A new quilting adventure – wip Wednesday

Posted in Quilt patterns, WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

After a couple of weeks of being able to do nothing but hexies I desperately wanted to start a new quilt. I do have a large number of quilts to finish but I just had to do something new to blow out the cob webs.

So last week when I was feeling better I started going through my Bloglovin feed and found two projects that I just feel in love with. First there was Cari at There’s a Thread fabulous tutorial for making a Palatina Pillow. Then I found Amy at 13 Spools interview with Faith from Fresh Lemons, which included a photo of a wonderful poinsettia mini quilt (link here). These two projects inspired me to make my own version.

Using Photoshop, I took different bits and pieces from some blocks I had scanned and played with their layout, shape, position and size. The end result was this…

Which with fabric sewn on it looks like this…

The block was designed as a 4 x 4 inch block, the size I usually work with, but for this quilt I blew it up to 7 x 7. Blowing it up was as easy as selecting “scale to page” on my printer and then trimming the block using my ruler’s 1/4 inch mark rather than the dotted lines.

For me this is the perfect block to be working on at the moment, as you actually have to plan out the quilt little. So I have pulled out my colour pencils and have been pre-marking my paper patterns, block by block. To make this pattern work how I wanted, you must have blocks that match up, hence the pre-colouring! As I am still unable to sew for long stretches and this process allows me to take breaks and go slower than usual.

When I put the blocks I have done so far up on the design wall I realised that there was another influence at work… my hexies.

I just can not seem to avoid them at the moment!

29May2013

Gentle blush – wip Wednesday

Posted in Quilt patterns, WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

This week I have been trying to get a few projects finished, but keep getting distracted. My first distraction was this selection of fabric I pulled from my stash.

I have accumulated over the last couple of months a selection of apricot fabric, and I have been trying to find other fabrics to work with them. I wanted something modern and fun so I chose a blush pink and a pink/purple, and this is what I decided to do….

I love the colours but may re-think the block. The center where the pieces join is bulky and just a pain in the “you know what”.

The other distraction the last week has been hexagons. I have now made 52 hexie flowers and have been getting quite proficient at the process. My hexie travel kit has been living in handbag and I pull it out when ever I can. Geeky I know but it is working.

And the main thing that these activities have been distracting me from is finishing my pink and olive triangle quilt. It is all cut and waiting sewing. I have decided that today that is all I am going to do – no distractions, no new projects, no excuses.

Wish me luck…. I think I am going to need it.

22May2013

A very Pink wip Wednesday

Posted in Quilt patterns, WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

This week I have been working my way through a friend’s copy of Tula Pink’s “100 Modern Quilt Blocks” . It has been a lot of fun.

I started by pulling some soft, pretty fabrics. It was the name, Tula Pink that made me want to go with this palette. I pulled soft pinks, reds and greys including a handful of solids.

Then I worked my way through some of the patterns I had flagged. One by one I selected the fabric, cut it, then sewed the block together. It was a slow, deliberate process and I loved every minute of it. I definitely do not have as much done as I would pre-cutting my fabric and working with just one pattern but this is a refreshing change of pace.

My work space is little more hectic as well, but I found a great use for my cookbook holder….

At the end of yesterday I had a nice little pile of blocks…

Here are some of my favorite so far, using the books numbering system to name them.

Block 72

Block 79

Block 96

Block 36

Block 12

Block 32

I have about 40 more blocks to go… this is another “on going project” that may take a while!

15May2013

A day of play – wip Wednesday

Posted in Scrap quilts, WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

I have been having some fun over the last couple of days, playing with my quilting. The other day while out walking around my neighborhood with my husband I took this photo.

This beautiful flower inspired me to make a modern improv quilt. I worked for a couple of hours last night and so far this is what I have…

I will keep going and hope to have the top finished by Friday. I had made a deal with myself NOT to start any more quilts until I had finished some, but when the inspiration grabs you, just go with it…. right?

The other playing I did yesterday was looking at how I want to finish up my Paper Piecing Monday quilt. After getting some great suggestions I worked with a couple of colours…. here are my top picks, in no particular order.