Biene's adventure quilt blocks #20 & #21

We have the most beautiful winter weather here in central Germany at the moment with snow, sun and freezing temperatures. Weather like this only comes around every 10 years or so. That was the perfect opportunity to finish up all the tree blocks for Biene's adventure quilt.

These winter tree blocks are really my favourite in the whole 'forest' I made. 

Biene is so photogenic! Oh , and I made her a dog coat: 

She had one coat, the previous owners gave us, I simply copied the main form and adjusted it to my liking. The bodice is made from soft shell and the bust and neck part is fleece I had in my stash. I'm a bit proud of myself that I was able to do that. I think the sewing of my own clothing since 2 years helped a lot. 

The belly flap is attached with velcro to the main bodice and is protecting her furless belly. Vizslas only have one layer of fur and very little to no fur at the belly. I only put Biene a coat on in freezing temperatures like we have now (-6°C/ 21F) since she is running around a lot. She loves the snow! 

This is the second winter tree block and the second coat I made Biene. 

On this day the sun was shining and it was such a beautiful day. 

The second coat is the exact same but with red fleece, which I also had in my stash. I first wasn't sure if red would look good on her (I think a dog coat needs to go with the dog's fur colour) but I really like it. The red coat really shines in the snow. 

Such a poser! 

Also, today is Valentines Day and it's Biene's birthday! She is 10 years old today. 

Such a sugar face! I love this dog so much! I hope we have her around for a good few more years! 

Happy Valentines to you all! 

Vega

The Pantone Quilt Challenge has become somewhat of a tradition for me. The first time I took part was 2017 with my mini quilt with Greenery. The following year 2018 I made Purple Haze in featuring the colour Ultra Violet. And 2019 it was Fade To Grey using Living Coral as main colour.

I was very excited as the Pantone colour for 2020 was announced: Classic Blue. I immediately had several colour combinations in my head and started piecing the first blocks in May 2020 even before the challenge was announced. And in the end the challenge unfortunately didn't happen - but I still had my own challenge.  

And today I can show you Vega! We are having a hefty cold spell with a lot of snow and that was just the perfect photo opportunity. 

I used Kona Regatta as main featured colour, as this was the closest to the Pantone classic blue and mixed it with different shade of blues and two oranges and white as accent colours. 

The first blocks started with pieced strips in horizontal and vertical orientation. I love the process of finding the overall layout and creating something visually pleasing. 

The balance of value plays a key role in this design. Different shades of blue, from very dark to light blue and to the white, need to be balanced in order to create an interesting look. 

Vega has a faced binding, my preferred choice for wall hanging quilts. I can highly recommend the tutorial by Audrey of Cotton and Bourbon, the edges are very crisp. 

I quilted horizontal straight lines in five different colours, all matching the fabrics. It's such a nice play between the fabrics and the thread. 

For the back I used the remaining Kona Regatta and some left over strips. I like the back, too. Vega has a hanging sleeve already since she is decorating my sewing studio since a couple of days. 

The back shows off the different thread colours very nicely. 

I think Vega is my new favourite quilt. I case you're wondering where the name comes from, here is a bit of an explanation:

'Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. 

Vega is relatively close at only 25 light-years from the Sun, and is one of the most luminous stars in the Sun's neighborhood. It is the fifth-brightest star in the night sky, and the second-brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere.'

I though that Vega is a very suitable name for this quilt. She definitely shines, especially in the low winter sun and in  the bright snow. 

Vega finishes at 54 x 56" (138 x 142cm).

Olive 'n Orange

I've always wanted to make a quilt with olive green and orange. I don't really have a favourite colour I always use in my quilts. But I do have favourite colour combinations and that might be a new love affair. 

I started by piecing small blocks together using my solid scraps and mixed different shades of olive green with oranges, white and light grey. I always try to balance a design with a variance of value and texture. 

I was aiming for a mini quilt with an approximate size of 25" square. I made several small improv blocks, some in a log cabin style, others kind of free style. 

I piece blocks together as I go when they are a good fit. Sometimes this is in rows, mostly I piece in sections so that the design appears intuitive and not following a grid.

This is actually my favourite part of designing a quilt. Piecing blocks and see how they fir together. 

I'm very pleased with the overall design and the colour and value play. 

I quilted straight lines in light grey 40wt Aurifil thread, 1/4" apart. I wanted the quilting to take a step back and not be prominent over the actual design. 

The thread did exactly that. 

Once again I faced the quilt following Audrey's tutorial. I love how very square the edges are. 

I followed other tutorials in the past and the edges were always quite round. I really prefer this crisp look and can highly recommend this tutorial! 

This was a very enjoyable little project. I give you another close look at the texture: 

It's only the dark green that is a shot cotton. I like to keep it simple and not have too many focal points. 

Olive 'n Orange is definitely a new favourite!