A former co-worker of mine being due to have a baby late May this year, I decide to make her a quilt.  I use a partially-plundered charm pack I got secondhand, supplemented with some scraps from my stash.  It goes together in three nights: 1 to make the pinwheels, 1 to make the borders, [a fabric shopping expedition to find the backing], and 1 to quilt it.  Though it was quick and easy, I am delighted with the colors, and proud of my quilting. 

At Pioneer Quilts in Milwaukie, I find this panel of songbirds, part of the Art Journal collection by J. Wecker Frisch for Riley Blake Designs. It calls to me... "Sew with me," it twitters!  I liked the rich colors and old-book-etching style. 

I bring it home and coordinate it with fabric in my stash.  The green is from Moda's Grunge Basics line, a popular and versatile quilting cotton that is first dyed, then printed with artsy scuff-marks, for a deep, saturated base and a textured surface.  I bought it for my Dandelion quilt, and have since used it in many paper piecings.  The red floral is a cotton remnant, possibly curtain fabric, that I bought from Fabric Depot when it was still in business.  I initially intended it to be a dress or shirt, but never made it.  Now I will use it for a habitat for songbirds.  I like how its colors look like they're from the same old-timey book as the songbirds. 

So naturally, I buy several yards of Tula Pink fabric... because it bugs me and I like/hate it.  What can I make with this?  From Tula Pink, I have Who's Your Dandy (PWTP183) in orange and Out Foxed (PWPT184) in pink.  For a sorta-solid, I have a green wood-grain print from Riley Blake Designs (C12356) and for a dark contrast Jazzy by Michael Miller (#CX-8102).