Thanks to everyone for saying nice things about my restraint.

This week my local quilt shop had their annual sale.  Muslin was 40% off.  I dye and paint fabric.  Can you see where this is going?

Seven yards of excellent quality white muslin came home with me.

I used a quarter yard of fabric on the secret project and the premie quilt binding this week.

I can’t wait to start over next year!  Stop by Judy’s blog  to see how everyone else is doing.

Total Added YTD:  46.05 yds

Total Busted YTD:  21.25 yds

Net:   +24.8 yards

Three months ago I mentioned a picture challenge I’m doing with four friends.  One person picked this picture, and each person interprets it in a small art quilt.  We swap the quilts every three months, then start again with a new picture.  Everyone will end up with one quilt from each of the other group members.

When I received the picture link, I was so excited.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it.  I was so excited, in fact, I did nothing for months.

Friday I decided I had to start working on it.  I have to have it to the recipient by the end of the month.  I sketched out a rough pattern before I went to work.  On the drive there, I decided on a different approach.

This morning I put the top together using a method I’d never tried before.  I can’t post a picture because the recipient reads the blog and I want it to be a surprise.

While I worked I thought about why it took me so long to get started.  I realized that I had a specific idea of what I wanted to do and how, but I didn’t have it in me.

I have a vision of what I want to create.  When I listen to the voice within, something different comes out.  Who I think I want to be is not who I really am.

Only I can walk my own path, and trying to walk someone else’s path is like wandering lost in the forest.

I think many people struggle with this as they explore their creativity.  Maybe this is part of the journey, like a writer finding his voice or a runner finding her stride.

It explains many things in my life and puts actions in context.  If I don’t learn anything else from this picture challenge, which I doubt, it was worth participating to learn this one important lesson.

After way too much tweaking, I decided on the final design.

                

The original pattern, designed by Marti Michell, appeared in American Patchwork and Quilting in 1995. 

The goal of this project is to finish a quilt using a pattern I would never make and a focus fabric outside my comfort zone.  I knew I could work with the basic structure of Marti’s pattern to come up with something I did like.

Once the changes started, they took on a life of their own.  I increased the block size from 4.5 inches to 9 inches because I didn’t want to work that small.  I had to modify a nine-patch block to create the purple blocks in the center.  The square came out wider than the original.  I picked a different version of the Ohio Star block.  I completely changed the design in the setting triangles around the outer edge of the quilt.  My coloring emphasized different design areas, creating the figure eight in the background.  I decreased the width of some borders and increased the width of others.

It sounds like a lot of time consuming work, but EQ software makes it fast and easy.  The design itself took very little time.  I spent more time on color placement because it dramatically changed the look of the quilt.

Here are my fabric choices, all from stash.

I’ve never pulled fabric for a quilt faster than I pulled these.  It all flowed together with little effort.  I can’t wait to get cutting!

And the winner is…..

The fish fabric!

I’ll post a picture of the pattern later this week, after I change the colors to match the fish fabric and  make a final pattern decision.

Thanks to everyone that voted.

I made the blocks for my quilt group (shown in yesterday’s post) and made the gift bag Monday at quilt group.  I didn’t buy any fabric this week.

Last week Lori poked fun at my teeny weenie numbers compared to all the other stash reports.  This one’s for you Lori.  I used a whopping quarter yard of fabric this week.

Total Added YTD:  39.05 yds

Total Busted YTD:  21.00 yds

Net:   +18.05 yards

For the past week I’ve found myself in the kind of funk that makes walking into the sewing room a struggle, and creating anything an impossible task.  I have no idea what brought it on, but it had to go.  I think the best way to get rid of a funk is to sew something small and simple, then work up to more creative projects.

Last year my quilt group made this block pattern with a light green background for a charity quilt.  The two women putting it together wanted it bigger, so we all received light blue background fabric to make additional blocks.  This I could handle.

Pattern by Barbara Barber as printed in Quilters Newsletter June 2008.  The pattern is also included in her book, Foolproof Curves.

We made gift bags as part of the program at quilt group Monday night.

         

The pattern called for ribbon handles, but I decided to leave them off for now.  I put two paperback books inside the bag to help it stand up, which also gives you an idea of the size.

The pattern came with a plastic template that one of the group members bought at the local quilt shop.  Since the bag is constructed using glue, it could also be made out of wallpaper or heavy gift wrap.

Sorry, but I got to the meeting late and didn’t catch the pattern name.  I’ll have to ask someone and post it later.

Don’t forget to check out the fabric post here and vote in the poll on the sidebar.

I didn’t add any fabric this week.  I used a half-yard for the back of this baby quilt.  A quilt group member gave me the top to quilt up and donate to the Children’s Hospital.  Don’t mind the white paper squares and hearts.  They’re part of the quilting design.

Sorry about the crooked picture! 

Please remember to vote in the poll on the sidebar.  It’s near the top, under “Fun Stuff”.  It wasn’t working earlier, but I fixed it and registered the votes from yesterday.  If you missed the original post with the pictures of the fabrics, you can see it here.

Total Added YTD:  39.05 yds

Total Busted YTD:  20.75 yds

Net:   +18.3 yards

Check out how everyone else is doing on Judy’s blog.