Saturday night I pulled all 21 Flowers out and laid them on muslin. Since I have averaged only one block per year, I am hopeful that this monthly linkup will help me kick this project up a few notches - maybe I can actually finish the quilt in my lifetime:-) Over the years, my tastes in fabrics have changed a lot, and my stash too of course. Although I really do like my blocks, I felt fairly disappointed with them all laid out together. I arranged and re-arranged. Then I pulled three blocks out to get a more cohesive look. One of those pulled happened to be my new block, the one I just finished. Aghh...
Then I got to thinking. I have been quilting a long time now. I am a make-do quilter, and I love the story a quilt can tell by the fabrics included in it. This gives me a strong passion for scrap quilts... Scrap quilts that require a large 'palette' of fabrics to draw from...
These blocks do tell a bit of a story for me, and I decided I am not quite ready to give up on any of them yet. I will 'whip up' a few more blocks that could help bring them together. Still, I may end up culling a few (thanks for the chuckle Liz!)
And Liz has a point: It is best to choose a bit of a color-way to stick with prior to starting a quilt. Way-back-when I had no plan. I just stitched up a block one year. I stitched up another the next year... And so on. I knew a few years into it that it was a bit off, and I'd attempt colors for the next block that I thought might help it out. Now I guess I just can't quite give up on that concept.
So, back to my old ways, I quickly packed them back up and selected fabric for my next flower.
(honestly, that muslin looks gray doesn't it? Next month I will photograph them on white!)
All this leads me to a bit of advice for all those 'fabricaholics' who are discussing Detox:
Nonsense!! Be always on the lookout! Fabric is essential to feed your palette! It can take years to gather fabrics for some quilts, and these are usually the most sentimental ones.
That said, I am forever in destash mode as well. When I make a decision to part with fabric, I usually keep a tad bit of it. I can't say how many times I have used these bits for odd projects, like BOM or swaps. Tastes change over time too. (I was anti-floral/anti-calico when I started my garden quilt!)
Speaking of destash, it has been a LONG time since I offered a giveaway!
On Tuesday, the 12th, I am participating in the For the Boys Hop. I prepared a BOY Bundle to give away in conjunction, but first I thought I would offer a GIRL Bundle:
Girls before boys ya know...
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Art Gallery Spellbound FQ Collection |
Lyn at What a Hoot for BOM's Away
Shameless, I know, but if you would like a second chance to win, leave a second comment to let me know you took a stroll at my new Etsy shop (and follow me there if you are so inclined - I have not one follower yet!) https://www.etsy.com/shop/RedLetterFabrics
In an effort to de-clutter my original Etsy shop and focus on handmades there, I am clearing fabric out and posting new fabric into this new shop. I have a ton more to post there as time permits!
Let me see... 21 years?
ReplyDeleteWell I do love your flower nr 21, despite noticing it does not go so well with the others but.... if you are going with that pace who knows what will be your 42nd?
I want to see!
would love to win that fabric, love your flowers, my MIL who died a couple of years ago at 91 handmade a bunch of those and i have made her grands pillows with them
ReplyDeleteWhat a dilemma! I hope you get it all worked out. How amazing that you have been working on this project for so many years! How many more flowers do you need?
ReplyDeleteI have at least 3 of those fabrics and love them! Great bundle. :)
I would not mind helping you "destash" LOL!
ReplyDeleteEsther
esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo dot com
ipatchandquilt dot wordpress dot com
Oooo - pretty fabrics - thanks for the chance! I like your flower blocks. How many more do you need for the size you want? I think there's plenty of room to add colors than can pull your new one in quite easily enough. Even that darker blue one could be made to fit in a scrappy happiness if you have enough left to go. :) (And nice to see you at BOMs Away!)
ReplyDeletevery pretty flowers, happy sewing
ReplyDeleteP.S. I went over to your Red Letter Fabrics shop. You've got it nicely organized, and I'm so in love with the one fabric with the bunnies in there. Favorited you there. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat pretty fabric for a give away. Your flower blocks are so pretty. Thanks for a chance to win.
ReplyDeleteI love your flower garden. You know in the very olden days, you just used the scraps you had and no 2 blocks had the same prints. I think it looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous hexie flowers - and amazing that you have been working on them for so long :-) Love the fabrics too!
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to make those flower blocks, but hexis are not my thing. I love yours!
ReplyDeleteYour flower garden is stunning. I am still hand quilting mine. Thanks for the chance
ReplyDeleteI think your flowers look great together and I'm sure by the time you finish it you'll love them all together too, especially since they bring back so many memories. Thanks for the chance to win the pretty fabrics.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win those sweet fat quarters! Keep going with those flowers. I love an eclectic mix!
ReplyDeleteFavorited your new Etsy shop! Good luck in your sales, Heidi!
ReplyDeleteSo pretty! Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteI have been making lots of these flowers. Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway. Can't wait to see your quilt all finished.
ReplyDeleteSo how long do you think before you have enough of the hexies for your project? I made a smaller than twin and put a flat border on it, and that took me about 2 years making them every night in front of the tv. I finally even started sewing them together on the machine...yucky y-seams! Thanks for sharing and thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI've only just started EPP and I haven't sewn any together yet!
ReplyDeleteI've favourited your etsy shop!
ReplyDeleteLove the hexagons.
ReplyDeleteYour 21st Hexie Flower block is absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHI, LOVE YOUR HEXIE!
ReplyDeleteLOVE YOUR GIVEAWAY TOO;THANKS FOR A WINNING CHANCE AT SOME NEAT GIRLS FABRICS! HAPPY STITCHING!
msstitcher1948@yahoo.com
If you use that blue a few more times, plus a couple of blues that are slightly different (in value, scale, etc.), they will fit in and really spark it up -- if that's what you want: it will be softer and more mellow without the blue. But the one blue ... sadly, no, it doesn't "go." But by the time you are done, you may be surprised at its evolution and the story it tells.
ReplyDeleteI did stroll over to your etsy shop, and I am drooling -- how can you part with this stuff?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comments Carol, I would like to reply, and enter you in the drawings as well, however you are a no-reply blogger. Please leave you email address if you see this!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful fabrics! Thanks for the great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteVisited your Etsy shop - Layer Cake in Blue & Yellow - Cotton Quilt Fabric Bundle is my favorite - love blue and yellow together!
ReplyDeleteYour newest flower is a showpiece! The others are just a little jealous because they are the chorus line. :) I must say with one flower a year for 21 years, this quilt will be a work of art no matter what is in it! I'm making my flower garden with swapped flowers. I'm a bit worried about a few of them, but they are all going in anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little crazy I guess, I like all the different colors in a quilt so I like yours quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteI signed up to follow your shop. You have good prices and a very nice selection I bet you get really busy with it.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll be able to make them all work together, and some quilts are more about the journey anyway. :) I think what stands out to me more than color is the change in fabric type. It seems like your prints are getting larger. Whatever the case may be, it still looks good. How many more flowers do you need?
ReplyDeleteI checked out your etsy fabric shop. It looks nice. The Pooh Bear fabric has caught my eye.
ReplyDeleteI like that these blocks tell your story. It's an autobiography in quilt form! thriftstorecrafter at yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteOoh - pretty pretty!
ReplyDeleteIt was nice talking with you today, so glad you were able to add a few more items to your stash :)
ReplyDeleteDid those quilters 100 years ago have a colour scheme--well, I guess sometimes they did have at least one common print or colour which tied the whole thing together. Lovely bundle, I would love to share :)
ReplyDeleteI love that you'd averaged about a flower a year. That tells such a great story. It's like traveling through time in quilt form :)
ReplyDelete