Lashings of Positivity

So I bought a swath of yellow and grey fabric the other day (see here). It was all inspired by this quilt

that I saw on ssparowsinflight. I was in love with the colours and the style. I wanted this quilt. So I was pottering around Spotlight and found these little packs of yellow and grey. It was like it was meant to be! I bought three.

When I got home I started cutting. Out off all I bought, this was calling to me. So I ignored all the other odd jobs and half finished quilts strewn about my living room and just soaked myself in all these lovely fabrics. Oh the joy!

It wasn't until I was at this point

that I realised I was off pattern.

I had thought the original was random widths, but it wasn't. I had forgotten the alternate long strips. I had cut up a whole pack (and while I still had two more I was hoping to do something equally fabulous... not that I know what that will be yet) and so didn't have any extra fabric for this and certainly not one colour in the amount I would need. I had thought the pattern was three, maybe four strips of random size strips. No, it's far more structured than that. So I didn't have enough material and I had fuguked up the design and now I had to work out how to make it work.

I was hoping for a single bed size quilt, and i don't know how, but i think i got a fat quarter pack to spread that far. There were going to be 6" strips of colour alternating with 6" strips of black. Black, yellow, black, yellow, black, yellow, black. That's 42" wide. That would have done a single bed. Right? (I confess I am still trying to work out what sizes I need to make these darn blankets.) So that was what I did.

I really liked it. It was a little plain, but simple and clean and you could see all the lovely fabrics and get a feel for the yellow-ness it was going to be. I liked it.

So now I was thinking - quilting. I want to try free motion quilting. I don't even know if I can do this on a normal machine or if I need a fancy long arm quilting machine. I'll be doing it, so hopefully I know before I get to that point. Anyway, so I was thinking of quilting and I wanted to do something interesting. I was contemplating adding buttons to the material, give it another dimension. Then the thought came to me! I needed to add the alternating stripes. "How?" I hear you ask. I've already said there's not enough fabric! Well I figure I've already not followed the pattern I might as well elaborate and go the same same but different (this is an annoying phrase my husband picked up in Vietnam and I now catch myself saying it at the oddest times. Anyway...). I figured the premise of the pattern is that the alternating panels need to be different texturally (as in patchwork versus whole cloth) so what if I did patchwork strips vs patchwork squares?

Sounded good in theory. I figured I'd make some squares. Worst case they didn't work, I'd have the start of the next quilt.

So out came a bit of black I had in my stash (is it still counted as stash if I had it purchased and earmarked for another quilt? I don't think I want it on that quilt anyway... ), and another yellow pack and away I cut. Now i haven't really made squares before. I'm only just learning log cabins in my class now and I haven't gotten very far yet. So I started with a 3" square of black. I thought a solid centre would be nice. I'm not sure what my thought process was but I think I figured that it would tie in the border/sashing and it was neutral so if I didn't want it in this quilt it would work in another one. I cut 2 1/2" strips out of my colours and away I went.

(I'm sure there's an easier way to do this, but I'm having one of those weeks and I just don't have the energy to find out what it is or how to do it.)

And after a couple of hours (yes I know I take forever, but I ironed and everything!) I had some little squares ready to go. I squared them off at 6 1/2". Frankly this was a complete fluke as I had planned to do a second colour wrapping around, but the size is just too right not to keep as is. And I'm glad now because I don't think the second colour would have worked as week as it did in my head.

I obviously still need more squares, but I have only done 3 colours out of my pack so I have lots left to keep going. And now I think I should end up with a double bed quilt. Or two singles if I decide I don't love it after all. I think it's 64" wide. Or maybe 78... Is that a double bed? Can I confess, I've been working out if it's big enough by laying it across my bed. That's how I know it's long enough. *hangs head in shame. I'm sure someone somewhere has guidelines on these things. Perhaps tomorrow is the day to google and find out what the rules are :-)

Now as part of my process pledge, here are the fabulous drawings I made last night to help me finalise my design plan.


I apologise for my lack of art skills, but I did what I can. I'm a quilter not a painter. A is a simple straight lines single quilt. Ill use the squares either as another single or as part of another quilt. Still an option but unlikely. B is what I have laid out on the floor at the moment. I like it, but I don't know if I love it. It's kind of my safe choice. And C is my slightly risky choice because I'll have to cut one of my strips and once that's done, there's no coming back. It's currently my favourite though. It also adds a little bit more width. Only 6" but every bit helps to make it a double/queen. I think that gets if to 78".

I have more stories about this quilt, but it's getting a bit late (it's already tomorrow!) so you'll just have to wait.

Till next time my friends!
E xx