I said I had two big major projects planned for next year – and yes both will take several years for me to complete seeing as I always work on less challenging quilts at the same time just for fun. The one I showed the other day The Hertfordshire Quilt will be EPP, machine? and hand? and this one is all applique!
I made one quilt called “Floral Fantasy” from the book “More William Morris in Applique” by Michele Hill several years ago and that one took me several years to make and I love it. While I was making Floral Fantasy Michele started to keep track of the quilt as I was doing needle turn and most do her quilts with machine applique – we still keep in touch now and I’m so glad to have her as a blog friend. I am not sure if I will machine applique or needle turn again – I will attempt to practice a practice piece or two by machine first and see if I can – if not it will be done by hand. I always had intentions to make another quilt in that book but got side tracked from a lot of other projects and I got off of applique for a little bit but I feel I found the perfect fabric for this quilt and splurged and bought the whole bundle from the Fat Quarter shop – by getting on a pre-order list last year I got a good discount and it has been sitting on the shelf for awhile now while I wind up other projects. I also found some Wm. Morris fabric on clearance from Hancocks of Paducah last year and got enough fabric for the borders for under $15.00
This quilt is called Morning Glory – I have some light beige and creams in the stash to use as background for the applique blocks. I will have plenty of fabric from the bundle left over to make another quilt from the scraps but I have no idea at this time what it will be – I will decide that much later after this quilt is finished. This quilt’s final measurement is about 77 inches when finished. Just right for the living room wall so I can trade out quilts now and then. I don’t have many that fit it right.
The fabric – I will be starting this quilt in January most likely also – and well work maybe one day on one and another day on the opposite. I have a quilt planner calendar that I hope will help keep me on track for this upcoming year.
Handful of Scraps is getting closer to an end – when I finish the left side top I need one more row and I will need to baste a few more hexies for it – I have plenty of pieces cut and I’m sure I will eventually find uses for the all the left over pieces as I cut way too many hexies out thinking earlier that I was going to continue to make this quilt larger. I am linking to Busy Hands Quilts — Confessions of a Fabric Addict — Crazy Mom Quilts —
This much quilted on Murrieta Stars on Wednesday night – not too much done on it last night as I was working mainly on Handful of Scraps and only sat at the frame for about 30 minutes or so.
Yes I have splurged on some fabric this last quarter of the year with projects in mind but still managed to save a little money on them also. These will keep me busy for several years and I will be back to scrap quilting as well and I have several quit kits that were purchased last year or earlier this year on good sales also. Some of these were purchased as I knew Mike was winding down to being retired again. If you have followed me for awhile you know Mike retired from the nuclear plant as a training instructor at age 55 with the intention to travel and take contract jobs from the same plant when he wanted to. He has done that now for 11 years and in February he will be 66 – he has decided it is time to retire again and as of January 1st he is done. This also means back to a good budget so we have travel money so no more buying big fabric bundles for me unless I find them on really good clearance sales.
I love those William Morris prints – they are so light and airy, and the colors, especially the blues, are soft. I had a charm pack of Morris prints that I used in some of the Moda Blockheads blocks. They are in the quilt I’m putting together now. And that pattern is lovely! I am currently gathering fabrics for a small Kim Diehl project that was in Am. Patchwork & Quilting magazine. I’m going to start with one appliqued square and see where it takes me.
they are very pretty aren’t they though. I love most of Kim Diehl’s projects so I’m sure you picked out a good one
“Floral Fantasy” is stunning Karen! Truly gorgeous-before I ‘found’ your blog. I was in a Morris phase and did not finish (my MO) but did finish an appliqued pillow for my sister in TX. If you privately send me your address, I will see if I can find a few fat quarters for you as I clean the quilt room.
thanks Susan but there are plenty of the Wm. Morris fabrics for the applique quilt I will have fabric left over!
Oh my, your Morning Glory quilt is going to be lovely! What a project though! I’m not very good at applique, so it looks fairly intimidating to me. Look forward to seeing your posts as you work on it.
I used to make a lot of applique quilts but then I kind of tired of the process if you know what I mean, but I still like to do it – I just needed a break from it
Morning Glory is beyond gorgeous! I love that William Morris fabric!
It is a very pretty quilt isn’t it, I’m glad I decided on these fabrics
Beautiful pattern and lovely fabric, great project for the new year, I’ll look forward to following your progress.
I’m sure it will take me a couple years to get these done
I too love Michelle’s patterns and had done one of hers before. Did do my by machine because of her use of such thin lines and points. Another one of her quilts are on my bucket list. Good luck on your new projects, they are gorgous.
I don’t think my machine skills will be up for the applique by machine but I will make a practice block on scrap fabric and see if I can manage it
Good for Mike! I think that you will have lots of time to save fabric $$ while you work on these 2 beautiful new quilts!
yes I will be watching for really good sales on close outs while I am making these quilts the next couple of years and so many scraps and yardage on the shelves I know i will mainly be needing to buy backings and battings.
Oh, WOW, that new applique project is going to be so beautiful, and I love the fabrics you’re using! I love the look of hand applique and enjoy the steady rhythm of hand stitching, and the portability of it, but it is SO SLOW… I tried machine applique once in a class with Harriet Hargrave and although it was faster it was stressful and less precise. No matter how careful I tried to be and how slowly I ran the machine, my needle did not land in exactly the right spot 100% of the time like it does when I’m hand stitching, and you can’t just pull out one errant machine stitch and keep going like you can with hand stitching, either. But the award winning machine applique quilters whose work I see in shows are so good that I honestly can’t see the stitches and can’t tell it was done by machine when I look at the finished quilt.
If I ever finish my Frankenwhiggish Rose applique (currently stalled while my attention is on other projects), I’d love to start a really elaborate applique quilt like Esther’s Love Entwined. I also wanted to make a Dear Jane, and mix some applique blocks in with my Farmer’s Wife blocks… SO MANY QUILTS in my mind, and so few quilts on my beds and in my closets!!
I have never been able to get back to Love Entwined mine is stalled at the center square one corner flower bouquet done and 3 to go. I really loved it at first then it just lost my interest. One day I hope to get back to it.
I don’t know if I will be able to do this one by machine applique my machine skills are not great – I will do a practice block and see other wise I change up the pattern slightly and change some of the tiny peaks and deep valleys to make them easy to needle turn That is what I did on Floral Fantasy
Hi Karen, so good to be back from my little trip, nice to spend time with my family. I enjoyed reading all your posts since Sunday, my you have been so busy. Your house looks so beautiful with the lights on and your inside is beautiful too. Your planned projects just boggle my mind! They are going to be such two awesome quilts. The Hertfordshire quilt really got me excited! I was interested when you mentioned it last time, but now I went and ordered the book, I’ll check it out and see. I have a lot of reproduction fabric and bundles already that would be good for this. I certainly will be following and enjoying your projects. You certainly inspire and get me into trouble, lol! Congratulations to Mike on retirement in the new year, an exciting chapter in your lives is about to begin!
LOL sorry for getting you in trouble Dottie. Let me know if you decide to make this quilt – there are a lot of pieces in it and I have not decided what method will be best for me but first I must concentrate on Handful of Scraps and finish the last row of hexies – it won’t be as large as originally planed but I will like it anyhow.
glad you had a good visit with your brother and family
Karen… I see no post from you today…Dec. 16, Saturday…. just hope everything is okay there. Best wiishes.
yes there is a post today as usual – maybe you looked too early?