maple leaf rag: a little progress

 

I'm sewing my blocks into large chunks ...

This sweet little rose in my garden is about to burst out in full colour any day now...

One of my favourite things is to spend time happily sewing random scraps together, and this 'maple leaf rag' quilt is certainly a delightful trip down memory lane.

The scrap situation in this quilt is quite mad, in the best-est possible way! I've ended up with scraps all over the place. There are little bits of fabrics scattered on my sewing table for the crazy pieced kite-shaped units. And I had lots & lots of strips lined up on my cutting table for the wheels. I've now sorted out my fabric strips into separate bags so I can find each group easily again going forward. 

I'm sewing my blocks into larger rectangle sections, two done now and two more in progress. Joining the blocks up is a bit of a stop-start process, as I need to ensure I get all those seams nesting nicely.

A quick note on design - the pattern advice is “don’t try to control it”. I felt I needed to do something to make things look a little cohesive rather than all-out messy. I’m making all my “kite” units in light/medium combos and the wheel strips mainly in dark/mediums (with a sprinkling of rogue lighter prints), trying really hard not to be too matchy-matchy with anything. 

Hopefully the contrast between the cloudy soft kites & the colourful bright wheels will visually help hold everything together.

Working on the one thing for a long time won't make for a lot of variety in my next few blog posts. But the best bit ... the way it all slowly emerges as each wheel gets completed is wonderfully exciting. 

(I know I know, I'm only talking about patchwork here not white-water rafting!) You can tell though, can't you, I’m loving the process & challenge of making this mad jazz quilt.

Joining in with a few linky parties this week -

here @alyciaquilts 

here @frombolttobeauty

here @quiltingismorefunthanhousework

until next time, Linda