LMP+QG july challenge: little bits pillow

Each month, my friend Kait and I are making a project from the book, Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts ("LMP+QG" for short). You can see previous projects here. 

For July, Kait and I had another quilt on the to-do list. Wanting to try something a bit different and not wanting to add to my growing WIP pile, I decided to make a big pillow instead.

I opted for a yellow and gray color theme (noticing a trend?) so that I could use the pillow in our guest room, which has officially become the yellow and gray room. I followed the book's instructions for cutting and piecing the small scraps to create blocks---the technique was quite similar to the one used for the pieced pillows Kait and I made in March.

I did random straight-line quilting on the pillow top, which is something that I've wanted to try for ages, but was always intimidated by the prospect of quilting an entire quilt that way. This pillow was the perfect introduction. It's big---over 20"+ square---and squishy and will be perfect in our new guest room.

See the pretty quilt Kait made here.

Coming up next month: Kelly's pincushions

new york food

While in New York City for work this week, I managed to eat some delicious food:

Vanilla latte from Stumptown Coffee, located in the lobby of my hotel. 

Huge sesame bagel from Brooklyn Bagel, devoured on a bench on The High Line, the perfect place to eat breakfast. 

Pork tacos from Choza. 

The most delicious zucchini and mozzarella sandwich from 'wichcraft. 

A much-needed vanilla custard cone from Shake Shack, eaten on a shaded bench in Madison Square Park just before leaving for the airport.

do. Good Stitches: July Blocks

For this month's do. Good Stitches blocks, my circle, the Wish Circle, made postage stamp blocks for Alyssa using Rita's tutorial over on Red Pepper Quilts.

I pulled a bunch of scraps from my bin and pieced these together (the first project I've tackled in my new sewing space!) while watching Gossip Girl (it's so addicting and so good!). I'm pleased with how the blocks turned out and am excited, as always, to see the finished quilt.

You can see my past do. Good Stitches blocks here.

two pea[nut]s in a box

This weekend, in between packing boxes and drinking iced lattes to stay cool, I made a second Peanut to accompany the first. Both are now safely packed up and on their way to Minnesota to meet two soon-to-be-born babies!