Thursday, February 12, 2015

My Current Applique Round Up

I am on complete and total applique overload lately. It's not terribly unusual around here, but once it hits, then it's almost deadly, at least to my motivation. First of all, there is my Sunburst quilt. I've firmly deemed it a 'forever' project by now, so it only proceeds in little fits and starts. A leaf here and a leaf there. Not a lot of progress ever, but I think we're good. Aren't we? It almost always makes me happy, if a bit bored in the 'doing'.
Sunburst
Next up is the low volume Log Cabin quilt, which was very sneaky about inserting itself directly into the mix. I was very happily making my free looking Log Cabin quilt top and then the idea of adding applique just sort of crept into my thought process. Ha! No sneakiness about it now. It's been like a runaway train getting all the parts prepped and on their way to completion. Just a minute there buster, you are NOT a priority concern at the moment! So weird how that happens. I've had to make myself slow down in order to concentrate on a couple of other projects!
LV Log Cabin
Quarter Circles Round #2 has been placed on the back burner for now. It just needs a little sewing done on the machine before I can attack the hand applique, so for now--no pressure. It still makes my heart go pitter patter every time I pull it out though and you know what that means.... It's one that I'm very eager to start working on! Hmm... I could probably just power through this one in no time....
Quarter Circles Round #2
The Eagle QAL quilt is basically in the simmering stage for now. I really want the next border to be an applique border, but have no brilliantly clear picture in my mind. Perhaps a classic looking vine type motif? I'm definitely leaning in that direction, but am fairly content to let it incubate--for now. Deadline is July 4th! Just curious, how long can 'for now' last?
The Eagle QAL quilt
Lately I've also been very intrigued by the Marsala Challenge, if only because I have plenty of that drab, uninteresting color in my stash. Why I ever bought it in the first place is a question that is impossible to answer, but for some reason my mind has seized upon the idea of trying to make something work. This fabric pile keeps growing larger as I wonder, hmmm...? The main problem to starting this particular project {any justification will do} is the issue of what I would clearly want to use for a pattern. It, ahem! has a lot of applique involved.*sigh  Insanity, thy name is woman... But you know, it's not like the applique would be ready right away! The initial phase of the quilt would involve a lot of sewing on the machine???
Thinking about making a 'Marsala' based quilt
And then there is the quilt that is the culprit of all my quilting stress--the 2014 Fire in Pateros quilt. Stress is NEVER, ever allowed in the quilt room, but somehow sneaks in through the back door occasionally regardless. It's a quilt I really, badly want to make {sort of feel compelled to make actually}, but it's driving me insane. The creative stage of figuring out the details was fun and a bit thrilling, but the implementation is so, very difficult and yes, a lot tedious as well. I love and adore words on my quilts. Getting them there is the problem. Arghhh!!
2014 Fire In Pateros quilt
It's also possible that I've bitten off more than I can chew. Why oh why did I plan out such a largish quilt for such a crazy, emotional project? I now have most of two 'thoughts' appliqued onto my first panel, but there are six more to go, plus two or three other areas that have words included. Not to mention a panel of other applique 'shapes' and other various appliqued bits to be placed here and there. It's the real deal, 'whole applique' quilt and would be very, extremely interesting if I could just mix it up. The problem is, this first panel needs to be completely finished before I know for sure how to proceed with the rest. The colors, balance etc. depend primarily upon this first {very wordy} panel that somehow gets me all churned up. It's not like I was at war people! 

I've recently challenged myself to complete one 'thought' per week in an effort to make some real progress, not this namby, pamby, dinking around stuff. If this means all the other applique work gets shoved aside for now, then so be it. It really need to be determined if this quilt is actually 'doable', before it gets shoved in the back of a closet somewhere out of sheer frustration and temper tantrum type antics. Who, me? haha We all know some quilts are very, very difficult to implement, but this one feels like it could be well worth the effort if I can just tackle my antipathy towards sewing on so very many of these fabric letters. {And no, I don't want to do an iron-on type of applique. I don't like how they feel in a to-be-used quilt.}

So there you have it--a complete overview of my recent applique overload. It's important to make quilts we're gonna love, right?*wink

18 comments:

  1. That quilt is emotional, every time you sit to stitch, you remember, and it was emotional. I agree, to finish such a project you are going to have to put your big girl pants on. ( in Australia we refer to trousers as pants) .....and push through a little. Sounds like giving birth.....sorry didn't mean to get too personal...but you know what I mean. I am also with you on the fusible stuff. You go girl!!!

