Applique Prep

Time to pull out the Solids Challenge project and get back to work! There hasn't been any progress on this quilt for over a year now. Oops! How does that happen?

Solids Challenge applique prep

I spent a couple hours {yes hours!} this week cutting and auditioning different colors for the remaining five blocks, trying to ensure a wee bit of balance. A little bit of fabric was wasted, but not much. At first I was only trying to get a single block ready for stitching and then realized how difficult this was going to be if the color balance wasn't addressed right now. The prep work is totally done now, and unless I get a driving urge to change something up, it's all ready for motivation to come calling.

This solid fabric thing is definitely not my forte. At least twice I plopped a piece of printed fabric down onto a block and considered booting the entire challenge. Oh well, it is my challenge after all. But no...  I'm not a quitter.  After the blocks are stitched {on printed background fabric, did you even notice?}, the using-only-solids-plan is going to go bye bye. Maybe someday I'll upgrade to an all-solids quilt, but for now, it kinda makes my eye twitch. Or something.

A Folksy Flower border

I have a feeling that stitching on the solids isn't gonna happen real soon. Too many irons in the fire around here. You see, I also found time to prep for my next border on the Folksy Flower. It's been a slow-go project too, but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This particular border is going to be very quick stitching so yep, that means it's probably up next. I just can't help myself. A speedy little finish is actually great motivation to move on to the next project.

There is also some improv. basket handles I'm sneaking in here and there and don't forget about the Blue Plumes quilt. It's quietly waiting in the hand work bag too. Oh man, do I love applique. You have no idea how many applique ideas are simmering in the back of my head. Just this morning when my husband left for work {way too early for normal people to be awake} my mind jumped onto the perfect solution for a quilt project I'd drawn up months ago. Ideas for the fuzzy bits have been dancing in and out of my brain forever and all of the sudden I went from sleepy to 'where is my notebook and ink pen? Quick! Write this idea down before it gets lost in the ether!' It really pays to be ready when everything clicks into place. We always think we'll remember the details next time we get in the quilt room, but no. Those ideas, they slip, slip, slip away all too easy.....