Happy New Year ...

This one's been awhile in the making.  It's a 10th Anniversary present for some friends who celebrated their 11th Anniversary this past October ... yup, it's been a while in the making.

Another mutual friend of ours created a painting for them several years ago which hangs over their fireplace.  I used that for the color pallet.  My inspiration quilt is here and my first attempt at making a quilt from this type of inspiration is here.

I was OK with how my first version came out ... but must say I am pretty happy with this version.

The colors are bright, I am happy with how the piecing went and the way it ultimately laid out.  

The free-motion straight line quilting actually went better than I had anticipated.  I used my new Fons & Porter mechanical chalk pencil to do the straight lines on the dark fabric.  Worked FABULOUS.  (I was so tired of being unable to sharpen my white chalk pencil without breaking the lead out of the pencil repeatedly).

The colors on this one are just so happy, it makes me smile to look at them.

The back is pretty simple, with very little piecing.  The binding is my now standard zig zag based on the inspiration from Rachel at Stitched in Color.  

All Kona solids.  The finished quilt measures out at a generous 66" x 54".  Perfect for the happy couple to share on a couch on a rainy (it is Seattle after all) afternoon for a movie.

Happy New Year to all ... my 2015 resolution is to get a bit more of my stuff up on the blog ... I love sharing the work and hearing your comments and questions ... hopefully I will find more time as I head into the new year.

Head on over and take a look at all the beautiful projects that have been shared at:

All the best

Lisa