A Moveable Feast

In the same way that running can be seen as not quite tripping and saving yourself from falling, over and over again, the baby mats lurch from not quite disaster and adjusting to the circumstances, over and over again.

It's probably call 'design evolution', or something, and I guess it's done all the time by quilters everywhere - but it still feels like quilting by the seat of the pants to this relative quilting novice.

So my baby mats have gone from being a quick to make, simple checkerboard design with background and floral patterns (oops! not enough background) to checkerboard with nine-patches and patterns...

...and from being floral patterns and butterfly patterns (oops! too busy!) to floral patterns on one, butterfly patterns on the other...

...and from being six by six squares to six by five squares (oops!  not enough butterfly fabric).

They will still look great, I'm sure, just not precisely what I had in mind to start with.

Nine Patches

Twelve down, twenty four to go.

Next decision:  do I put a narrow sashing between the nine-patches and the patterned fabrics, or bung 'em together as they are?

Something to think about - but in the meantime, I am going to the pub.

Possible Layouts, and Possible Over-Ambition

I managed to find a few minutes in the attic room which were Domino-free, and took advantage of this to rearrange the Festive Mystery Quilt blocks into a couple of different layouts.





Here is where a digital camera comes into its own - how on earth can you compare layouts unless you have an image of each choice in front of you?  Not that I've quite decided on which I like best just yet.






And I'm getting stuck in to the baby mats.  I've gone for a slight variation on what I had first envisioned - I was going to struggle on fabric quantities by using just using a pale plain for the background checkers, but by mixing in these bold plains it will eek out what I have.

It'll take rather longer to get the tops pieced, but there you go - six down, thirty to go...

Stop Sniggering, Hobbit

At this risk of seeing all the experienced quilters nodding knowingly at the phenomenon known as UFO's that I appear to have succumbed to, I am starting a further quilt project.

It is not the cat quilts which I have promised the boys for the past twelve months, but two baby playmats for my next-door-but-one neighbours, L & A who are expecting twins within the next six weeks or so.  Actually, the cats remain happy to sleep on (and shed hairs all over) the table mats, sofa, bed, spare bed, fabric stash crate, bath mat and anywhere else that is in favour currently, so I don't think that they are particularly deprived.

So 'brights' are the order of the day, and because time is of the essence I'm going for something pretty simple in terms of design.





I'm thinking of a checkerboard layout with the brights and pastel yellow/greens, then a skinny border then a stripy piano key border.

I think that the overall size of each of the two quilts will be six by six squares, plus skinny border, plus piano keys and will turn out to be about 40" square.

Does that all sound like A Plan?

However Quietly...

Honestly, I could have sworn that he was asleep two floors away!

I sneaked up to the attic room intending to have a play with the layout of the mystery quilt, but as soon as I turned round to get the camera out, there Domino was, daring me to move those lovely flippy-flappy blocks around for him to grab at...

Christmas Quiltalong, June pt3

I know that I am stretching the definition of the quiltalong Saturday by a number of days, but I did feel I was on a roll with piecing my blocks on Sunday evening, and so I spent some time this evening finishing and pressing them.

But Domino cat was not keen on me playing with the blocks without him 'helping', so this is as far as I got with experimenting with layouts.

I love it!

But I need to see what else I can do with them before I make my mind up.  However, that is for another day - preferably when Domino is snoozing elsewhere!

Christmas Quiltalong - June pt2

I've had a good session on the machine tonight - although I probably should have stopped before I'd chain sewed all three rows which will make up the block as some of the seams are a bit gung-ho.

I suspect that I may regret my cavalier attitude when I come to piece the rows together to make up the blocks.

I pressed the strips, then couldn't resist putting just one block together to see how it looks.

Fab - I love it!

I want to hurry up and get the rest of the blocks made up so I can play QuiltSue's layout game again.  I wonder how many variations of the quilt layout we can come up with?