An unexpected change of plans

I had it all planned, my first QAL. Instead of starting and completing the quilt 6 months after the QAL ended, I was committed to participating in a timely manner.

My plans lasted the period from when I discovered the QAL, blogged my intention to join…..to when I left for overseas. At this point I fell behind, since I was sans sewing machine and fabric. So, I failed my first QAL, pretty much right from the get-go.

What’s a girl to do but pick herself up, dust herself off, and change her plans.

So, I have joined the second version of the 1930’s Farmers Wife QAL, hosted by Gnome Angel.

My aim with this quilt is to make sufficient blocks for a cot or small quilt, in a mixture of old-fashioned florals with a definite feminine vibe. I’m probably not going to complete all the blocks, and may make some of my favourites twice.

I’ve collected together a mix of fabrics including some vintage Cranston Printworks scraps from a vintage fabric sale held last year, some small florals I won early this year, and some 1930’s reproduction fabrics from Moreland’s Fabric that I picked up for a song.

This week’s three blocks were pretty simple to make, requiring only a little time with a rotary cutter and sewing machine.

First up was Becky…

Then Bonnie…

And finally Aunt.

I was tempted to stick with a more limited palette in the blues and greens, but I threw some pink in the Queen block. The idea after all is to produce something with a scrappy, yet restful vibe. Some yellow will join the mix, but I’ll stay away from purples and oranges. Ideally this would be the first quilt for a niece, but I’m just waiting for my siblings to decide to present me with one. I’m one of seven children, so the odds are pretty good for another niece eventually.

The trip to Brisbane for our anniversary went well. Quilt shops were visited, as was IKEA (a big deal in a country with no IKEA). I even came back with some IKEA Numbers fabric to back a quilt. It ended with a spectacular fireworks display on the Brisbane River on our last night, unfortunately the photos don’t do it justice. Near a hundred photos, and I mistimed all of them with the fireworks. Go figure!

Hope your weekend is going well. Apparently we will be experiencing gale force winds tomorrow, so kite flying sounds like a good option.