MOP Monday - few progress, but pretty big ones!!

I don't have much progress to share with you in terms of number... but they are pretty big so let's get down 

to...

-- MOP: The list --

1. As You Wish - no progress (progress last week)
2. Celtic Solstice - "back" done!!! see below!!
3. Tea Towel challenge and PPV BOM - printed April block
4. Alice in Wonderland quilt - no progress
5. Happy Halloween wall hanging - no progress (progress last week)
6. Topolino quilt - no progress
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7. B&W pillow - no progress
8. Grocery bag - done TWO grocery bags!!! see below!!!
9. Triangle QAL - pieced 2 rows (see below)
10. Emerald wall hanging - no progress

-- MOP: This week new blocks --
I never worked with home decor fabric and I made one bag before in my life... this is why I decided to make not one but two grocery bags for my mom's birthday!! I like to challenge myself ;)

The first one

The tutorial for this great bag is available at sew4home.com.
I changed a little bit the pattern... I added a lining for two reasons: first I wanted to add some fun pockets inside and it's easier to add them on the lining... second I never worked with heavy fabric... and some of the seams where turned many times and pretty bulky... so the lining hides everything ;)
The other thing I added are some snap fastener at the top because I don't like bags that do not close... even if I use them for grocery, when they are not too full or before the trip I like them to close, so this was an easy addition.

The second one is a lighter and more "foldable" bag... I didn't follow a pattern for this... actually I deconstructed my favorite grocery bag (scaaaaaaring process ;) ) and I used it to cut the fabric and reconstruct this other bag

(side note: I was able to reconstruct my original bag too... that was my biggest worry ;) )
I don't know how sturdy these two bags are... I guess I will know when my mom will start using them!!

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Finally I finished the back other front of my Celtic Solstice baby quilt: here they are next to each other!

Left - Celtic Solstice by Bonnie Hunter, Right - My reinterpretation of Weave, by Kathreen Ricketson

The "other front" of the quilt was inspired by the Weave, the quilt on the cover of "Brave New Quilts" by Kathreen Ricketson. I won that book in a giveaway and I absolutely love that quilt... however the way she construct it is a little bit too "matchy-matchy" for my tastes and for my skills ;) so I did it a little bit more scrappy and less calculated... and I went for a single diagonal line: what I wanted to represent is the sun rising on a Celtic hill (this why the greens and the browns in the lower part, and the orange/red/blue of the sky). I absolutely love the way it turned out... so bright and so scrappy... it perfectly matches the scrappyness of the Celtic Solstice front.

Now my goal for April is to quilt it and finish it!!

Liked up at A Lovely Year of Finishes

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The next step in the Triangle QAL @ sassyquilter has been published few days ago and I started piecing together my triangles. The first few were frustrating because I was trying to align the wrong points... once I understood how it should be done, it became easier... now I won't say again that I hate triangles... I just don't like them too much ;)

This is my progress.

I need to cut more triangles because I just cut a few to get a feeling about the process... and as I said, I don't hate it, so I think I will finish it!!

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And as a last note, I received my block from my Block Swap Adventure partner (Melissa @sewgreenm.blogspot.com/)... an amazing Snail Trail block, thanks Melissa!!

I printed the pattern for my next pattern... it's going to be fun and colorful... I hope she will like it!!
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And now, link YOUR own progresses below!!

Rules for the linky party:
1. You can link finished projects or WIP at any stage! Every step is worth sharing
   (A journey of thousand miles is made of single steps)!
2. Link to your specific post to make it easier for others to read about your progress!
3. Spread the word and post my button or a text link (code for the button on the side bar)
4. Comment on other links!! It's always good to support each other every step of the way!! :)

An InLinkz Link-up