A New Temptation

Not having quite enough energy this morning to actually start sewing I took the opportunity to catch up on what a couple of my blogging friends have been up to. That may have been a mistake. My first stop was Julie's blog.

Turns out there's a new quilt along starting up, inspired by Gwen Marston's liberated quilt making. Specifically, this quilt along is to create medallion style quilts. There are five co-organizers for this endeavor. Each one will pick a design feature for us to interpret and incorporate into our quilts in our own way. We can piece or applique at will, work in a liberated style or stick with precision cutting and piecing. That's just the kind of freedom I like!

My dilemma stems from the fact that my energy levels are so sporadic these days. I hesitate to commit to a new project that could be mentally demanding, to say nothing of the physical. And then there's the question of whether to work out of the Parts Department (something I picked up from Gwen and Freddy Moran's collaborative efforts) or to use some of the prints piling up in my stash. I admit to leaning in the latter direction. If only the Parts Dept. weren't overflowing!

Lori over at Humble Quilts decided we would all begin with a basket block for the center of our medallions.  At the beginning of each of the next four months one of the other organizers will give us the next design element to use. Cynthia (wabi-sabi quilts) in June, Cathy (Big Lake Quilter) in July, Katy (KatyQuilts) for August, and Wendy (The Constant Quilter) for September.

I have a few basket blocks left over from making this quilt...

But I can't say I'm excited about using them. The final decision may hang on whether I can create a satisfactory basket (or two) in the palette I have in mind. So I guess I should set the laptop aside and see what comes to hand!