Buds in a Basket

A lovely Good Morning to all you lovely lovelies♥ It is a sunny Sunday morning down here; and as it is Sunday I am going to enjoy a little hand stitching.

Although some new fabric flowers have bloomed on my flower quilt this week, the subject of my delight today is a new quilt oozing with scrappy baskets of flowers, or perhaps I should say, flower buds. I was hankering after a little machine stitching and scrappy happiness so I have begun to fashion a new quilt. As I have been stitching my flower quilt since September last year, I just wanted to start something different; a new pretty oozing with scrappy loveliness.

I happened upon this beautiful book about 15 years ago, to keep for a sunny day. It is a book filled with delightful flower quilts. It is not often I follow a bought pattern for a quilt as I find my muddly brainpan overflows with enough designs and pretties to last a lifetime.....but I decided to live dangerously. =) I decided to follow another lovely's, fun pattern. I seem to recall at the time being taken by the beautiful and delightful scrappyness of each of the projects.

"A Bouquet of Quilts" is a book where the projects come from Nihon Vogue's preeminent quilting magazine, Quilts Japan. As this magazine is not widely available outside Japan, Jennifer Rounds and Cyndy Lyle Runner, as editors, decided to bring the gorgeous projects within the cover of this book to a wider audience. It is a wonderful book filled with enchanting quilts. There are a few which I would love to stitch.......one day. The projects within this fabulous book showcase Japanese quilters' fresh new perspectives on traditional western quilting. The pretties within truly are gorgeous.

I have decided to make the quilt "Buds in a Basket". Apparently this "dazzling quilt" appeared on the cover of  Quilts Japan (Issue 5, 2000). This quilt is the project that inspired the collaboration with Nihon Vogue and the editors of this book.

It seems Nihon and Vogue and I share a passion for reproduction 1930's and 40's fabrics. It seems I am in very good company then. =)

To add to the other reproduction 1930's fabrics that sit in my armoire, I have acquired a few more fun, whimsical fabrics to fashion the pretty baskets and flower buds. All the scrappy quilts I have stitched have some of the same fabrics but I love that. I love that each quilt has fabrics that I have loved for a very long time.

Fabrics of every hue, and sweet whimsical prints.

"Enough of the flowers, woman", I hear you say, "show us the quilt!!" Okay, here 'tis. The baskets are pieced and the flower buds and leaves are hand appliqued. When each basket is complete they are stitched together by machine to form a row.

I am finding this new quilt relaxing and fun to stitch. A little machine piecing and a little hand stitching....the best of both worlds. Although I am loving the designing and stitching of my flower quilt; this quilt is a  pleasant change, just for a little while. I am not really in a hurry to finish this quilt, nor am I in a hurry to finish my flower quilt. I rather love slow stitching. I rather love the slow mindfulness that it brings to my day. I will continue  with this pretty this week, alongside my flower quilt. I am thinking Cosmos are about to bloom on my flower quilt; and more pretty buds in baskets on this scrappy quilt. Oh, how I love to have several pretties on the go at the one time.

May you enjoy a little beauty, a little delight this coming week. May you find many pockets of  joy as you go about your days. As for me, I am going to enjoy this day, this Sunday, soaking up the warm sunshine kisses and a little, just a little slow hand stitching.

Until the next time........

Linking up this week to Kathy's, Slow Sunday Stitching.
                                       Judy's, Design Wall Monday