I don’t have very many unfinished projects. Right now the count stands at four. There are two quilt tops that need basting, quilting and binding. Plus two WIP’s – my Tula Pink project using her 100 Modern Quilt Blocks book and a quilt that I am piecing with (mostly) American Jane fabrics. While this is quite reasonable compared to what I have read about quilters with lots of quilty UFO’s, I want to work toward finishing them all up. There are always projects swirling around in my head but I don’t want to start too many at once.
This week was derailed with a series of migraines but I was able to spend a little time sewing and I got several blocks done for the Tula Pink City Sampler quilt. I am using Floriography fabric for this project. Last year I won a gift certificate to Doe Street Fabrics and spent it on some 1/2 yard cuts of Floriography. I started to cut it up for the City Sampler project. The blocks finish out at 6″ so you can imagine that many of the pieces are small (1″ to 6″). Because each block is different from the next, it isn’t a project where I can cut a stack of anything ahead of time. I am cutting each block independent of the next. I soon found that I didn’t have enough variety in the 1/2 yard cuts that I bought.
As luck would have it, last November I found a jelly roll and charm pack of Floriography on sale at The Clever Quilt Shoppe. I bought them right away as it would give me small pieces of the full line and would be so much easier to cut from.
While spending last weekend up in Downieville, I was able to cut the pieces for eleven blocks. I’m not sure it even matters but I have been doing blocks from each section in no particular order. The book is organized with the blocks divided into sections such as triangles, squares, rectangles, etc.
I have stitched ten of the eleven prepared blocks so far. I love having a stack of blocks cut and ready to piece. Each block is actually quite simple to piece. More time is spent on planning which colors to use in the block and cutting the pieces. I made several errors with fabric choice when cutting the blocks and it wasn’t until they were up on the design wall that I could really see it. Not enough difference in value which causes the design to be lost. This fabric is busy and many of the prints are the same value. Even though I plan to sash the blocks when I make the quilt top, I need to start adding in a couple of solid fabrics to tone things down a bit and increase the change in value. After I take Julia to school today, I will make a quick stop at the store for some solids. When I cut the next set of blocks, I will incorporate the new fabrics in the mix. There are a few blocks that I will take apart and replace pieces with solids.
Overall, I am very happy with the blocks this far into the project. I am not sure I will do the full 100 blocks. I need to decide how big this quilt will be and how I plan to sash it. The blocks will be arranged in color groupings or it won’t “make sense” to me. The colors are what will define the layout. Look at the difference.
And with sashing and organization by color:
For an example of a horrible fabric choice with values in the same range, look at the green block, middle line on the far right. The flying geese are lost in a fog on that block. For that one, I probably won’t rip it apart – it will be quicker to just make a second one and ditch the first. Quilting is always a learning experience, and this quilt is all about color.
The weekend promises to be a fun one. My sister and her two girls are coming along with their husbands and boyfriends. We are going to dinner at a fundraiser for my parents’ church. Yay for family time. 🙂 I hope all of you have a nice weekend with family or friends and at least a little time to sew.
Linking to Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.
Oh, this quilt will be delightful, Bernie! I agree with you about the geese getting lost in the one block, but I think the rest look great. They have just the right amount of colorful busyness for Tula Pink blocks. I hope you’re feeling much better now and that you can enjoy your family weekend.
Thank you Janine. I just got back from the store and was able to find a few of the solids I wanted but none of the blues. For some reason, none of those worked out. I have enough to get me going for a while though.
Happy Friday!
B.
Oh those are some beautiful fabrics – what a treat! And isn’t it amazing how much difference changing the layout can make, I know what you mean about the second layout suddenly making sense compared to the first – beautiful though both are!
Yes, layout is key. As is color and changing up the values a bit. I found some great solids yesterday in coral, pink and the golden yellow. It will be fun to add some of those into the mix and see the change.
Enjoy your weekend Carie!
Hi Bernie! I love your blocks. They look so happy! Please don’t change too much. The one block on the right (#49, my favorite of her blocks) could use a little more contrast, but the others look just great. Once you get them in the quilt they’ll be perfect. (Okay, so I’m always trying to avoid ripping, so take with a grain of salt!) I agree about the layout. A little more order brings a lot more punch! 🙂
I love that block as well, Mari, so I want it to show better. I won’t rip it out, rather just replace it. Did you ever post pics of your City Sampler quilt(s)? I think you made more than one, didn’t you? You should write a post and link back to the TBT posts that happen monthly at A Quarter Inch From the Edge. I would love to see them. I found a few solids that coordinate well so I will try mixing them in a bit.
Take care!
B.
I am glad you are feeling better after having migraines! I have seen some amazing quilt tops made using Tula’w blocks, and it will be nice to see yours continue to grow and evolve. It does seem like final placement in the quilt top is key.
Oh I love these colors! I see what you mean about the flying geese, but I love the way the block turned out! Sorry to hear about migraines – mine have thankfully decreased drastically with age.
Bernie, don’t you know you should never include links to fabric shops in your posts? 😉
Yay for family time! Sounds like a lot of fun.
Hi Linda…. Nice to hear that this migraine nonsense might calm down. It is better than it used to be but sometimes I get stuck in a bad cycle. I think I am on the mend tho. Thanks for the note!
I am so happy to see someone else doing the “100 Modern Quilt Blocks” blocks. I started way back in 2013, things got in the way, I moved twice and have just gotten the book out again with the six blocks I did way back then. I really want to get started again on this. I was just going to use whatever fabrics I have (LOTS and LOTS), so putting it together will be very interesting!
I can’t wait to watch your progress!
I know I am a little behind the times, doing this project now but I so love how it is turning out. I would love to see what your blocks look like. Stay in touch and show me your progress. We can cheer each other on!