It's been said that in life you should always take time to stop and smell the roses... but what about the tulips? The past weeks have been a whirlwind of preparations, and I will be crossing the finish line this week! I've been so consumed with finishing my Home Sweet Home applique sampler for release, printing patterns, Nadelwelt preparations, and too many other things to list, that it's left me feeling a bit buried in work. A few weeks ago my mother-in-law asked if I would be interested in visiting the Keukenhof tulip gardens in Holland. Of course the answer was immediately yes, until she told me the date... the weekend before Nadelwelt! But in spite of my mile long to-do list, I decided to go with her. So this week instead of sharing my latest projects in the works, especially since I am so short on time, I wanted to keep things simple and send the reminder your way to stop and smell the tulips.... or perhaps even tiptoe through them if you prefer.
I love the drastic transformation a quilt can make with just a simple fabric change. Dark backgrounds can give such a dramatic look, and my favorite go-to background that I seem to grab over and over again is my Essex Linen. These rich chocolate tones really make those brights pop, don't you think?
Don't you just love those kill-two-birds-with-one-stone projects? I wanted to work up a second colorway option for my Tiptoe Through The Tulips quilt pattern, which is to be released on March 15th, and still have something that I could use in my living room. I think this red chair is the most photographed piece of furniture in my house.
I'm not just finishing projects for my house, but hitting my goals list pretty hard for this year. Part of my general/ongoing goals has been to stretch myself with more free motion quilting practice. I thought that these wandering leaves were fitting to my pattern, and something different from the swirls I used for my last FMQ project.
Next up on my list will be the binding on my biggest quilt ever for my fourth finish so far! A king size quilt is a pretty big milestone for me.
Be sure to check out what my busy pattern testers have been working on so far under the #tiptoethroughthetulipsquilt hastag on Instagram... and again, be looking for the pattern release on March 15th!
Linking up this week to Let's Bee Social and Finish-A-Long 2017
