My Little Flock of Geese

Ahhh....Working with all these greens feels wonderfully refreshing. It's been a long time since I worked with this much green in one quilt without adding in a ton of brown fabrics. ('Cuz that's what I generally do--add brown.) And actually, in case you hadn't noticed, there IS brown in this quilt too! I just tried to be a little more discreet about it.

Flock of Geese

The creamy subtle looking plaid is something I just happened to notice lurking around in the clearance bin sometime last year. I bought everything that was left on the bolt (maybe 2 yds. worth) and really, really wished I had seen it earlier when there was more of it to take home with me. I try hard not to go crazy about clearance fabric because I always wonder if it's the price that makes me think I like it or if I really do like it. I'm sure you know exactly what I mean. But cream fabric does have a way of getting used around here and I do love plaids so.... great combination! And hmm.. not regretting this impulsive purchase for one minute now that I see it in action!

Possible block

I'm planning on making 21 blocks with 18 flying geese units each, {20 blocks to use in my quilt and then one extra}. Always nice to have one to toss out completely or pull in and out as the layout is being figured out.

Flock of Geese

The crazy thing is, I'm not even halfway through this quilt top and I'm already making plans for my next green quilt. It's obviously contagious. I'd advise you not to look if you're the least bit vulnerable.*wink

On another note, I want to just mention that if you don't receive a reply back to your comments here on this blog it means you're a 'No Reply Commenter' which is a super easy fix! Lori has a link on her sidebar that will give you instructions on how to fix this if you're having problems with bloggers never returning your comments. I always try to find a way to search out your e-mail and get a response back, but well, sometimes it's just not possible--there are no e-mails linked directly to you or maybe you're google plus and I'm not. If you have a blog I'll even try and reply back in your post comments, but I won't do that for long! I want to comment about your gorgeous quilting there, not my trifling efforts! If it's a privacy thing, then no worries--just know that your comments are always loved and appreciated around here anyway!

Low Volume #2 and More Work on the Vertical Basket Quilt

I couldn't resist any longer.  Just had to get started on my next Low Volume project!  These are the first cuts I'm going to play with and see what happens next.  I didn't get very far though because the Vertical Basket Quilt has been weighing very heavily on my conscience lately.  There's actually very little left to do!

Low Volume #2

I had so many side setting triangles left that I just ended up using them for the corner setting triangles too.  Fold in half and slice with the rotary cutter!  Easy peasy.  I know that's not proper 'straight of the grain', but I just can't see wasting fabric when I know all I have to do is be careful and pin a lot.

Corner setting triangles on Vertical Basket panels

I very carefully cut my brown fabric strips so that the same part of the pattern is showing through the width cut.  It probably seems ironic to do that when my baskets are definitely not perfect, but that's the beauty of quilting!  My motto is: It's important to learn how to do things correctly so that you fully understand where you might end up if perhaps you choose not to.*wink

Sewing the panels together

After all the baskets panels were sewn to the inside brown strips, I checked to make sure that I was still okay with the width of the brown fabric strips.  At first I was worried they were too wide in proportion to the baskets, but after I stepped back and looked?  I like it.  I really, really like it!  I think if I cut off more of the width, then I would be losing the cable effect that is acting as a great design element.

Vertical Basket Quilt without borders

I know I mentioned in an earlier post that this quilt was initially inspired by the brown French General fabric that I bought for my birthday a couple years ago. The funny thing was, about a year after my original purchase I discovered it in the bargain bin and then of course felt compelled to buy another couple yards. You know, just in case!  Sometimes my impulses do over-ride my innate frugal streak which in this case made it much easier to settle on a kind of Kaye England look (something I always associate with fussy cut strips).

Looking at it with borders....

Since I haven't actually followed a pattern, I guess it should come as no surprise that simply adding the brown strips to the outside doesn't seem to do it for me. That would be way too easy.  I love how the basket panels 'pop', but right now I'm thinking about adding a coping strip of accent color to frame the main part of the quilt?

With coping strip border and outer border...

Except for the brown fabric, every other fabric I used was straight out of my totes.  Wouldn't it be nice if I could find something for the accent border right out of my totes too?

The Learning Curve

The hand quilting is all complete on the Antique Medallion!  I got this quilt sandwiched and ready to go on November 12, 2012 so I consider this very good work on my part.  I wish they all went this smoothly!  After my last stitch, I had to lay the quilt out on the floor and admire it--for a really long time!  In fact, I wanted to call all of the family in and do jumping jacks or something I was so excited!

Centerpiece of Antique Medallion quilt

I remember when I first started the center part of this quilt back in about 2009.  The pattern came out in the American Patchwork and Quilting magazine in April of 2001--one I immediately tore out and stuck in my inspiration book.  I always wanted to make the pineapple/pomegranite part of the pattern, but was so very intimidated.  Scared spit less of it actually because of all the precise-ness of it.  What a perfect way to showcase my mistake making skills!

Sponging out the quilt markings

Years and years later, I finally got up the courage to get started on it and I AM SO GLAD!  This project taught me an invaluable lesson.  Face your fears head on and plow right on through them!  It seems incredible now how frightened of this kind of applique I was!  There are definitely mistakes if you look close enough, but this quilt will always have special meaning to me for what it's done for my confidence ever since.

Ready for binding!

For now it's hanging on the railing in my quilting room to pet as I walk past. I confess that I have started a new project that is all about conquering my fears as well.  Those nasty drunkards path blocks.  Uggghhh....  I am not quite ready to say that I've mastered curved piecing, so I guess I'm gonna drown in it for awhile.  May the prep work take months.*wink

A new learning curve....

A New Basket Project

I have two basket blocks sewn together and a very rough cut basket handle I'm still in the process of evaluating. I'm not sure this quilt is going to have picture perfect seams, grain-lines etc. so this decision will be key to emphasizing the 'not perfect' thing going on.  I may even make each basket handle different.

Blocks for the Vertical Basket Quilt

I've had the base blocks cut out for over a month, but didn't want to start in on the sewing until I cleared away a couple other UFQ's.  My applique projects are stacking up so high, I just couldn't resist some sewing machine time.  Vroom, vroom.*wink

Trying to get the pieces organized...

This Monkey Wrench quilt is really, really getting to me.  I have enjoyed the time I spend on it tremendously and I'm not quite sure why.  No pressures?  No expectations?  Great fall colors?  Probably just the timing of starting in on it.  Sometimes a quilt top perfectly fits the current mood.  In fact, my husband teases me about how dark some of the last quilts I've worked on are.  Are they representative of my mood?  Hmmm.....  Life is definitely full of lots of changes and challenges lately.

Monkey Wrench in progress

I dug out my go-to hand quilting book 'Quilting With Style:  Principles For Great Pattern Design' by Gwen Marston and Joe Cunningham.  They make this border cable idea sound so well, 'do-able' that I'm almost embarrassed at how nervy I am to try drawing my own.  The point is, what am I going to lose?  If I get it right and figure it all out on my own, I'll feel very accomplished and resourceful.  If not, I can always order a stencil and then (carefully and discretely) bemoan my lack of smarts and intellect to those who would care....

Really?  It's that easy?