Quilt: New Years project

Each New Year holiday, I like to pick a project to work on.  This year, my unfinished Aurifil 2014 Block of the month project called to me. 

Here's the background...

While I had heard of the project when it started, in January 2014, it wasn't until October that I was interested in the quilt.

They started the project with a certain set of fabrics - I didn't feel like going out and buying those.  Yes I knew that I could substitute but it just wasn't calling me.... then it happened.  Someone posted there blocks made of primary colors - I fell in love with the red, blue, green and yellow spools.  I still didn't hop on board.  Then while I was on a shop hop, one shop had a display with Red, Green, Blue and Yellow - I fell in love with the fabric and the idea to use them in the BOM.

Like any good quilter on a budge, I bought the amount they recommended at the beginning of the BOM and set off to create my blocks.  I was able to finish 7 of the 12 then I ran out of blue and red and the project stalled.

I tried to find substitute fabric - I found something I liked for the red, but the blue stumped me.  Everything was the wrong shade.  Lucky for me, on the next shop hop, the original shop still had the blue.  :)  Unfortunately, the project still sat in the lonely UFO pile.... I didn't like a few of the blocks.

Fast forward to Jan 2, 2016...

I pulled out my Aurifil BOM box - fabric, blocks, remnants and to my surprise, no patterns.  A quick google search and I found the five blocks I needed. - Note to self, if you work on a project with online instructions and you start to pack it away, print the rest of the instructions.

So on the sunny afternoon, I started pulling things out of the box, I was happy to see the seven blocks I had done, I love the Spools and Button and ... well most of them.

Much to my surprise, I had everything cut for four of the blocks and one was mostly pieced.  Piecing the blocks went quickly and soon I had everything on my design wall, unpressed.

Now to figure out how to layout this crazy bunch of blocks so I can get a finished top.

When the Hubby saw this, he told me that's what I needed to do...

The only fabric I have to do that is a plaid, and I'm not sure it would work.  I also found a 3x4 layout it's towards the bottom of the page.

So now the New Year UFO project is again on the top of my UFO pile.... at least the blocks got done.

~ The Momma

Quilt: Kaffe Fassett project

Several years ago, I stumbled across a Kaffe Fassett book at a local fabric shop.  It was definitely love at first sight.  The meld of colors, patterns and texture .... wow!

Lucky for me one of the local quilt stores cares his fabrics, swoon!  I picked up one of their homemade charm packs, who can decide on one delicious fabric?  And there I sat for weeks.  What would I make, could I make anything like the pictures in his book? It was all overwhelming.

Then my hubby challenged me to do something with the charms.  I guess he was tried of seeing them hanging on my design wall .... which is in the up stairs hallway so he passes it multiple times a day.

A challenge was all I needed.  I made the design myself, I wanted a quilt that used one charm pack and was still bigger than 36x36.

.... and there the project sat for a couple of years.

I loved the top but it felt too small, I played with several different boarders and nothing felt right.  So there it sat in a sad and lonely grocery bag stuffed at the bottom of the UFO pile.  The poor thing.

Before Christmas I stumbled across the bag, it's always been in the back of my head but when I saw it, I realized I need to do something with it.  So it moved to the top of the UFO pile.  At least then I would see it and it would call to me sometime in 2016 right?!?

So on Sunday I was complaining to the hubby about not feeling creative and he looked at me and said "Quilt".

That was all I needed.... out came the lonely Kaffe Fassett quilt.  It made it back to the design wall, one weird little border attached and more borders pieced in the bag.  I put it all out and started taking pictures.

First the quilt itself.


Then the quilt with the triangle border.


Then the quilt with the third and fourth border ..... I was a little border obsessed back then. ;)



I studied the pictures, looked for the 2 other charms I'd picked up over the years.  And when I didn't find them, I decided the quilt looks great the way it is.


Would it look good with more borders, would I like a few more rows?  Probably.  But I've been wanting a little lap blanket in the car, Iowa can be cold in the winter!

So off came the border and now I'm ready to find some backing and get this baby quilted. Before the end of January!


The Momma