More Thoughtful Pincushions - Part 1

It's my firm belief that you can't have too many pincushions.

I'm finding lots of wonderful friends who feel the same way, and that's how we ended up with 53 skinny members of the Skinny Pinnie Pincushion Swap!

{Once my partner has received her new pinnie, I'll show you that one.}

One day last week, I had a free sewing day! I decided to make some more Thoughtful Pincushions using my Susan Branch illustrations.

{This was the first batch of Thoughtful Pincushions I created.}

Before anyone asks, I must say that I've looked all over the web and haven't found a source for the wonderful panel of quotations, illustrated by Susan Branch.
{Luckily I had quite a few squares left, even after sharing some with friends.}

I wanted to create this new batch of thoughtful pincushions in the most playful way possible, so I cut a whole bunch of colorful fabrics into 1 1/2" strips.
{I'm pretty sure that in heaven, there will be giant heaps of fabric strips like this, and all of the quilters will be allowed to jump in them, all day long.}

The real fun began when I chose the fabric strips for each quotation. I made a log cabin style block for the front of each pinnie.
This one called for bright colors to go with the dried flowers.

I liked the old-fashioned prints
placed side by side with the modern fabrics.

{Repro prints from my earliest stash, along with Scrumptious and Mama Said Sew fabrics.}

Here's one I made for a singer...
who loves pink.

What a sweet quotation, huh?

{Bonnie and Camille fabrics...Marmalade and Scrumptious.}

This next one is a little bit country...

It made me feel warm all over, so I chose a dash of red, with a bit of black and some gray and green.

{More Scrumptious, a bit of Bake Sale by Lori Holt, Mama Said Sew - again! - and a bit of a cherry print from JoAnn.}

I really loved the colors of this little nosegay,
and I pulled out some bright strips from the pile.

The finished block makes me smile!

{Marmalade, polka dots from Riley Blake, Briar Rose and green gingham from a vintage sheet.
The background is from Tanya Whelan's Sugar Hill line.}

Here's a quotation that would obviously look great
with lots of hot pinks and reds.

For some reason, though, I decided to go sugary-sweet for this block.

Look what happened...so sweet that it makes my teeth hurt!

{All by Tanya Whelan...Rosey and Sunshine Roses.}

This last one...for today...is my new favorite, I think. The quotation is as lovely as the drawing, and I decided to go bold with my fabric choices.

{"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly.
"One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."
Hans Christian Andersen}

I adore the drama of the black print against the lime greens,
with a taste of orange and blue! This combination will definitely show up again in my sewing future.

Stop by again soon, for Part 2, to see the finished pinnies!
{I promise not to make you wait very long.}