jumping along

I'm back from my short break! And I'm back to the Jumping Jacks quilt along!

Last week I needed to take a short break from sewing because of work responsibilities. My team met in Delray Beach, FL to begin strategizing about 2015. After the conference ended and everybody flew home, I spent the next few days on the beach. Just me and the sand and the waves. It was blissful. No work, no sewing machine. I was very inspired by the colors, scents and sounds of the beach, and I continually thought about how to capture the experience in a quilt. I'll have some pics of my trip in a few days  - yeah, there I was in the ocean with my Nikon camera.

And by Saturday night I was home and got right back into the Jumping Jacks quilt along!

I've added two new Union Jack flags for my quilt, using a pattern called Jumping Jacks by Fig Tree Quilts. This playful re-interpretation of the Union Jack isn't too literal, but hopefully, it's still respectful of the amazing history and culture of the United Kingdom. I love how easily each block comes together. Tanya Whelan's fabrics sure do make this easy!

After doing three blocks with polka dot center stripes, I wanted to try something new - a heart print stripe! My next block will have a "striped" stripe.

The Jumping Jacks quilt along is currently in progress on Instagram and was started by Joanna Figueroa. Anybody can join, although you'll need a copy of the pattern. Just upload your images using #jumpingjacksqal.