First Monday

Happy New Year, dear friends! It’s the first Monday of 2014 and I’m feeling like it’s time to get in sync with my plans for this year. One of the things I intend to do this year is get back to regular blogging. While other forms of social media are fun and much more spontaneous, I love this little blog of mine and it’s an important space in my life. So keep your eyes open for new posts coming soon.

I have tons of things I can’t wait to share with you, and while I definitely want to do a bit of a end of year wrap up and what my plans are for creating in 2014, I’m just going to jump right in and show you a finished project I can now share.

2013 seemed to be the year of the mini quilt for me. You may recall I gifted a couple earlier in the year (here and here)? It was only fitting that there should be a third one in there too. Well, you all know my love for Tula Pink, and you know I’ve been working on my Kiss Kiss quilt off and on. So, what could be more perfect than a mini Kiss Kiss, or well, in this case I guess it’s just one kiss. ; )

Anyway, I’m going to be visiting Paris for the first time in February with my dear friend, Sylvia. So what more perfect birthday gift for her than a Parisville quilt? Just like with the mini Swoon, I chose to just piece one block and then quilt and finish it as a mini quilt. I absolutely love how it turned out.

See why it’s called Kiss Kiss? The x is a kiss, as in xoxo (shout out to all Gossip Girl fans). Anyway, I loved the idea of Sylvia having a little something to remember our trip by, as well as a little piece of me over in Germany.

Of course, the star of the show here is the focal fabric with Marie Antoinette at the center. I wanted the quilting to echo the x shape, but I also wanted to highlight the cameo center so I left the very center unquilted (about 3 inches square). It turned out just as I had envisioned, and being a mini I was able to quilt it myself on my machine.

For the back I opted to use two fabrics I had in the Mist colorway – the topiary and the French lace. I cut them into strips and then alternated them which reminds me of some sort of luxurious wallpaper treatment one might find in Versailles (I’ll scope it out when I’m there and let you know).

I love how the quilting created a number of different patterns – straight lines, crosshatch, and arrows. And the very geometric straight line quilting was a perfect counterpoint to the more organic designs in the fabric.

The quilt made its way safely overseas in November and I was finally able to exhale that breath I’d been holding when it arrived. I’m so thrilled that Sylvia liked her little birthday surprise and I can’t wait to get back to work on my own Kiss Kiss.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with some more things I’ve been working on and a few finishes!

I am grateful for time at my sewing machine and giving handmade gifts.