A little carried away

• Midnight in the Garden – an unexpected quilt

I am supposed to be making two versions of the Midnight at the Oasis quilt by Jen Kingwell. I even blogged about it (here)…..but the siren call of those 20 cute little petal blocks was too great, so now I am making a Midnight in the Garden quilt instead. Or, a Midnight in the Delphinium patch quilt. It will feature lots and lots of these lovely blocks, and maybe a border or two, since I have all the fabric I bought for the original quilt. I see lots of improv fun in my future, no looking glass required.

I will still make one version of the Oasis quilt in the lighter colour way, especially since I ordered the fabric for one of the borders last weekend, while in Wellington.

My Design Wall is filling up. Midnight in the Garden to the top right, and the Midnight in the Oasis blocks in bottom left.

I have lots of fabrics for the backgrounds in the new quilt, including my first ever Cotton and Steel, the Black and White collection having finally arrived in the Manawatu. The petals are mainly scraps, but I am cutting into yardage for the spots (Michael Miller dumb dots, various shades). I love the variety and the fun of playing with different fabrics, each and every block. No two blocks will be the same, but all will be shades of plum, purple and blue. I am using up bits of batik from the Arts Recycling Centre, and scrounging from Daughter #2’s scraps as well. I’m not sure how big to make it, probably a generous lap size. I haven’t kept a lap quilt yet, having made too many with Kona Snow as a main fabric. As previously noted, our cat makes these quilts impractical to keep. A black quilt might well be cat-proof.

• Gypsy Wife #2

The one large block I have made for the Gypsy Wife #2 this week, is the Star Block. I have the pieces for the remaining blocks cut out, but I really don’t like making pin-wheels, so I am procrastinating…… just a little. Plus, the thought of sewing the sections together again is weighing on me. I will try to just keep pecking away at this, otherwise it would be very easy to let it end up sitting on a shelf for a while. It’s probably the dread of finishing this quilt, that has me starting another one. I guess it’s okay, as long as it doesn’t become a regular occurrence.

The Star Block, the last “big” block in the Gypsy left to do is now done. Only  a few filler blocks left.

• Midnight at the Oasis – Paper Piecing

Otherwise, my big feat for the week was attempting paper piercing for the first time. The Midnight at the Oasis (MAO) quilt has a centre block which is apparently easier paper pieced, rather than sewing lots of little equilateral triangles. I used the tutorial posted by Colour Girl Quilts during the MAO QAL, and gave it a go.

If it looks slightly wonky, thats because it is. That top piece is on a definite lean.

I was just astounded at how big I had to cut the fabric scraps to cover each piece of the pattern. Needless to say, I have a few rejected scraps, due to them being cut too small. Maybe a Scrap vortex quilt in my future???

• My plans for the week…

The rest of the week is likely to consist of making more blocks for the Garden quilt, and maybe completing one more cushion. Plus, I need to practise my FMQ, maybe on the aforementioned cushion. And I mustn’t forget to take time to smell the roses, well, the early flowering Daffodils etc. Spring is well and truly springing, which I guess means Fall is approaching for you Northerners! My early potatoes are up, and the Plum blossom has started. I’m itching to get out in the garden.

Spring! Except that it certainly still feels cold enough for winter, and frosts are still coming thick and fast every morning.

Linking up eventually with WIP Wednesday and Lets Bee Social.