Colors of rebirth and joy

I started another machine project a few days ago (to avoid hurting my arthritic thumb with hand stitching). I'm doing a quilt-as-you-go string pieced quilt in joyful colors to celebrate my rebirth this year as a single woman making a new COLORFUL life for myself.

I chose green for growth and renewal and pink/orange/yellows because those are the colors that make me happy. I started each block with a diagonal strip of text fabric in the center because journaling and communicating with friends and family is what held me together this year. (Plus, I used to be a newspaper journalist.)

These are also the colors I'm drawn to when I take photographs of nature. Here are two photos from walks this week that echo the pink and green fabrics.

I love looking at my two big bowls of strips for this project.

It's a joy to sew, and I'm having so much fun that this might turn out to be a really big quilt. Since each block is already quilted, I won't have to worry about wrestling a huge piece under the machine for quilting. I start with a layer of backing fabric and batting and then attach the strips diagonally in a stitch and flip manner, so it all appears to be stitched in the ditch.

Surf over to Nina-Marie's blog to find out what other fiber artists have been up to this week: its-not-that-transparent-on-off-wall.html

On another note, the Feet and Forks explored a new trail this week and we were met with this sign at the trailhead. Yikes! 

We ventured into the darkness of the woods but didn't come across any filming or screams or bloody bodies -- maybe it was too drizzly  for filming.

Have a colorful day