I recently became enthralled with the idea of 'paper piecing' and hexagons and the quilt pattern known as Grandmother's Garden.
I've sewn a lot of things over the years and the idea of revisiting all those projects over the course of making a quilt that is put together in a random fashion intrigues me, so I have stepped off on this monumental project. I baste small pieces of fabric onto heavy paper hexagons. These hold the shape of the hexagon perfectly and form crisp fabric edges that will later be stitched together over and over and over again to form a randomly colored quilt face.
I am NOT the type of person that necessarily chooses to be random, but this is a project that is a psychological exercise for me. Facing up to the randomness of life, thinking about random memories from my family's life as I stitch particular pieces of fabric, and letting my mind wander randomly as I make this quilt will surely be an interesting journey.
Of course, my typically organized mind has already begun wondering just how many of these little hexagons I must baste and then sew together to make a queen-sized quilt .... over 3000. The saga begins.
... shared with others at Saturday Snapshot ...
... please visit Melinda's site to see what others are sharing ...
Oh my gosh! They are beautiful! What a fun project!
ReplyDeleteI'm a quilter too, and I'm looking forward to seeing more photos of your creation as you progress. Looks like it's going to take quite a while to complete. Like you, I have a hard time with "random." I want my quilt shapes to line up in discernible color patterns, so a design like this would be difficult for me. Sounds like this will be a challenging exercise for you, but I'm sure the results will be worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteMy Saturday Snapshot is HERE.
I hope to pick up quilting again in my retired years. Lovely project.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a lot of work, but what a treasure -- both the process and the product!
ReplyDeleteJoy's Book Blog
Oh, the finished product will be so awesome...seeing the journey is also wonderful. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteLooks like it will be a lot of fun making this. It would take me a long time to do something that is this intense as I am probably the world's slowest sewer. Look forward to seeing more photos in the future.
ReplyDeleteSean at His and Her Hobbies.
It can feel good to go random now and then, I think. Enjoy the process.
ReplyDeleteLove those cute little quilt hexagon squares! My mom likes to quilt--she's recently been making family quilts with squares for all the family members.
ReplyDeleteI've been away from Saturday Snapshot for a while. I'd love for you to stop by my post.
Impressive. I can't imagine attempting it. Here's Mine
ReplyDeleteI have recently become interested in English paper piecing as well and after doing a bit of internet research have come to realize that it is a technique that is finding renewed favor. Could it be we are all trying to get back to a simpler time when all we needed was a needle and thread (and some paper, of course)? I think in my case that is the truth and I love to make those little hexies. Have no idea if they will ever end up in a finished quilt but just making them is a wonderful activity.
ReplyDelete