Wedding napkins into a Wedding Napkin Quilt

I can't make excuses about such a lull in my blogging EXCEPT I have been too busy enjoying winter.  I can't believe those are my thoughts, but to have sunshine and no snow has been such a reprieve from our recent bouts of harsh winters.

I am excited to say, the napkins for my daughter's October wedding are boxed and ready!  A selection of thirty yards of different cotton prints from Fabric.com landed on my doorstep last month for the cutting, hem pressing and sewing.  My daughter has selected so many different, sentimental, lacy, graphic and modern items to coordinate with these napkins that I am excited thinking about this very special occasion! 

 

 

There was only one problem with making the napkins; the pile of6" x 18" remnants remaining. 

It is fortuitous (isn't that a lovely word!) the April issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine came in the mailbox this past week.  In this issue is a quilt, Sticks & Bricks, which requires 5" x 7 1/2" and 1 1/2" x 7 1/2" rectangles!   (The link is to a variation of the pattern called City Lights.)

I have more than enough napkin "scraps" to make the quilt.

Here are the "bricks and sticks" up on my wall so I can plan their placement.

I'll be able to keep moving them around while I'm sewing on other projects until I think I've got the right balance.  I added a red and a butterscotch solid cotton to break up the prints.

Again, another fortuitous event.....    a valentine came in the mail!!  :)   and on the return envelope was the script for the wedding envelopes.....   How much fun to secretly embroider their names, date, etc into the quilt border with a floss that blushes.  This way it will be in the quilt, but not glaring and overpowering.

 

I had given myself a deadline of February 8th to finish the napkins, so I'm giving myself a deadline of May to have the quilt finished.  The deadline is more than enough time, but I'm allowing for cabin fever and other responsibilities.  Cabin fever could last anywhere from a 24 hour period to several weeks, so I'm allocating the later. 

Now to tell you about my valentine that I found in my mailbox the other day...

I am a kid at heart.  How much fun to open the mailbox and find something as sweet as this inside!  Thanks Sweetpea.  You made my day!

I'm editing this post on March 1st.  The wedding quilt has been finished and I thought I would give you a little peek ...

like I said....   just a little peek!