What's old is new again!!!

As I was sewing the last of my Churn Dash blocks I suddenly realised I had actually done this all before!!!   
Years & years ago I had made a few "test pattern" blocks following Roberta Horton's book, "Calico and Beyond. " 1986.  I had so much fun that I kept going & ended up with enough blocks to make a lovely quilt.  
Then, it was an Eight Pointed Star quilt, now it's the Churn Dash quilt.
While using mainly low volume fabrics, I did try to have one or two fabrics that were a bit darker just to give a bit of depth, and I used a variety of scrap fabrics old & new, and I didn't worry about placement value.

In this pic thou' I must admit my blocks do look quite similer - late afternoon light I guess!!! 

but all laid out on the family room floor, there is actually quite an interesting play with the scrappy lights & light- ers!!!   I will keep reshuffling the blocks around until I'm happy with the overall look.

In the meantime, we will just have to walk around them!!  (Bob's use to doing that!!)

A quilt for Doris

Over the years my darling mother -in -law gave  me material.  Most of it was from her skirts/blouses, etc and sadly was usually not something I found v. easy to put into my quilts.   Once she passed away, we were sorting thru' her things and I found a large piece of fabric that had obviously been something once, but she had unpicked it and  it was in a pile with other fabrics in her spare room. 
It was v. vintage looking, with lovely blues & greens. 
It  had a graduated pattern comprising of flowers that were densly clustered along the middle of it with one end  in light floral sprig, and a herringbone sort of check at the other end.
I  had in my mind to make a quilt - using mainly solids, a Denyse Schmidt layout (kind of log cabin but not really), and throw in a few matching prints..........................



improvisational patchwork

....... The Quilts of Gee's Bend were created by a group of women who live in the isolated African-American hamlet of Gee's Bend, Alabama. "The compositions of these quilts contrast dramatically with the ordered regularity associated with many styles of Euro-American quiltmaking. There's a brilliant, improvisational range of approaches to composition.....

I have always loved looking at the quilts from Gee's Bend  & been inspired by the idea of using what you had.   I have some days off at present and decided I would try something quite out of my usual comfort zone. I did make a few rules........ use fabrics from my stash/ use mainly solids/ be "free" in terms of piecing/ make something of a practical size/ and, if it doesn't fit - make it!!!!!!!  
Luckily it all went together v. easily.   I also had some suitable caramel backing fabric and have now made the black binding (in anticipation!!),             
so my only real problem now is  - how to quilt it?!?!?!?!?!?

Finishing off stuff!!!!

I am juggling quite a few quilt ideas at the moment, mainly in my head mind you!!!! 
Really,  really want to start the Marcelle Medallion Quilt from my new Liberty Love book, as I have quite a few liberties left over still from another project.    However, I have decided to be v. sensible & finish off a few things first before I start anything new.

So I got super busy !!
I completed this months MM bee blocks,
 "Trees Please"  for Karyn.....

and Curved Petal Pod for Mel.....

then I layered up my Charm Squares Liberty Quilt again.   (I had actually done this earlier, but, and I can't now remember why, I decided to change the backing fabric!!) Anyway, now it's already for some machine quilting.......

and then, with still some time to spare, I settled down to make a few more  Churn Dash blocks.......

I'm trying to keep it all low volume, and am finding the challenge to not have quite the usual contrast between block & background alot of fun.  After seaching, I found a few special feedsack pieces that I had purchased ages ago, and will include some of them in too.

All in all, a good days work!!  So now can I start something new?!?!??!?!?