Panic...

It hit me this week that next weekend I leave on a week long quilting retreat. Oh no! I've been focusing on getting UFOs completed that I have nothing ready to bring. It's certainly not due to lack of fabric or ideas. It's a matter of merging the two!

I pulled out some newly acquired "Prince Charming" fat quarters and added some quieter basics from the stash. This line is so gorgeous and reminds me of Tula Pink's earlier line "Neptune". In fact my friend Rene has some "Neptune" left and told me the lines work really well together. Some smarties know when to save old fabric!
I thought I'd try "Birdbath" from The Practical Guide to Patchwork after my failed previous attempt at this pattern. I decided to use the print in the center to showcase some of the lovely prints in the line. One block...
Became two...
I also looked at my stack of grays, pinks and aquas and decided to make something other than the Asterisk blocks. A little tip here: You'll notice that my stacks are uneven. I'll be using less gray than pink or aqua. I think keeping the proportion of colors uneven makes a quilt a little more interesting.
We had a speaker at our guild meeting yesterday who showed a quilt using these blocks.I knew immediately that was what I wanted for my new project. I'm hoping it will give me look I'm going for.
Just thought I'd share with you my little garbage bowl. If you watch Rachael Ray at all, you know that she always keeps a food garbage bowl on her counter when prepping. I do the same at my sewing machine for snipping "dog ears" and trimming triangles. Makes it easier than bending over a trash can.
I'm feeling better about being ready for next week and enjoying the view...