Joy in the morning

Way back in November, I had the opportunity to take part in the Fluffy Sheep Quilting Rainbow Charm Swap. I love swaps like this! It's so much fun looking out for the perfect fabrics, sharing photos and chatting with fellow swappers on Flickr, and receiving the much-anticipated delivery of charm square goodness at the end of the swap. This time around, I was given the task of choosing two different purple prints, one light and one dark, to be added into the mix with similar pairs of red, orange, yellow, green, and blue charm squares. How did Cindy know that purple's my favourite colour?! It wasn't easy narrowing down my choices, but I finally ordered two gorgeous prints: this rich aubergine print....

And this simple lilac polka dot.

The charm pack arrived while I was away for Christmas and was waiting for me when I got back - a lovely little pick me up after a holiday marked by sorrow. So delighted with my charms was I that I tore into them without taking a photo first. But, you can get a fair idea of what my pack looked like when you see the simple rainbow quilt I put together using it.

All but two or three of these squares come from my rainbow charm pack; the others are pilfered from the Japanese charm squares I had saved from an earlier swap. I just love how bright and cheery they all are, and the sweet bicycle print fabric I picked up for the back makes me smile! 

What makes me even happier is the concentric quilting I managed using a quilting bar on my Pfaff! The circles and curves remind me of rainbows, which is only fitting, and, while I don't want anyone to inspect my stitches too closely, I'm delighted to have accomplished something other than straight line quilting. 

This little quilt is destined for my sweet baby niece, Joy. Hope it brings her even a little bit of the joy she brings to all of us! 

xx Tina