Sunday, October 9, 2016

 OFF TO A GOOD START!

Pretty wild colors!  So far I have been having a good time with this.  The fabrics are Day Dreams and Cuzco by Kate Spain.  I dug into my stash of Kaffe Fasset fabrics thinking maybe there were some additions there. But suprisingly no. All the fabrics seemed off kilter a bit except for some with leaf like prints which are perfect.  At first I made leaves in a coordinating aqua-green print but that was kind of boring so you can imagine how excited I was when I realized it was Kaffe to the rescue.  The leaves are orange, pink, turquoise, purple and so on.  It adds so much life to the applique.

One drawback for me in making this quilt is the English Paper Piecing.  This method of work is hard for me though I am acquiring some skill as I go along.  There are 18 of these large 11 inch triangles to make and they try my patience.  Also I did not realize how much fabric they use and hope I will have enough.  There are about 15 epp flowers to make but they are easier to make.

Here is a photo of the pattern:
You see on the original that Sue Cody uses a rose color at the base of her triangles.  I am using the aqua in a lighter version of the stems.  I am designing my version as I go along.These 2 fabric lines have some lovely colorful prints on white which are not really good for either the flowers or the epp triangles.  You really cannot see on the pattern photo but the borders are triangles (2 form a rectangle).  My current thinking is to use these white background prints alternating with the black and white background fabric accented by scrolling stems and Kaffe leaves-no flowers as the prints will provide lots of action.  Early days though!

I made 5 appliqued triangles but am having to rethink one as it is not right.  Here are the 4 that are finished.




All four of these have the epp flower and you can see that was fun to make.  You can also see the effect of the Kaffe leaves.  I am using 2 shades of the dark aqua for the stems.  The appliqued blocks make up quickly.  In order to be sure I have enough fabric choices for the applique, I will hold off on making the epp triangles for a while and just focus on the appliques.

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 I began my blog last May and one of the first posts was to express my terror of machine quilting.  I quilted Mountmellick which did not turn out to badly.  Since then I have come to actually come to like the process after having taken a sampler class and working on my own to build my skills (a lot of this is in preparation for quilting Caswell-be still my heart!)

As part of the skill building, I ordered a quilting book which arrived this week and looks interesting.  It is Fill Harmonics By Sue Heinz.  It is a beautifully made book with lovely paper, printing, layout and with a spiral binding.  She has excellent instructions and some unique fills.  Here is what the book looks like:
You can see some interesting fills on the cover.  I am working on a big circular sampler (only mentally at this point) partly based on one by Margaret Gunn Solomon who also has a book coming out this month.  She is a great quilter.  

                         (Someone asked me if I get a kickback or anything 
                         if I mention a product etc on my blog. Wish I did!
                         Unfortunately, I don't. If I mention something it
                         is because I find it useful or interesting.)
                         
I ordered something else interesting and that is Martelli quilting rings.  They look well make, easy to use with sufficient weight to keep the fabric in place and with spinning handles to aid in movement. I suffer from shoulder problems and have read that these help.  I will let you know more next week.

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The new visitor this week is from Malta.  Malta, as you probably know, is a small archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea about 50 miles south of Sicily.  It has a long history of strategic importance as a naval base and has been ruled by a succession of different countries. With its temperate climate, lovely vistas, beautiful water, and interesting historical sites, Malta is a popular tourist destination.  I want to go there.  Flag proudly added.

Well, that is all the news that fit to print.  I'll chat with you next week and in the meantime, I hope you have a lovely October week, get some stuff done if you want to and otherwise enjoy life!

LINKING UP WITH MY FAVORITES LADIES WHOSE BUTTONS YOU CAN CLICK ON TO SEE SOME GREAT QUILTS!




25 comments:

  1. Lovely, this quilt is on my "wish to make " list.

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  2. What an ambitious project! It looks fantastic, too. Love the abundance of color!

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  3. Wow! Your Sweet Surrender blocks are beautiful, I love them!! I'm impressed you are EPPing your pieced triangles. I'm going to foundation paper-piece mine. I wish you had shown the 5th appliqued block so we could see what is wrong with it. At the September guild meeting, the charity committee displayed the Sweet Surrender flimsy they had finished sewing together. Us guild members made the blocks, the committee sewed the triangles together. After being hand quilted, she will be donated to the 2017 Mennonite Relief Sale. TThe committee made the outside border using the pattern design. I really liked it! I'm tentatively reconsidering doing mine that way, but I need to get the center finished before I worry about that. Sorry I'm a no-reply blogger. I normally leave my e-mail address but I forget. I hope that enables you to reply. Blessings, Gretchen villacrestfarm@gmail.com

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  4. I like how you fussy cut flower parts.

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  5. Your EPP triangles are gorgeous, but then again I'm partial to both EPP and Kate Spain's Daydreams! Thank you for sharing such a beautiful project!

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  6. Another one on my wish list. I love what you are doing with yours. Always beautiful work to look forward to when I visit you.

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  7. Love the applique you did. The fabric is gorgeous. It will be a very bright and happy quilt I think. Greetings

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  8. I love your work and am interested in your background fabric. Was that Kate Spain as well??

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    1. Thank you! The black and white background fabric is from Robert Kaufman studios and is called Valentina #13426 by Valentina Ramos. I love the background also-it reminds me of music!

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  9. Pam, your new project is fabulous! Those fabric combinations just sing! I am intrigued by the EPP. Also curious about the triangular applique backgrounds. Did you oversize them and trim them down after stitching?

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  10. Those fun, happy fabrics are perfect for your new project! I think it's pretty smart to have a consistent color at the bottom of each triangle--a bit of a rest for the eye. It's going to be wonderful!

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  11. Gorgeous! Absolutely stunning use of colour. I love it so far. xx

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  12. You are off to a Gorgeous start!
    I love all the fussy cut leaves and blossoms and I agree with you... those Kaffe fabrics really make the blocks flourish beautifully!

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  13. Pam you are on your way to another remarkable and beautiful quilt. Those fabrics are brimming with life, aren't they. A joy to work with, I'm sure. And your applique is so perfect!

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  14. You might call them wild colours Pam but I just love them, so vibrant and happy, SPRING has arrived for you in this quilt Cheers Glenda

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  15. this is an amazing and lovely project that you are embarking on!:)

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  16. this is an amazing and lovely project that you are embarking on!:)

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  17. The colors and prints are stunning and the applique gorgeous. You must love working with these bright colors. I think it would lift my spirits working with these colors.

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  18. Oh my! I love the vibrant colour ways you have chosen. Beautiful applique . You must have lots of patience. I'm with you. If I like a product I mention it.

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  19. I love your applique quilt. Is that your pattern?

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  20. I love your appliqués. The background fabric makes the triangle even more interesting. :-)

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  21. Such a happy quilt with its brilliant jewel tone fabrics that sing against the black and white background fabric.

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  22. Thank you for checking me out and I had to do the same. Boy am I glad I did. I love your work on the sweet surrender. I'll look forward to watching your complete this quilt

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  23. Your blocks are so beautiful, I love the pattern!

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  24. Your blocks are so gorgeous, Pam. I thought I was at the wrong blog, though: these colors are very unlike others you've used and posted! It might take me a few posts to adjust to the change.

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