I had to deliver a quilt today, and while I was at it, I had the chance to visit a quilt store. I have this hair-brained idea that I’m going to make a Blooming Nine Patch quilt to enter into MQS this year.
I brought home a bunch of fabric:
I think we picked out every little bit of bright stuff the shop had. This particular shop has a huge wall of Thimbleberries and in general tends towards darker, muddier colors. Nothing wrong with those: just not my thing. I probably should have waited until I could go to a different shop to have a different fabric selection, but you know me: when I’ve got an idea, I need/want to do it NOW.
The bug fabric (on the right) is totally adorable. You can’t tell from the picture, but sprinkled around the bugs are words like “Eek” and “Yuck” and “Slimy.”
I have started putting together some of the 9 patches, and I’m not entirely sure I’m happy with it, yet:
When I look at it in Black and White:
I think it might be because there is too much contrast between the green and the yellow ladybug print. At first I thought it was the orange that I didn’t like, but now I think it might be ladybugs. Bummer, because I adore the ladybug print. I only needed 3/8 of a yard of that, but it was a skinny bolt: if I finished the bolt, it was 50% off. So of course all 3 yards had to come home with me…
I’m going to go dig around my closet of fabric and see if there is something in there that might make me happier.
last night I finished quilting a quilt that had been on the frame for several days. Here’s a shot of the back along with all that was left of the thread I used on the top:
Cutting it kind of close, don’t you think? I actually ran out of the original bobbin thread, and had to substitute. And when I took the quilt off the frame, I discovered that at some point I had used a 3rd bobbin thread without having realized it. Good thing it’s my own quilt! (And yes, if it had been a customer’s I never would have subbed bobbin thread, I would have waited until I had ordered the right stuff….
I think that’s all of my quilty babbling for tonight. Off to examine fabric choices…
Suzanne
I love your quilting. isn’t it cool though when you use up a whole cone of thread? I agree, the ladybugs hare too light. maybe you can put them on the back.
I like the contrast of the ladybugs in the center, but maybe that’s because I know how darned cute the fabric is in person and I know what a ladybug person you are. It might be interesting to see something besides the green that transitions from the stripe to the ladybugs. A challenging project.
Suzanne, great minds think alike….I was just getting ready to say the same thing your mom already said about replacing the green instead of the ladybug fabric.
Ooo boy! That was close. I have done that myself and found myself repeating a mantra “please don’t run out. please don’t run out……….”
TerriW
I couldn’t imagine how those fabrics would look int the quilt – but they look great although I agree the is definitely more contrast between the green and yellow. I was just thinking I need to pull that book out and look at the Boston Commons quilt which is also one of my favorites.
I love that quilting on your quilt. I’d like to see more of it 🙂 Is is a freehand?