Petal Power Baby Quilt

I can't seem to stay ahead of the baby quilts these days, but thankfully they don't take very long to make. Some old friends have an amazing daughter and she and her husband welcomed their first baby into the family and of course that means that a baby quilt is in order. It all started with this sweet fabric that I found when I made my last trip to see my mom in February and I thought I'd pair it with this polka-dot from my stash:

                                           

I wanted to build a quilt around it, but I was stumped for a pattern. Sometimes I get bogged down when it comes to making decisions and I have to let an idea sit and stew for a bit. Pinterest is a big source of inspiration for me and when I ran across this photo I knew it was what I wanted
                                     
                                          

It's called Petal Power and It can be found HERE on Craftsy.

It didn't take long to piece and I love the finished result! I wish I had a picturesque spot to take photos of it, but in this parched desert country, a shot against the chicken yard is about as good as it gets

Or on the clothesline. Quilts on clotheslines are good, even if they are surrounded by dirt.

I pulled all the other fabrics from my stash and backed it with a soft yellow Minky:

                                   
Our dead tree is sprouting forth new growth!
                      

Jackie quilted it with a panotgraph called One Cloudy Day and I bound it with orange gingham:

It finishes at 49" x 49" and I hope it is well-used and loved as this new little blessing begins her adventure:

                                           

Under the Needle

As busy as things are around here right now, I've managed to move a few projects forward in my sewing room these past 2 weeks. On Ringo Lake is pieced and now officially a top:

I love the brown scrappy border. It'll be a while before I get it quilted, but our little peach bush (yes, it is just a bush - the tree died, but it is coming up in another spot ) is in bloom and I wanted to catch a photo of it before the winds strip it of it's pretty flowers:

The wasps were out in full force

After the winds get done, there won't be any blooms left and once again we will be left peachless.

I also made all 168 HSTs for Sequoia and trimmed them up

Making a copy of the photo in the book was incredibly helpful in keeping things in order and it kept me from turning blocks around. I didn't have to bring the stitch ripper out even one time with this method:

                                              

As I pieced the blocks into rows

                           

and then into a top

                                          

I am looking for something for the back.

I also needed a baby quilt and bought this fabric (the dot is from my stash) when I made my trip to Texas a few weeks ago:

                                   

This pattern, called Petal Power, caught my eye

                        

It didn't take long to piece the blocks

                                         

I hope to get it to Jackie today, but I neglected to get a shot of the full top before heading out this morning.

 And the binding on this little quilt ought to be finished this week