doubleplusgood - a new quilt

On Wednesday of last week I stopped by Traditional Pastimes after dropping my hubby off at work. I probably shouldn't have gone in. I was 1/2 in my pyjamas (read: pyjama top covered by cardigan and some denim shorts) and I hadn't showered or brushed my hair. Oh well. I needed some fabric yumminess to brighten what was a really dreary and rainy day.

Let me say, I love this store! The owner is a really sweet lady who does a fabulous job of balancing the needs and tastes of traditional and modern quilters alike. The staff are all very helpful and friendly and always willing to give an honest opinion.

I went in looking for some inspiration for an orange and aqua quilt for some friends. I wasn't sure what I would find, but after some chatting and wandering, we had managed to pull an amazing collection of fabrics that I knew would be just right.



Once I got home I worked feverishly. I neglected everything else that needed to be done. Including eating. After about 5 hours, I had all the blocks sewn together. The next day I took another hour or so and completed most of the quilt top.

Here it is so far:



Actually, since that picture was taken, I've completed the partial crosses on the left and right edges, and sewn up another row to be added to the top. I need to go and buy a bit more white since I have used up every bit in my stash - even the scraps. Once I have that, I will be able to add one more row to the bottom and start working on the back.

My plan is to create a pieced back out of 3 left over blocks and some larger pieces of the fabric from the front. I want to try and man it up a bit since it's for a couple. I feel like it might be a bit of the girly side right now.

I hope to have this baby completed by the end of the week, but we will see how that goes. I have the whole week off work except for a few hours today, and I have big plans for productivity. Lots of cleaning, organizing and cooking needs to be done this week so I can feel stress and guilt free and spend the rest of my time sewing.

I've also started slowly working on another new quilt top, but more on that later.

Hope you all are having a fabulous week and a warm and relaxing summer so far. What projects are you working on right now? **Also, bonus points to anyone who can tell me where the name of this quilt comes from without having to Google it.**