Monday, June 5, 2017

Prepping Little Circles

The scrap quilt of last post is now a quilt top.  And surprise of surprises, it lays flat.  All those little pieces sewn together into 4" squares, then into blocks with sashing, and now into a quilt top.  And it's flat.  Amazing!


I think it has a bit of a center medallion feel to it.  I played with several layouts but went back to the one with blocks with the lightest sashing in the center.  The fabric of that striped sashing -- I don't know if you can see it very well, but I'll post better photos later -- is one I love with its gentle cream and pale coral colors.  The fabric came from a pair of boxer shorts and there's a limited amount of fabric in boxers  I would have used it for all the blocks in the quilt had I had enough of it.

Today I cut out circles for the center blocks,


and basted the edges.  I still don't have success with needle-turned applique, so it's basting for me.


I considered cutting circles by hand, without a pattern, but in the end decided to trace the circles on the back of the fabric and use a cardboard pattern to press them into the same size.  While the pieces of each square are random sizes, shapes, and tints, the overall feel of the quilt to me is one of precision, with each block and sashing exactly the same size.  I decided the circles should also be uniform.  I plan to put circles around the edges, too, but in a different fabric.


I wish I could photograph the colors accurately.  Maybe I'll find just the right lighting when the top is finished, or when the quilt is quilted and bound.  For now, this is as good as it gets.

I was able to get this far because my daughter and children are coming this evening.  They needed to be at church on Sunday.

I'm linking this post to
> Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt 
> Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework
> Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag
Thank you for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
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18 comments:

  1. Lovely, soft colors in this "low-volume" style quilt. Can't wait to see it with the circles. : )

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  2. I adore this quilt Nancy. You have me wanting to get out my neutral scraps. Have fun sewing those circles. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

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    1. Thank you, Cynthia. I'll look forward to seeing your neutral quilt whenever you choose to make one. And thanks for hosting Oh Scrap!

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  3. Nancy, this really has shaped up so nicely. It is both modern and nostalgic at the same time. I will be eager to see the adorning circles. Such inspiration for me!

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    1. Thank you, Jocelyn. I can't seem to place myself in the same quilt "category" from one quilt to the next -- modern, traditional, etc. There are so many ideas that capture my attention.

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    1. Hi, Karen. It takes a little time to put the stitching around the edges but I like how the circles come out, especially if I want crisp, round circles.

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  5. Oh I love this quilt!!! I can't wait to see the circles on it.

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    1. Thank you, Wendy. I can't wait to get the circles sewn! I always think I'll just whip through a small circle and have it done it 10 minutes but no, I'm so so speedy. I hope to have the circles finished by the end of this week, but we'll see.

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  6. oh HOW PRETTY! I just must get going on my neutral quilt...it is on the list for this year. You are inspiring!

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    1. Thank you, Julie. You're very generous with your praise. There are so many quilts to make, aren't there?

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  7. Soft and inviting. Can't wait to see your finish.

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    1. Thank you, Jennie. I'm eager to finish it but I'm a slow stitcher so those applique circles might take longer than I want them to. I hope to finish it this week.

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  8. Beautiful quilt, Nancy! I tried working with small pieces ONCE - your result is very nice!

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    1. Thank you, Karen. Your quilt is probably beautiful even if you didn't like working with small pieces. There are some really small pieces in this quilt but they weren't cut for a specific pattern, just stitched together to make larger squares. I'm not very good with small pieces for small blocks, though. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.

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I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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