Three ABC Blocks, Two Blender Colors, and an Iguana

Plus - a stunning ocean quilt

All the productivity gurus say your to-do list for the day should only include 1-3 things. The reasoning is that this will allow you to really focus on the big things that are most important to you - and that’s true. But it’s also a good way to insure that you never dust the top of your baseboards.

I find it really helpful to sometimes devote a day (or a few days) to clearing away all the small tasks that I’ve been shoving aside in favor of Big Important Things.

I took last Thursday and Friday off (my husband and I went to Ashland, Oregon) so it was a short work week. Three days isn’t quite enough time for me to design and write an entire pattern, but it’s the perfect amount of time to do a bunch of catch-up tasks, so that’s just what I did.

First up, the ABC quilt!

I’m getting so close! I made new samples for Padgett Pig, Quinby Quail, and Zulima Zebra in the color palette I’m using for my sample (Animal Kingdom blenders on printed quilt blocks in light and medium Farmers Market colors).

You all decided on Tucker Tiger for the sample, so that’s the update I’m working on this week. Then it’ll just be three new blocks and we have an alphabet!

While I was at it, I made a new Ian Iguana sample in the colors I’m using for the upcoming Pets bundle.

AND I also added two new sets of blenders to the Farmers Market color collection.

The Spinach blenders are green, but tending just a bit towards blue, unlike the Avocado blenders that have a slight yellow cast. And while the Strawberry blenders are pretty pure red, the Beet blenders lean just a touch into purple, but not as purple as the Eggplant blenders.

I use the Farmers Market color collection All The Time and found I really wanted these two additional hues. I hope you like them!

So, no single big thing accomplished, but lots of little things I’ve been meaning to get to. It feels good to check so many things off the list!

This week I’m working on Tucker Tiger, and (if I have time) also Frasier Frog since you all voted for him to be part of the Pets bundle. I’m also starting to sketch vultures for the V block. 🥰

Here’s your weekly dose of awesomeness from the Shiny Happy People group!

Look at the gorgeous quilt Deb made with the Fish and Sea Creatures quilt patterns! (I also spotted an added Jammy Jellyfish and Oswin Octopus, plus the fish from the Greedy Seagulls pattern. 🥰)

Toni mentioned in the comments that she likes the way the fish sometimes cross over the lines between blocks. I love that too! If you want to give it a try, there’s a tutorial here showing how to do that. It’s not hard - it just takes a little planning. That post will give you lots of ideas for different ways to use the technique. Have fun with it!

Head over to the Shiny Happy People group on Facebook to see lots more wonderfulness people are making with my patterns—and to ask questions and share photos of your own projects. It’s my favorite place on the internet!

In an effort to make this newsletter short enough to go through most email providers without getting chopped off, I’ve broken out some favorite pieces to give them their own days.

Wednesday is for inspiration - favorite artists, books, recipes, and more. In last week’s Five Happy Things - Books with Awesome Older Main Characters, this title got the most clicks. I hope you all love it!

Friday is for oldies but goodies from the archives. Last week this post, this (normally very unpopular) pattern, and this pattern were exactly tied for the most clicks.

And last Monday, this beauty got the most clicks!

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I hope you have a fabulous week!

Best,
Wendi
🥰