No, its not snowing! This is the side of the box my Brunhild was couriered to me in. Yes, I now have a sewing machine again.
Of course it cost so much to retrieve the screw I dropped in her innards, I could have almost bought another sewing machine. But only a basic one. And they did clean out her innards, and do a little dusting while her covers were off. So at least I don’t have to pay for a service any time soon. Gotta look on the bright side.
Speaking of bright…
In her absence, I continued churning out appliquéd blocks. I have committed myself to making two versions of Jen Kingwell’s Midnight at the Oasis by making the second border blocks for version #2, though I have still to sew around the “petals” yet.
Unlike version #1, this quilt will lean heavily on the Midnight theme, and features some garden related fabrics I have been stashing for the purpose. It features beetles, birds and flowers in the block backgrounds. I am trying to stay within a more limited palette, using only blue and the secondary colours either side of it.
In contrast, I intend to use pretty much as many colours as have been invented in version #1. A bit like my summer garden. As much as I might wish to recreate the White Garden at Sissinghurst, my flower beds end up containing whatever pretty flowers catch my eye as I stroll through the garden centre. A colourful, chaotic, riot of colour. With weeds.
To avoid my scrap collection growing too much further, I am also trying to use up the batik and hand-dyed fabric scraps I bought from the Art Recycling Centre. The quilts feature lots of appliqué and paper piecing, so most of these scraps will get used on them.
Speaking of paper piecing, I have been encouraged by all and sundry to give it a go. So last weekend I drafted the pattern for the centre medallion, and am waiting for The Hubbie to return home with photocopies. I figure by the time I have sewn the four pieces twice, I should have the basics under control.
I may take a break from this quilt for a couple of weeks and finish off some other quilts, now Brunhild has returned. I have a birthday deadline in a few weeks, and I may finish the Pansy Monstrosity and gift it to my MIL. She didn’t recoil in horror when she saw it, and mentioned she would take it if I didn’t want it. Since I don’t see how I can co-ordinate a quilt featuring 28 pansy fabrics with my bedrooms floral wallpaper, I think it will be winging its way north shortly.
All will be revealed in a later post.
Linking up eventually with WIP Wednesday and Lets Bee Social.
quilts across the aisle 
Great choice of ‘midnight’ fabrics (love that colourful chair too!)
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Thanks. The chair was used by my Mum as her painting chair and was covered with paint drips as a result. It was on its way into a skip when I grabbed it.
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Both versions of your Midnight at the Oasis quilts look great- I especially love the purples and blues!
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thanks. I just need to be sure I avoid the “purple people eater” look but injecting a little bit of contrast every now and again. Thanks for visiting.
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These are beautiful quilts and awesome photos. I’m glad you’ve got your sewing machine back, and I love how you tricked me with the snow picture. I was thinking where does this woman live?
Good luck keeping your scraps under control. Mine are starting to take over again.
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I love your two versions of Midnight at the Oasis. They are very striking. I haven’t tried doing any applique work yet but it is on my bucket list!
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I’m doing the cheats version, since this is my first attempt at applique too. No hand sewing for me quite yet, I will be satin stitching the edges of all those petals.
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Congrats on getting Brunhild back, I’m sure it felt like you were missing a limb! Your orange peels are gorgeous, and so colourful!
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Yes, I even contemplated dragging out my old Bernette. Except that its tension issues were the reason I upgraded machines. I suspect that if I want to carry on with quilting, I need a second, reliable machine. Just in case.
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Yes, fabric control is something my Hubbie is especially keen on. As long as he doesn’t look too hard in the closets, I can maintain the impression of a small stash.
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It would be so hard to pick a favorite between these palettes. Very pretty colors!
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Thanks. I enjoy making two versions of quilts, as I can avoid the mistakes of number one, while completing number two.
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Love the two versions you are making. I’m like you, I plan out my garden borders and then rip it up a soon as I get to the garden centre.I’m off to a garden show on Saturday, heaven only knows what I’ll come back with. I’m worse with plants than I am with fabric
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Have fun, Garden Shows are as much fun as Quilt Shows, aren’t they. After we win Lotto (hard because we don’t buy tickets), my Mum and I are going to Chelsea Garden Show. It would be wonderful to see new plants being bought to market. Thanks for visiting.
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