Project Quilting challenge 3: Sweet Treats

Yes I am still here.  Im sorry I havent been blogging.  I tend to instagram and have ignored the blog.  But I am here today to share my Season 5, Challenge 3 entry for Project quilting.  And no I didnt finish challenge 2.  I just did not have time that week.

Sweet Treats is the theme.  When I first saw it Last Sunday I found this picture googling..

Pixie Stix!  

It was what popped into my head.  I remembered all the times when I visited my Grandma in Jacobus, PA.  We would walk a couple blocks up the road to the small grocery and she would buy me a bag of pixie stix.

So Monday I picked some scraps I thought looked like pixie stix colors.  On Tuesday and Wednesday I cut them into 2 inch strips and made the pixie stix.  I pulled a stack of white kona scraps already cut into 2" strips.  Using my ruler and the 45 degree line created cuts to  make the stripes on the stix.

Then I felt like I needed more.  Rock Candy popped into my brain.  I ALWAYS would buy it when on trips from specialty stores.  I went to itunes when a friend mentioned the song Rock Candy Mountain.  I had never heard it before and it lead me to searching for pixie stix songs and I discovered Red Wax Lips & Pixie Stix!  I was inspired as red wax lips was another childhood favorite I use to buy at the WaWa store near my house.  So after looking at some images on google I drew up a pattern.  I traced it onto fusible and then found some old red hand dyed that had lovely texture and color shading perfect for lips.  I used a feather stitch to outline after adhering.  It only took about 30 minutes on Thursday to make. 

Then I was stuck.  I kept arranging the pixie stix and red wax lips in a swirl pattern trying to figure out which way to go.  Rock candy still was stuck in my mind but I wasn't sure how to make it.  Then inspiration struck Saturday.  I pulled a candy pink and blue from the hand dyeds.  I freehand cut about a 9" wedge and then some small 3/4 to 1" squares.  I fused everything down.  The stick was another hand dyed, a thin strip pieced with the back ground.

I worked on the layout until I found one that worked. 

 I added a little button candy (another childhood fav) to fill in a hole in my border.  Used Pat Sloan's selvedge fabric.

I quilted it in a large swirl.  Its funny I knew how I wanted to quilt it before I had even had the top figured out. 

 I used a fun and quirky large scale floral for the back.  

I tried a few bindings until I pulled a favorite stripe out.  Funny thing is I cut it all up and ironed it and then realized I had a ton already made from a previous project.  

I sat and hand finished the binding watching Monarch of the Glen on Netflix.  I had been watching Psych but ran out of episodes.

title:  Candy Dreams:  Red Wax Lips & Pixie Stix, Rock candy Dreams

design:  original by Colleen Charlotte Yarnell

size: 35" x 35"

Location: Lewisville, NC

Challenge:  Project quilting season 5, challenge 3, Sweet Treats

Inspriation:  My favorite candies from childhood and the title of a song.

Keep Dreaming...Colleen

ps I just remembered why I dont blog so much.  Putting in pictures from flickr has become a real pain.