Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Head Down, Nose to the Grindstone

I haven't dropped out of Blogland altogether. I'm just using my healthy times and energies to move the wedding quilt along. Progress has been made but I don't think I'm going to have it finished in time for the day of the wedding. That has been a fantasy from the beginning because the wedding day is so close to the time I learned of the engagement. Now I'm being forced to admit probable defeat. Oh well. It will get there when it gets there and hopefully the newlyweds will enjoy my efforts. It's going to be a one-of-a-kind quilt, that much is certain. A Magpie Sue Original without question!

I began by making stars to go around the top half of a digital print:


This is by no means where the stars will end up. I'm just turning fussy-cut 4" patches into 8" sawtooth stars and sticking them on the design wall.

Then there will be this embroidery:


I haven't quite figured out how to incorporate it. There's a whole section through the middle of the quilt that hasn't been resolved in my mind yet.

I have a bottom row nearly complete but there's no point trying to show it because it's in such light tones I don't think I can do it justice in a photograph.

Most recently I've been making these log cabin blocks around smaller fussy-cut patches.


The idea was to balance the castle panel with the log cabin blocks. I didn't realize how much I had to build up the panel to make it fit. I'm going to have to come up with multiple framing strips or something instead of simply bordering the panel with one or two prints as I originally thought.

All of the fussy cut patches are intended to reflect the various interests or experiences of the bride and groom. Part of the fun has been in collecting appropriate prints. When I saw the discrepancy between the log cabin blocks and the castle panel (meant to represent Hogwarts, the school for wizards from the Harry Potter novels) I sort of got stuck. The best remedy for that kind of obstacle? More fabric of course!


Hopefully these will help me figure out how to proceed. Once I get the individual sections assembled building the quilt top should be a piece of cake. Just don't expect to see me anywhere else in Blogland for a while!

4 comments:

  1. This will be so special, I am sure the couple will be more than happy to wait, beautiful digital print, then the castle, and your stars and blocks, an inspiration from your heart.

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  2. A Magpie Sue Original in the making - indeed! I'm sure the quilt will be very well worth a bit of a wait.

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  3. Well you've certainly got your work cut out for you! If you do get it finished in time I think you should be up for some sort of award ;) The time before, during and immediately after a wedding is all a bit of a whirlwind - if the couple get the quilt a little later they will have had most of their other gifts and therefore have time to admire and appreciate your quilt even more.

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  4. Perhaps you could take a leaf out of Harry's book and say "Accio quilt design!", and all will suddenly be made clear...
    Or maybe not.
    The process of building a quilt is creative and satisfying. You'll get there and you and they will have a quilt you all love.

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