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  2. That is quite a list of applique projects. I share your pain, uh.. I mean challenges with so much applique. Just remember one stitch is one more stitch closer to completion. Enjoy the journey without regard for the finish line. I like the review of everything in one quilt method. :-)

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  3. I have not heard of the Marsala challenge. Not sure I like the color that is shown but maybe I would change my mind if I saw it in person. Not much time until you would have to have something put together before long in order to get it done in time.

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  4. Good luck with all these projects. Can be hard to focus when there is so much in the mix especially such an emotional one.

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  5. Your projects looks so interesting, I'm sure it's hard to focus on just one. I am trying to concentrate my attention on just one UFO until it's done. So far, so good. Are you freehanding the letters for your "fire" quilt? I have a quote I want to put on an upcoming quilt and can't quite come up with lettering that satisfies me. I have a projector that I could blow-up the letters and trace them on a paper on the wall but I'm not sure that's the direction I want to go either. What works for you?

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  6. If you know you will be glad to make progress on your emotional quilt then you have to just work on it, the end satisfaction of finishing it should hopefully feel superb.

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  7. Too many complicated projects going at one time! lol I may have lots of projects, but they aren't complicated or thought provoking.

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  8. I think you quite easily might have more going on then I do!! when will I ever just work on one quilt? never most likely

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  9. I believe that your Pateros fire quilt will take exactly as long as it needs to take for you to grieve the way you need to grieve, heal the way you need to heal. So the rate at which you work on it is the perfect rate. And you have the voice inside you that is telling you that you really want to make this quilt, so you know that you are doing the right thing. All your projects are beautiful, by the way.

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  10. I know how that feels, having too many projects on at one time makes you not knowing where to start. The best start for me always is to really make the decisions on which quilts I am really going for at any one time and to put the rest away. Really away like in a box. It always feels like a relief and sets my mind free to work on the 'chosen ones'.

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  11. Thanks for the project round up
    You sure have a lot of awesome things going. Love the LC!

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  12. And the amazing thing is, you will get them all done! I LOVE your sunburst rendition. Your fabric selections are fantastic. Can't wait to see that one finished - but enjoy the process!

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  13. Enjoyed reading the project round up! So many wonderful creative decisions are going on. So cool that each project is so unique and you can work on whatever you feel like doing each day!

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  14. Wow, that's an impressive display of works in progress! Love them all. The Quarter Circles intrigued me. I've not seen one before.

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  15. It's great to have a tour through your awesome projects. I know what you mean that you can have so many that it gets a bit overwhelming. You always manage to make progress though. Your marsala stack is looking pretty, I wonder if you'll be able to resist. I wish the deadline for the challenge was a bit further than April. I pulled out an awesome marsala fabric I have, an old linen curtain with big birds on it, then put it away because I really, really don't need another project right now, but the thought of it keeps creeping back...

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  16. Oh my goodness - and this is just the list of your applique projects! I am amazed and impressed and these all look like they are going to be stunning. It seems to me that things take as long as they take, but if your progress on the Fire in Pateros top is bothering you, then as Susan says at the top, maybe you just have to get on with it! :-)

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  17. LOL, oh dear! Sounds too familiar. I'm in the same boat.

    But, I really love all your projects! I love the pink and orange in the Sunburst quilt, and your stars are looking really good on the log cabins. Carry on!

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  18. If your Sunburst quilt doesn’t have any sort of deadline I can’t see why it isn’t perfectly fine to work on it when you feel like it. It’s simply lovely , and when you do finish it you can reminisce about the years you spent making it , and what was happening in your life at the time. You’re sewing memories into that quilt!

    I think your Fire in Pateros quilt is telling you to slow down and make this quilt while reflecting and making the journey to a finish. This is a therapy quilt.

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