Saturday, September 7, 2013

Too early?

Is it too early to be thinking about a Christmas quilt?  Particularly one that is a bit non-traditional?
Isn't this a cute design.  It's by Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts.  If you haven't checked out her blog, it would certainly be worth your time. Her version of this quilt is in great bright/pastel colors and so striking. I bought the pattern (called "trees") when she issued it much earlier this year. I knew I wanted to make it -- I just didn't know which fabrics I was going to use -- or when.
I finished this quilt top earlier this year and I love it.  It needs quilting and it will be so fun....but I have a lot of scraps leftover from the original FQ pack that I got as a gift from my-niece-the-quilter a year ago in the spring.  Somehow I couldn't bring myself to mainstream them with my other solids and wanted to do something else with them.  Since I don't have the palette that Amanda Jean used and I didn't want to do usual Christmas fabrics, I was curious to see if the chocolate brown Kona in my stash might work.  I had five yards from a previously planned project that didn't work.  At all!
I made a sample block last weekend. I don't know about you, but making a sample block is time well spent for me. I may hate the process. I may really dislike the block. I may find a boo-boo in the pattern before I do a lot of cutting. There are all kinds of reason to spend a bit of time deciding if my time and fabric are going to be worth the effort. I used a shade I don't "love" in this block; it's sort of a salmon rather than some of the great pinks that I have.  So - it may go in the quilt or if it doesn't, no harm - no foul.

My thought right now is to make all the backgrounds in chocolate and let the trees float.  Time will tell on that.  I won't cut all the strips just yet.

I hope you have something fun on your design wall or floating around in your head!

Jan

6 comments:

Nina Marie said...

you know I find the tree block interesting - That design has a ton of potential especially in light of today's modern quilting ascetic. Plus for me - if I'm going to get it done for Christmas I always have to start in September - LOL!

Ruth said...

I never seem to manage to get started in time for Christmas, I'm still in Halloween mode but I can see lots of possibilities with this tree. Even a Halloween version with spooky owls! Yes you have planted a seed in my head now.

Mary said...

I had to come and see the block you are making. It looked like stairs in the thumbnail. Have fun making them, Floating trees sounds like fun. I''m not thinking of Christmas YET, LOL

Unknown said...

I love that Christmas quilt!! Found your blog on the block party. If you like to link up come over to Craft Frenzy Friday at www.craftdictator.com! I hope to see you there!

Be Colorful Coastal said...

So inspiring and no, I think it is time if we really want to get these types of things completed. Thanks for sharing.
pam

Lynda Halliger Otvos (Lynda M O) said...

Working with all my strips of coins that I use as leader/enders whenever I sew anything.