Pawsitively Lovely

Big, Big Paws is pretty much made up of four very large nine-patch blocks so assembly went really well.

Because I had those 16 large HSTs to make, and lots of the grey remnants, it was just as easy to make two HSTs at the same time so I decided to make two flimsies. No point having a pile of remnant 6.5" HSTs lying around wondering what else I could do with them. It also gave me a helpful visual reference so that I didn't mess up the order that the blocks were to be sewn together.

My borders are slightly bigger than those on the inspiration quilt because I wanted to get the quilts to be 48" x 64" to meet the size that Quilts for Survivors prefers. The edges are 6" finished and I believe that the top and bottom borders are about 12" wide.

It took a little doing because I discovered several random marks/stains on the sheets that I wasn't able to discern what they were - wax? oil? Regardless, it meant figuring out how best to cut so that I got the most out of the fabric while still avoiding the stains, but I did it.

The little blossom at the centre of the paws was a fun addition.

These are happy quilts and I hope that whoever they are gifted to enjoys them as much as I enjoyed making them....M

Big Bear's Closeup

The longest part of the giant Bear Paw process was finding the right combination of fabrics for each quadrant, but I finally got there. Because the lighting downstairs is hit and miss, I thought I'd share closeups of each 'paw' so that you can get a better sense of just how diverse the fabric selection is. You can get even better closeups if you click on each image.

Nice bright spring greens on this cold, cold winter's day.

Orange and yellow, heading towards tan at times.

This one is still showing up a little muddy but they are all actually quite bright. I love the combo.

And last but not least, teal and blue, with a little red surprise. That's an idea that I totally stole from the designer Giuseppe Ribaudo, AKA Giucy Giuce, and I love it. That little bit of quirkiness keeps everything interesting. I've tried to find a name for the pattern but haven't had any luck so I'm sticking with Big, Big Paws....M

Big, Big Paws

I've been working on a quilt that is sort of counter intuitive for me, but I have to say that I'm really enjoying it. No itty, bitty 1" strips or squares in this one. This time it's 6" squares and HSTs. And...more grey.

Just after I mentioned that I tend not to use grey that often, I ran across a photo of a Bear Paw quilt that's been on my radar for quite some time - grey with a terrific collections of brights that often read as solids and the odd funky large print.

It was a little scant on details initially...

but as more colours filled in you could see it starting to build.

Eventually, despite the not so great lighting in the sewing cave, you can see that it has started to really come together....M

A Few More

I've been sewing around the remains of a few unmade blocks using the 1" strips that were sitting on my sewing table (note to self: find a name for this block) so I decided to put them together.

Naturally, the first scrap that I picked up wasn't one of those that I had left behind but a new piece of black floral that had followed me home from the church. I hesitated to use such a dark print but I have to say that I absolutely love the block.

This one challenged me a bit because I just couldn't land on a colour to use for the outer border. The yellow works nicely but it will be one of the challenges of trying to use only the scraps that I have on hand and not cutting into yardage. It was a close call!

This yellow strawberry print is an oldie and I know that I am coming to the end of it. It will be missed.

I'm debating if I should pick a palette/style or just work with random and see how things turn out. The green outer border on this one is a sweet print but I was uncertain about its fit until I saw it on the wall with the others.

Group photo. Here they are all together on the small design wall near my machine. They all play well together and am more convinced now that the darker prints will be key in maintaining interest throughout, but they are hardly what you would call fabric guzzlers - nine blocks used nine 2.5" squares, 108" of one-inch strips and 162" of 1.5" strips.

So, this will be my view and inspiration for the coming months (read 'years').

I seem to be spending a lot of time finding just the right combination of prints for each block so hopefully I get more spontaneous as time goes by. I'm also doing a really good job of messing up all of my strip bins. Me thinks that I'll have to figure out a system of sorts that allows me to plan several blocks in advance and then sit down and sew. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the view....M