"From another universe"

Even before the Project Quilting Challenge #4 - Across the universe - was posted, I knew it was going to be a fun & funky challenge for me.  We have been on vacation since last Saturday, visiting my in-laws.  We don't fly home until tomorrow morning, so I knew if I was going to participate I would have to do 100% of the challenge while on vacation.

My mother in law has a sewing machine - she assured me of that - and even had a rotary cutter and {very, very small} cutting mat (and yes, after this week, she now has a more appropriate sized cutting mat (18" x 24") and a 6" x 24" ruler).

hehehehe.... do you see those pictures in the bottom left corner?  Yup... that's the hubby just *a few* years ago! ;-)

The challenge was posted at 10am CST on Sunday, while we were exploring the Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City - actually right before we walked through an astronomy portion! :)

My original thought was to do something using dark blues / purples / blacks - very celestial - but when we visited the fabric store I just couldn't pull those fabrics.  I tried, I really did.  I think my recent fabric diet (I've now made 73 items - out of the 100 I need before I can buy superfluous fabric) may have something to do with that!?

eeeek - another cute pic of the hubby in the background! :)

We walked through the prints and I saw a fun spaceship and stars fabric that I just couldn't resist.  I pulled some solids, and headed to the cutting table.  Since I was having to buy fabric (I considered this very similar to a  "custom order" - thus not breaking the fabric diet), I wanted to buy as little as possible - both so I didn't have to haul tons of "extra" fabric home with us on the airplane (in addition to a quilt), but also so I felt less guilty about "breaking" the diet.

I got home..... and drew up an idea - incorporating a few blocks / techniques I have seen recently that I wanted to try out.  

Then I got to cutting, and sewing.... and then found I was going to have to change plans (see my post about that here).

Well.... I just went with more of an "improv" style and kept sewing away.  The machine I was sewing on was not what I'm used to (and a little strange to me..... I even had to use a pedal for the first time in a while - wink!) - - - but it came together pretty well!

The finished quilt is 40" x 48" - perfect for one of my boys (or both?!).  It is three layers of cotton - the top is pieced, middle is a layer of quilters cotton, and backing has a little bit of piecing because I ran out of the spaceship fabric.  I went with cotton for the "batting" for a few reasons - I didn't really WANT a thick quilt.... and didn't want to have to squeeze a thick quilt into a suitcase.... and didn't trust the unknown sewing machine (that was doing GREAT) to quilt / handle that thick of a project!

I named it "from another universe" because of the space-theme, and the fact I felt like I was creating far from my comfort zone / universe! :)

This quilt was created while on vacation - in Riverton, Utah