These mostly black and white shirting prints have been sitting for a long time, waiting for me to figure out just what I want to do with them. I can’t seem to settle on any design and, as I am really not into the 1800’s repro prints, what fabric to use with them.

I keep thinking about pairing them with some bright batiks and seeing where that leads me or perhaps I should do some stars using mostly black prints and the shirting prints with some bright yellow or red in a few unexpected spots and make a quilt along the lines of this one on Carpe Quiltem’s blog. While I have some ideas, none of them are really inspiring me to cut into these and start using them.

Help!! I just cannot figure out in what to use these — and I want to work with them! Any and all opinions welcome!

Sometimes I think Smudge looks like a wise little brown owl.

As requested by Peg in this post, I am posting photos of the 3 projects I finished as a result of her Finish Five by End of July challenge.

First was the teddy bear’s quilt.

Then the orchid quilt for the Four Seasons Quilt Swap.

And finally, the one that just squeaked in under the wire — my blue and white Texas Star quilt.

Were it not for Peg’s challenge, I’m relatively sure that the blue and white would not have been finished. Thank you, Peg — it was a lot of fun and so great to have three projects finished.

I think I may have posted this photo of Lester before but I just cannot resist posting it again. I love the look on his face in this one!

What did I do this weekend? Worked on the blue and white Texas Star quilt. It’s quilted and the binding is attached to the front. I’m hoping to finish the binding and have this done in time to qualify as my third finish for Peg’s Finish 5 in July challenge.

I’m very tempted to do this pattern again but this time in lots of colours for the star points. It is so easy to put together, thanks to Inklingo, and I think it would really be a fun quilt if done in brights. Next time, if I do make it a next time, I’m using a woven in white on white or cream for background. I would have loved to have hand quilted this one but that white on white is next to impossible to needle. It was bad enough to hand piece; I cannot imagine what it would have been like to try to quilt through it!

Some more work was done on the secret project as well, which I’m hoping can be unveiled this week.

Smudge took over the windowsill spot for a while this weekend.

I decided to go with the folded orchids for the Four Seasons quilt and this is it — finished for all but the label on the back. The label is ready but I had to give my hands a rest as it seems applique is now another thing that triggers the pain/inflammation. What a nuisance!

I will get the label on it this weekend and it will leave here early next week on its way to my swap partner. I hope she likes it!

(Edited to Add: I’m counting this as one of my finishes for Peg’s Challenge. I know I’ll not finish five, but there is one more I am going to try to finish before July 31.)

Making this little quilt really has me re-assessing just how much applique is in my future. It is time to go through the applique kits and BOM’s I have and decide which ones to let go. There are a couple that I know I will keep and work on very very slowly, but it’s obvious to me now that applique is not something I will continue to be able to do. I’m thankful I can piece with no problems. It’s odd how that small difference in hand movement can make such a huge difference!

I’m still working on the surprise project and hope to reveal it next week. As I work on it, though, I keep looking at these fabrics. They are definitely calling to me — and I’m trying to sort out just what I want to make with them.

The boys, sharing a little yogurt treat. We never have yogurt without the two of them lining up for their share, although Smudge seems to get more than Lester.