Together Forever: Sampler Quilt

Part of finishing UFOs can be as simple as combining one unfinished project with orphan blocks. That is exactly what I did. The blocks were of similar size for a starter, so it worked.

 

The light green/gold block are Blocks-of-the-Month (2015) and the aqua/green Batik blocks were from our share-workshop this season (2016/17).  Blending both projects to create a simpler quilt, came from ideas from scraps books and many scrappy quilts were definitely wilder and brighter than mine, so why not I thought tried it.

First I visualized and played with the blocks on my design wall, then designed a pattern with sashings and borders with EQ6. It really a good idea to draw your design on paper or using EQ for the final size of your quilts and layout.

Do you have UFOs that could be blended together to make a sampler quilt or smaller project? Or what ideas did you come up with to use them?


Let's stash away...UFOs *smile*

Hexagon: Rosette 4

In my excitement to start with rosettee #4, I forgot each rosette pattern can have a mind of its own. The colour you choose may not work, because you are creating a larger flower and if you're a beginner at this like I'm, it's not coming out the way you see it in the design.

A few things this project made me realized are:

• Darker tones dominated my stash. 
• Cold colours are predominated in the greens, blues, and a bit of purple.
•  There is very little of reds, yellows, and oranges.
• My light tones are used faster then I can stock it back.
• My fabrics as, little or not many contrasts in their designs.
• My medium tones' fabric is very close to the darker ones.

 Wow! That was a real eye-opener for me and it's time I make a list for my next purchase. If I don't have it clearly stated in my mind, I'll just go wild and buy more blues and greens. *laugh* There is nothing more enjoyable and thrilling for our quest in finding a great deal on fabric we love, but I've to smart-up and buy what I need, not what I want. That's going to be a real challenge. *sigh*

My next shopping list:

• Purchase lighter or medium fabric.
• Buy pleasant yellow, reds, and oranges.
• More white fabric
• Absolutely NO greens and blues. Off-limits! 

DESIGN WALL

 It's good once in a while to see all your rosettes on your design wall. Even if I knew what colours themes I wanted, it was hard planning each one individually, because my stash has a lot more dark and medium fabrics.

CREATING A ROSETTE

 For rosette #4 there are four different blocks in the yellow/ eggplant colours. At first, it didn't seem a problem and adding the yellow and orange Batik next to the first block just match.

But when I added to the next adjoining hexes, it didn't work for me.

 So I changed it for a dark eggplant fabric.

And changed it again. The orange for the green. This took me three days and hours and hours of frustration because I don't have lighter fabrics, besides this orange/yellow Batik. Because I love sewing rather than being frustrated, I played with my fabrics until I have a set of Dark, Medium, and Light. With already three rosettes completed, I knew I wanted my project to be in the blues/green/ eggplant with a splash of accent somewhere along with the quilt, I continued on that tread of thoughts. 

Yes, I planned combinations of fabrics, before I started this project, but like I said, each rosette has its own mind. I'm hoping my second attend will be more successful

  Most print fabrics have dots on their selvage. Using it as a guide for a fabric selection can be helpful.  This one will be my springboard palette for my fabric selections. There are 15 choices and reduced it to 12. Again my limit with lighter tone was my decision.

 Numbering was constructive. Also, you don't see it, there is more than one fabric design with each one, except when there are a lot of fabrics.

 Another good idea is to glue a small pieces of your fabric as a reference chart.

 Noticed the greens are in Dark. Medium. Light.  And did the same for  my other fabric selection.

Blues

 Eggplant/orange

.Lighter colours.

Another idea is to take a picture in the black/white. You can see the shade of your fabrics. Now that all the hard work is completed, it's time for me to sew rosette #4.

 Let's stash away...and purchase fabric *smile*

If you're interested in this project to go to Katja Marek website:

The New Hexagon Millefiore Quilt-Along