This basket of flowers is the center for a Gwennie Inspired Medallion quilt. Lori of Humble Quilts and several other bloggers are hosting a sew-along and invite anyone who wants to participate to join. I'm running a little late with the quilt-along. I've had some other commitments that had a higher priority and now that most of them are finished, I've been able to devote some time to stitching the appliques for this quilt.
I deliberated whether to link this with the Gwennie sew-along. It probably doesn't look like anything Gwen Marston ever made or even might make. And yet upcoming borders will, I hope, show a little more of her influence (now that I've finally been able to get some of her recent books to see what she's up to these days).
This experience is far outside my comfort zone for several reasons: not having a clue about the end from the beginning; making such a large applique center and hand appliqueing it; keeping four borders flat(!); trying to copy Gwen Marston's style.... All of it is a challenge, but I know I'll learn something (many things, perhaps) by doing it.
The background behind this basket of flowers measures 21" x 25". The largest flower is about 6" across, the smallest about 4 1/2". I cut the basket, flowers, and leaves from paper then cut them out of fabric (changing as I went along) and hand appliqued them. It's amazing what a good moistening and pressing will do to smooth out a block that's been handled so much!
As you can probably tell the flowers are awaiting their centers. I'm undecided about color, fabric, and size--but am narrowing it down. The next time you see this basket the flowers will have their centers. And I think it may need one more leaf.
There will be four borders on this quilt. Each border theme will be chosen by one of four other quilters. The first theme, suggested by Cynthia of wabi-sabi quilts, is "Childhood." Hmmm. I was expecting "triangles" or "log cabins," but I'm good with childhood. It allows for lots of options. I already have a list of a dozen or so possibilities.Thanks to Lori for hosting this sew-along. I'm headed to the link-up at her blog now to see other participants' baskets. Won't you join me?
--Nancy.
Love your star fabrics, I like the centres you sketched in the original drawing. I think this will be a fun. QAL. I look forward to see what your childhood border becomes.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sandi. I was just looking at my drawing again today, trying to remind myself what I intended for the flower centers. I get side-tracked sometimes with new ideas. My husband asked me today if I was going to put something behind the circles, an idea I'd thought about but think may be too hard. We'll see.
DeleteYes, I think it will be a fun quit-along, too. Challenging (for me, at least) but fun.
Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.
Thanks, Sandi. I was just looking at my drawing again today, trying to remind myself what I intended for the flower centers. I get side-tracked sometimes with new ideas. My husband asked me today if I was going to put something behind the circles, an idea I'd thought about but think may be too hard. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it will be a fun quit-along, too. Challenging (for me, at least) but fun.
Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.
Wow, it turned out beautifully!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brenna!
DeleteI love the primitive look you've given to your basket .... The colors are so sweet ... Congrats for this first block !! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cecile. I wonder if I've limited myself by choosing such a narrow range of colors for the flowers. I hope not! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
DeleteI checked the site and am glad to see you linked your pretty basket.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pam.
DeleteGorgeous block Nancy! I too was expecting triangles or something similar. I have started on the childhood theme- its a good one open to so many interpretations.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lori. How kind of you to say so. I've started thinking of the childhood theme but have yet to choose or begin cutting and sewing fabric. It IS a good theme.
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It may not be very Gwennie-like, but I love your basket! I love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. I hope I can make subsequent round work with the basket.
DeleteWell, I think your block is lovely, and who's to say its not Gwennie like. The main thing I think, is the primitive look, and I think you've nailed it. You explanation also is really great to read. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words and encouragement, Sue. I appreciate it. And thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
DeleteA lovely block. I think the stars have the Gwennie influence - they are not a carbon copy of each other. Love the colors you are using. And your centers are another place you can inject Gwennie-ness. Look forward to seeing what you do next.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful and observant comments, Angie. I'll have to give a more thought to my flower centers now that you've mentioned them. I'm looking forward to the next round of this quilt, too. I'm brainstorming ideas for the childhood border. If I knew what the subsequent borders were going to be it would influence my choice for this first border. But we don't. I'll just have to play along.
DeleteThanks for visiting and leaving comments. I appreciate it.
Thanks for your encouragement about my basket! Yours is lovely ... and I'm sure mine will develop as the project goes along :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeanne. I'm looking forward to seeing the next steps on your basket(s).
DeleteSo glad you are joining in. I really think "anything goes" is the way - making our quilts our own. Your basket is sweet as can be. If you look at Gwen Marston's work through the years, she has several "looks". I think the main thing is to push ourselves to be slightly more improvisational. We will reveal "childhood" borders tomorrow - so excited!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words about my basket block and for sharing your thoughts about the quilts we're all making, Cynthia. I've borrowed 6 or 8 of Gwen's books from the library and it seems that when she began quilting they were traditional quilts. But looking through the books in chronological order of publication one can see the changes in her quilts through the years. I always think it's interesting to see where artists began and how they moved forward.
DeleteI was really surprised by your choice of "childhood" for the first border. Having never been to one of Gwen's workshops or lectures I have no idea how she teaches or the suggestions she makes for medallions. I guess I anticipated "triangles," "geese," or some other geographic shape. Childhood was great because there were so many ways a person could go. I'm looking forward to the theme for the next round and for seeing the first borders on the others' quilts.