Quarter Circles Round #2

It's probably because I've been hand quilting on the Quarter Circles quilt so much, but I just can't quit thinking about these bulls-eye blocks. I really like them. I want to make more. But I don't want an identical quilt, so... I thought and thought about it until I decided to start my 'Quarter Circles Round #2' quilt. Can't have too much of a good thing!

Playing with the bulls-eye block

And just to shake things up a bit, I'm making layers of circles (the bulls-eye) this time around. And then I will cut them into quarters like before. The circles are deliberately not perfect so that the end result will be a little bit 'off'. You've noticed that I'm very enamored of that look? lol Probably going a different direction with the sashing etc. too, but those decisions are for later. For the here and now, I'm just having fun with the fabrics and loving the different looks I can create from certain combinations of colors and prints.

Sewing on the middle circles

Why is it that I'm not done playing with these fabrics and colors yet? I'm really not sure. I worked with them in the Flowering Snowball quilt and also the Muddy Creek quilt, eliminating some fabrics and including others. There is something in my brain that thinks it's trying to figure something out. I just know it. No doubt when I'm done, there will be another color combination I'm fixated on and then you can shake your head and think 'that woman, she is a odd duck'. Or whatever it is that goes through your mind at these particular moments in observing human behavior....

Trying to get the fabric combinations figured out

With this quilt I have also been having a lot of thoughts about the process of working with 'scrappy' fabrics. For instance, in the first round of placing the smallest circles on top of the middle circles, I went very quickly, placing circles almost as I came to them in the stack. Occasionally I winced and skipped a circle or two because of an uncertain color/print combination, but mostly, I just refused to be over-picky about the process. In the last round {placing the top two sewn circles on top of the largest bottom circles}, I spent an hour and a half deliberating. What? I know, It made me stop and think too. Why was it completely unimportant the first round and now, so very much a big deal?

Well, first of all, the initial pull of fabric was a blend and combination that I was very pleased about. The fabrics are not exactly interchangeable, but they definitely 'work' well together. That made it easy to put two fabrics together. But when I added a third fabric {the largest bottom circle} to the mix, THEN I had fabrics vying for attention, competing in a totally distracting way, instead of the pleasant, make-my-heart-sing way. There's a difference! So I took my time and I tried to put fabrics and colors together so that they compliment each other in a way that looks lovely to me. And yes, you know me. I also made sure they weren't matchy-matchy or so 'precious' that I had to go running to cut more.

Anyway, I'm having a great time appliqueing this fabrics together and imagining the quilt they might make some day. I have a lot more thoughts about putting together scrappy quilts that I'd like to share with you. Maybe after the holiday? Right now I better get moving and shaking on preparing the food for our extended holiday dinner. For some reason people really like to eat during this time of year.*wink