Jolly Bar Jazz Quilt and giveaway

It was fun to participate in another Fat Quarter Shop quiltalong.  This quilt is called Jolly Bar Jazz Quilt and as soon as I saw a picture of it I knew I wanted to make it because to me the blocks look like big happy flowers.  

 My daughter helped me choose the Summerfest by April Rosenthal Jolly bars to make it with and I found some solid white in my stash to piece the blocks with. 

 Usually it takes me months to get all the blocks for a quilt top made but these blocks went together so quickly.  What a happy looking quilt :0)

 I departed from the pattern only for the sashing.  The pattern called for wider sashing but I liked the blocks closer together. I used a white fabric with a cream pattern on it for the sashing as there was some cream in the Summerfest fabrics and I thought the print framed the blocks a bit. 

So it feels kind of ironic to be photographing this quilt made from Summerfest fabric in the fall season.  We are right into fall here in Canada with all the leaves turning golden.  I love summer - its my favorite season and I'm always sad to see the leaves change and fall.  

Long winters are good for quilting though :0)

 With the construction of the blocks there are some corners cut off - I saved them all in a little bin and sometime this winter it will be fun  to pull them out and see what I can make with them.  They'll make oodles of HST's - my favorite!

 The Fat Quarter Shop has provided a pair of Summerfest Jolly Bar's for me to give away.  So if you're interested in stitching up your own Jolly Bar Jazz Quilt  be sure to comment and I'll pull a winner on Wednesday October 4. 

If you want to see more Jolly Bar Jazz quilts and grab the free pattern then head over to the Fat Quarter Shop's blog The Jolly Jabber.
Happy Quilting!!

some applique

My guild met Monday night and the next block challenge was released and it turns out to be ...  Architectural Elements...  Ack! I waited 2 months for that?  I guess that's why its called a challenge.  I'll have to put my thinking cap on...

 It's much easier to come up with the extra blocks I am making to go with the 5 blocks for the challenge.  I recently finished this extra block.  It's a Sharon Keightley design I found in issue #23 of Today's Quilter magazine.  Sharon's block is made up in very different colors but I was smitten with the design. 

 It was a fair bit of stitching for one block but that's no problem :0)

Here it is mixed in with the others.  I really like playing with what works on the dark background fabric.  To recap -
Challenge #1 - Iconic 
Challenge #2 - Where you live
Challenge #3 - Adventure
Challenge #4 - Architectural Elements
(the star block is an extra too)

Now I'd better go find my thinking cap.
Happy quilting!!