I have never been so happy and relieved to see fall colors, lower temperatures, and rain. After the worst summer ever, we've been treated to warm, golden days and crisp nights. And precipitation—LOTS of it. We had almost 13 inches in 72 hours. Too much, of course, and there were problems, but what a relief to be done with fire season.

The change in seasons has also motivated me to finish old projects and begin new ones. You've seen the quilt in this newsletter when the blocks were in progress, but now it is finished. I unearthed photos of possible settings when I first made the blocks (best not to ask how long ago). This past year I remade many of the blocks and auditioned them in new setting options—a makeover! Take a look . . . .

I'm now speaking and teaching via Zoom! I know, I'm late to the game, but for someone who wanted to be semi-retired, Zoom is the perfect vehicle for staying in touch with quilting and my quilting friends. Email me if this interests you or your guild. I do private classes, too.

More news: I've put together a list of what I consider my best newsletters, with a small photo, short description, and link for each. Access them on the Tutorials page of my website; scroll down to "Newsletters." Some are process and inspirational, but others are meaty, with how-to directions.

p.s. If you missed my last newsletter, about my "Glacé!" quilt, here's the link: https://conta.cc/3nbcRBw

In the Beginning . . .

More than a few years ago I made a series of blocks with Kaffe Fassett woven stripes in the centers, flanked by KFC prints, and bordered by colorful ombrés. Here are two:

I tried a number of different sashing fabrics. The one below was too busy and distracting to suit me. (However, I used this black-and-white stripe by Kim Schaefer in the finished quilt; keep reading.) Sadly, the Kim Schaefer fabrics in this project are no longer available.

I LOVE dots, but this option was just too bold. And who wants to see dots caught in seams?

I couldn't resist experimenting with the sashing fabric I used in my "Spumoni" quilt. Also a bit busy, but the blocks appear very much suspended, and I like that.

So the blocks languished in a bin . . . until I decided to remake them using bright printed stripes by Kaffe in the centers. (A few blocks in the finished quilt still have woven-stripe centers.) Here are the two I showed at the beginning, with their new centers:

I love the livelier, asymmetrical stripes, and the extra, unrelated colors they bring to the blocks. (However, you may prefer the original woven stripes, and that's A-OK.) Now, I was energized to play with new settings and make this quilt!

My first choice for the sashing was a random, organic black-and-white dot (again by Kim Schaefer), which seemed much less demanding than classic polka dots. I used up all of that fabric, so you'll need to see it in photos that follow.

Of course, having the "dot gene," I thought of Kaffe's "Spots" for setting stones.

Love the dots between the blocks! (Tip: I like sashing with setting stones because they connect the blocks, and every sashing strip is the same length.) But did I want the blocks and small squares to touch, and appear to be on the same plane?

How about Tula Pink's "Tent Stripes" shown in the blocks below? I would need more colorways. I've used her stripes in other projects—they're so smart and snappy!

I even auditioned mostly black fabrics. But the small squares jumped out when I put them on my design wall—so, no-go!

The mostly black fabric below is by Marcia Derse. Love it, so graphic, but maybe not for this quilt.

It was fun to "try on" colorful setting stones, but I wanted to air out these bright blocks with all B&W.

Because the background is neutral and not very busy, the blocks appear to float. There were actually five rows of blocks, but I cropped out a row from the top because I couldn't shoot the whole quilt in my set-up.

Sandra Bruce's quilting is so playful! Check out her amazing Matrix quilts and awesome longarm quilting on her site. (BTW, below is a good close-up of the B&W dots and stripes.)

So, from blocks that never thrilled me to a quilt that makes me happy—I'd call that a successful, if protracted, project!

As always, thank you for reading and looking at my latest endeavor. I'll be in touch again soon. In the meantime, indulge your passion for fabric and your love of quilting!

p.p.s. Seven of my patterns are available in my Etsy shop. You save $$$s on the pattern and pay no postage, a win-win!