straight-laced {a sea of shoes}

As I was figuring out how to (re)introduce this quilt, I sort of started feeling like Sonja's spokesperson because... you guessed it! Another Artisania paper-pieced pattern ;)  (She was also behind this crazy adorable horse).  It's not that I don't have my own designs (there's proof!)... I just have such great respect for truly original designers that most of the time I find their designs, quite simply, impossible to resist ;)

While this is a gift for my sister and her lovely boyfriend, if they don't mind I'd like to dedicate these 23 pairs of All Stars to those affected by the recent tragedy in Boston.  While maybe only Chuck Taylor himself could've managed to run 26.2 miles sporting these kicks, I'm hoping the thought is able to travel the 935 miles that now separate my hometown from my birthplace.  And now I think I finally know what to sew for my flag.  Thanks for the idea, mom ;)

The pattern for these roadworthy high tops was published in Quiltmaker's May/June 2012 issue (along with lots of other fun stuff), which I had in hand just in time for some expedited Christmas stitching (more on that in this post).  Short story short, my sister L-O-V-E-S her All Stars.  This pattern is called, "I Love My All Stars."  Need I say more?

I struggled with quilting ideas.  I knew I wanted uneven straight lines through the graded brown "shelves."  Apart from that, I was at a loss.  Then I started to notice straight-line quilting (pretty much my method of choice the only design in my repertoire) all over the place.  Here.  And here {side bar:  she is crazy good and posted a nice tutorial just last month}.  Also here.  And most recently here.  Okay okay I'll stop.  You get the point ;)  I opted for more organic lines to mimic the waves of the ocean, seeing as family summers at the beach served as my inspiration for the color palette.

For the back, I pieced "paper hats" from an assortment of blue prints, and paired them with a chocolate brown batik and a "cathedral window"-esque printed design.  I originally pieced together a completely different backing (i.e. very sunshine-y and quite yellow) and was good to go until I stumbled upon the blue cathedral window print in my stash.  Gah!  A perfect match!  Alas, it was too serendipitous to ignore, so I started fresh and came up with this.

On the plus side, I do have a good-sized spare backing just lounging around ;)

Linking up with crazy mom quilts.  Twice in as many weeks -- my my, to what do I owe this streak of productivity?!  Deadlines and sleep-sewing, no doubt.  But perhaps the Numi tea that's been running through my veins 24/7 these days has something to do with it, too... I'd better go brew myself another cup for good measure ;)

I was a few inches short on binding, so I used up some scraps from one of these blocks to finish it off ;)

What keeps you sewing strong?

P.S.   In case you're wondering why you can make out hardware cloth and 2x4s in the background... I confess...I took these in front of our chicken coop!  Sadly, the ladies sought shelter before I could get their beauty shots ;)

Caught by the coop!