I love sharing my projects with folks, but when I have to sew something that is a gift, I always have to hide it from the world until it’s completed. I actually really suck at keeping things quiet, so the fact that I was able to purchase fabric, choose a block, create a quilt top and get the whole thing done without my big mouth ruining the surprise is a miracle.

I shamelessly stole this block, color choices and all, from Ellison Lane Quilts; I fell in love with the color scheme, so why not copy something that was so thoughtfully provided for me? What I love about the block itself is that you get TWO blocks for the price of one, thanks to the half-square triangles; but that left me with a problem: this quilt was only 9 blocks. An odd number. Should I make another star block, or do something else for the center? You wouldn’t believe how much I struggled over that, and in retrospect it seems completely stupid to stress over something like THAT, but stress I did. Until one night, the center block hit me like a shot, and I jumped up and put it together before I lost the thought. (I’m a little scattered.) I really, REALLY love how this turned out, and I was so happy to give it to my friend this past weekend.

Along with the blanket, though, I also pulled together a toy:

Which also went along with the rest of the toys our Rav group knit, crocheted or sewed for the baby:

This was one awesome secret project to pull off, and since the mama-to-be lives close to me, I got to be the one that presented her with all of this. It was so worth all of the stealth!