I wanted to point something out about the Pinwheel Baby Quilt. This quilt was too wide (about 45”) so I couldn’t just use yardage for the backing. So, for the first time, I pieced a backing with some leftover blocks and I was quite pleased with the outcome. Here’s the back and the front of the quilt.

I’ve been wanting to find some Asian-inspired fabric that knocks my socks off — and I found some. Take a look at this collection titled “Dragonfly Dance” by Kanvas Studio.

I found and bought a half-yard bundle of 10 of these fabrics and then went looking for a pattern that would showcase these gorgeous fabrics. I found “Three Step” by Annie of Annie’s Craft Store that would be ideal for my purpose. The blocks were easy to make and here’s the final layout that Mike and I agree with.

The project is on hold as I write this; I’m waiting for the big A to deliver a template so I can cut these to 9.5”. It’ll probably be complete the next time I post.

Back when I started quilting I tried a bunch of things and realized I needed to focus on building my sewing, cutting and ironing skills and creating simple quilts. Now I’m ready to add some skills — like the pieced backing at the top of this post.

One thing that has lingered in the back of my mind is “paper piecing”. There are two broad categories of paper piecing: English paper piecing and Foundation paper piecing. Very different techniques are used for each category. Foundation paper piecing (FPP) is where you slap fabric onto a paper pattern and sew through the pattern and the fabric. My first attempt was an “oops” (wrong cutting method left ONLY the 1/4” seam) but the second worked out. Here are the two pictures. I’ll be practicing this and a couple of other simple patterns and will have more for you next time.