to work on something more fun… like this new quilt top.

I don’t know if everyone will like this one as much as I do, since it is quite bright, but that’s ok. I was thinking that it might make a nice picnic quilt (if you spilled on it, you’d probably never see it!). I actually included a photo of it in my entry to the Heather Ross Design Challenge (I hear that Denyse Schmidt is one of the judges – maybe that will earn me some points?! I hope so, since my drawing skills leave much to be desired!)

Anyway, as with the last string quilt I made, it’s paper pieced, and now that I’ve gotten all the blocks done, I have the task of removing all the paper from the back. I decided to make larger blocks this time, using an 11″ square piece of paper. I didn’t have any paper that large, so I had to run over to Staples for some 11 x 17″ paper. Of course, they only sell it by the ream, so I guess that means that I have enough paper to make 15 more quilts like this one. Awesome.

It’s made out of all of my favorite fabrics, including many Flea Market Fancy prints. I finally broke down and cut into them, and it actually felt good! It also used up some scraps, and I like the fact that there are many fabrics that are repeated throughout the quilt, but also that there are some that only have one strip. I think it adds a little interest.

Typically I use a lot of white, so I decided not to in this one. I used just one small strip of white in the center of each block, creating just a bit of a break from all the color. I might bind it in white as well, though I’m still debating.

I’ll be back in about 2 weeks with a picture of it sewn together, once I manage to get all the paper peeled off the back! (ah, hopefully it won’t take that long – I already have plans for another quilt with the remaining strips!)