Bits and layer cakes

It seems my days are just filled with getting by and surviving, spending time with my little guy/s, resting, and getting little bits done on my projects. Just waiting for this baby...this is weird but good because I've never gotten this far in a pregnancy before! (I just wish I didn't have a yucky cold/cough too!)

Last night, I printed off the fabric requirement charts from Melissa Corry's new Quilt Along starting next week: "Starlight, Starbright"

www.happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com

I want to attempt it. I spent some time going through my stash of fat quarters, trying to make some bundles I like. Here are two:

I won a bundle this past fall from Quiltmaker Magazine, of "Always Blooming" by Susy Pilgrim Waters for P&B Textiles. These were, in my opinion, the "usable" and attractive prints in the collection. I like the medium grey background to set off the brights. (I would need to purchase the grey--I never have background fabric!)

My new favorite color scheme is purple plus aqua on the Kona White background. Loving them!

Today, I pulled off the paper templates from the Patriotic Mariner's Compass sections, ready to sew them together.

Then I spent some time trimming HST. I have a ton of bonus HST from doing my son's Swoon, so I thought I would trim them and try to make some kind of quilty gift for his teacher and (3) teachers assistants.

I worked on turning them from the (left) to the (right) trimmed at 2 7/8" squares. I still have a lot to trim. Baby steps, little bits--my hands are weak and numb.

And finally, the little guy and I hopped into the car to meet up with my new friend with an Etsy shop: ForSewItSeams2. By day, she's an officer for the county Sheriff's office, by night she's a quilter, crafter, shop owner and mom of 6!

She had some awesome Riley Blake 10" stackers that I purchased from her (stackers are layer cakes, but with only half the pieces of regular layer cakes).

It must be nesting, but I'm dying for quick projects to sew up for my new little baby. The star sampler is more of a "masterpiece" type quilt. I saw this project post on one of the Craftsy classes I'm taking, and couldn't rest until I found the tutorial and drew a mock-up into my Quilt-Pro program!

It's called "Charming Stars" by Stefanie Roman for Moda Bake Shop, posted in 2010. It uses charm squares and a background fabric!

Here's my purchases:

"Maverick" World War II style military bomber prints. Perfect for going with Disney Planes for the baby, or even for my dad or brother in the Air Force.

And the newer line "Snips and Snails". So adorable baby boy, right? You know that  old nursery rhyme "Snips and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of!"

And a yard of Alphabet Soup thrown in on the right!

I couldn't resist cutting right into the stacker of Snips and Snails tonight! At 21 pieces, and each 10" piece cuts into four identical 5" charms, it's the perfect amount for a baby Charming Stars of 3x3 blocks (13.5" blocks).

Should I go totally scrappy with all different prints around each star like the tutorial and class project, or more controlled, like in my chart above?