goedemorgen starshine

I don't know why that song popped into my head, but it did. Well in English it did (good morning, starshine). It might have something to do with the fact that the pattern name I am using for part of this next project is called Planetarium. Why the Dutch good morning? Because I've finally started my Amsterdam-inspired quilt! I wrote about the idea for this quilt back in April in one of my earliest posts. I've been waffling since on the pattern to use for this set of fabrics, which are orange for The Netherlands and bright green for the walls of AMOLF, our temporary workplace there. They've been hanging out in the stash cabinet for a while. 

I recently purchased a copy of Elizabeth Hartman's lovely book The Practical Guide to Patchwork because it was so darn pretty when I flipped through the pages. Her use of color is really right up my alley. I also really like that many of the quilts use traditional patterns, like these little hourglass blocks (in progress), in interesting ways. 

I knew I wanted to make a square quilt as a picnic quilt for us like the ones I've made for a couple of wedding gifts recently. Dave is gung ho about buying me some laminated cotton to use for the back (yay! suggestions anyone?) and he has also been really helpful and involved in figuring out the design. In flipping through my new book, I found two quilts that really caught my eye: Planetarium which has outlined 9 patches of hourglass blocks and Rain or Shine which has square sort of sunburst blocks with yo-yos in the center (!!!). While I was trying to choose between the two, Dave asked "well why not just alternate blocks of both?" Genius. They're slightly different finished sizes, but I will alter the sunburst block size to match the 9 patches and everyone's sensibilities will be intact. Well mine, really. Dave had no problem with this little fact of mismatchery.

It was soooo nice to start a new quilt project that didn't involve just cutting squares and sewing them together. This piecing will be more time consuming than the two patchwork picnic quilts, but also more interesting for me. Besides, there's no deadline for this one so I get to take my time and enjoy reminiscing about our life in Amsterdam while I piece. *siiiiigh*

The fabric soldiers patiently wait in formation at camp ironing board.

Linking up to my first WIP Wednesday in a while, thanks for stopping by if you popped over from Freshly Pieced!