Progress is continuing (albeit very slowly) on my current Work-in-Progress, a second version of Chic Diamonds by Sew Kind of Wonderful. Here are 10 blocks representing 40 of  the 100 blades I need to make the top:

The blades will be arranged in a scrappy layout, I hasten to add. I’ve been putting four identical blades together up on my design wall just to keep track of how many blades I have of each combination. None of the blades have been sewn together.

Now I get to pair up my fabrics in different combinations to make the next set of strips. These are the fabrics I’m using:

I may introduce a few more from my stash. No need to decide till I see what I wind up with in the next group.

Some quilters do all of the cutting of their fabrics at once and then they’re ready to do all of the sewing at once. I much prefer to make a few blocks at a time. Why? Because I am so eager to see what they’re going to look like! That’s not a very productive way to make a quilt top but I’m okay with that. It’s not a race and I’m enjoying the leisurely pace, especially this month.

It’s summer, after all. The weather has been beautiful lately, which means I’ve been spending a lot of time in the garden with the Dear Husband. The weeds have not been entirely vanquished but we’re making steady progress and are already enjoying the fruit of our labors — mostly herbs and raspberries, though the tomatoes and beans are almost ready to sample and everything else is coming along nicely except the zucchini, which the squirrels attacked.

I was out of town for a few days at the beginning of July, and now my twin sister Diane is here in Portland for an extended visit. (She and the DH are playing Scrabble as I work on this post.)

I thought you might enjoy a couple of process shots. In the first one, my background fabric is being cut into curves using the Quick Curve Ruler:

After attaching two background pieces to one of the blades, the resulting unit is being squared up:

It’s such a pleasure working with these gorgeous fabrics.

It’s always a happy day when I have a quilt finish to report. My quilt finish du jour is Checkerboard Curves, which you have seen each step along the way. It’s based on the pattern Dancing Churndash designed by Jenny Pedigo and Helen Robinson of Sew Kind of Wonderful.

Presenting Checkerboard Curves, bound and labeled:

Measuring 44″ square, the quilt was finished with ½”-wide binding in a lime green solid to match the sashing strips in the center of each block. I rarely use solids in my quilts but this one really seemed to call for it.

Here’s a look at the back featuring a delightful print of young women walking their dogs in Central Park:

I also used the solid lime on the label:

Can you see that I stitched in the ditch by machine on the inside edge of the green circle? The stitching is virtually unnoticeable on the front because it totally blends in with the curves and circles of the quilting motif.

These photos were taken earlier this week on a beautiful late afternoon in early fall:

I’m loving the effect of the dappled sunlight on my quilt.

One last shot against a backdrop of pale yellow roses:

Checkerboard Curves, my quilt made from the pattern Dancing Churndash, is back from the quilter and I’m doing a happy dance:

I’ve been watching the Instagram feed of longarmer Karlee Sandell (SewInspired2Day), who has quilted several quilts for me. “Swan Song,” a quilting design she used recently, was on my short list for this quilt. After consulting with Karlee, it moved to the top of the list.

Can you see how the curves and circles in the quilting design mimic the curves and circles in the prints? The effect is so lighthearted and whimsical. Let me show you  a couple of close-ups. Here’s a positive block (black print on white background) . . .

. . . and a negative block (white print on black background):

You may not realize it but the thread I picked isn’t white, it’s a very pale grey. I knew it would give definition to the quilting on the white background without being too strong. Likewise, I knew the grey thread would slightly soften the impact of the quilting on the black background. Perhaps you can see that if you go back and look at the two blocks above.

I’m pretty tickled with how the quilting looks on the back of the quilt as well:

Just enough quilting to provide texture without interfering with the playful print:

Originally I was thinking about custom quilting for Checkerboard Curves. I would have gone with black thread in the five negative blocks and white in the four positive ones. Know why I didn’t? The back of the quilt! I liked the print so much I didn’t want to cover it up with dense patches of black thread.

When trimming the quilt I left a quarter-inch margin all around. That’s because I’m going to frame the quilt with half-inch binding in solid lime to match the half-inch wide strips in the center of each block. With the binding added Checkerboard Curves will measure about 44″ square.

I may go with a lime green label, too, just for the fun of it.