{WiP} Wednesday - Week 9

Man, I've missed linking up with Lee for {WiP}Wednesdays! It always kept me on track, keeping WiPs in my face, and keeping me blogging!

Well, I had a little quilty heart-break last fall, and I didn't feel like blogging much. :-(  No big deal, not even really worth talking about, but I've sure missed blogging!

I've been very busy, though! Very. :o) 

I made my Hope Takes Flight quilt two more times, and Robert Kaufman now has the pattern on their website for free.


Here is the one made from a Kona Classics charm pack (and the pattern HERE)

And here's the batik version (and pattern HERE) 

Not too shabby for batiks, eh?  Research has shown that a good number of people enjoy making modern quilts with batiks, and Robert Kaufman wanted to show a pattern that uses both. I'm so thankful they wanted my butterfly pattern for that! :o)

And I did another top secret quilt that I will show you someday. :o)  But now that those three major projects are finished, I'm back to sewing for FUN!  :o)

Like this. I'm not really a fan of stick-you-hand-in-a-bag improv piecing (my brain can't handle all that chaos!), but I do love no-expectations-no-plan improv piecing. :o)  I started sewing strips together, thought the orange strip was too thick, so I cut it down the middle, and sewed the pieces together on opposite sides. Then I decided the whole thing was too wide, so I cut a piece off the left and flipped it. Loved that, so I did it on the right. I really love the way your eye moves across the block, and I love how this is coming together! It's going to be the back of a special baby quilt.

The Front Range MQG retreat is this weekend, and I've decided that I'm only going to work on things for ME. No charity blocks, no bee blocks, no gifts. Only things for me (and maybe my children), because I very rarely sew things for me. And I've got a list as long as my arm! :o) We'll see how well that works out...

I hope you have a wonderful, crafty week! Thanks for reading! :o)

Hope Takes Flight ~ Double the pleasure. :)

I've finished Hope Takes Flight 4 and 5.

I've made this quilt five times now! Yes, four of them look very similar, whatever.

One ~ butterflies made by {Faith Circle} members

Two - at QuiltCon 2013 ~ butterflies made by {Faith Circle} members

Three ~ made with Scrumptious by Bonnie and Camille

Four ~ made from one Kona Classics charm pack

and Five ~ made from Artisan Batiks: Geoscapes 4 by Lunn Studios for Robert Kaufman

I kept the making of these last two under wraps since December because Robert Kaufman asked me to write the pattern for this quilt using the Classics charm pack and Artisan Batiks. I said "Are you sure you want me to do this twice?" They said "Yep. We're sure! Get busy, Melissa!"  (I was honestly confused about it for a long time!)

But twice I did! One in solids (= my comfort zone) and one in batiks (=not far from my comfort zone). This collection of batiks from Lunn Studios is really pretty. I love how each butterfly moves more than in the solids quilt. Plus, Nichole at Robert Kaufman told me that there has been a lot of research done lately that shows that batiks are selling really well with more modern quilt patterns. Who knew, right? :)

And NOW, I am pleased to tell you that the patterns are available for free on the Robert Kaufman website! Yeppers, F. R. double E. Free!!  Here is the link for the solids pattern, and here is the link for the batik pattern.

I want to make this one more time, using only two colors (well, three, if you include the black for the bodies!) like my friend Aunt Spicy did. I'll be sure to post it if I ever get around to it! :)

Also...and I would be remiss if I didn't say this...I want to thank YOU for being so encouraging and excited about this pattern from the very beginning! The first and second quilts were made in late 2012 by the members of the {Faith Circle} of the Do.Good Stitches bee, and donated to Restore Innocence for a girl rescued from human trafficking. The response that I got from finishing those two quilts was just overwhelming! Without that, I never in a million years would have considered writing up the pattern (and making it three more times, hah!). And the continued nagging follow-up from a couple of lovely friends really spurred me on to finish the pattern. And then, when I was asked by Robert Kaufman to make these last two for them, to post free on their website, I thought that was the perfect ending to the story.

And while that story is wrapping up, I've got lots more "stories" in my head that will become patterns one day. :)  I just need to find the time!

I hope you have a wonderful week, and thanks again for being so supportive. I most certainly couldn't do this alone. :)