Gypsy Wife Quilt-along 2016

Well, it turns out that you probably shouldn't ponder some things in public. What happened when I pondered making another Gypsy Wife aloud on a previous blog post? Um, I'm not too sure exactly... but fast forward a few days and now it appears that I have agreed to co-host a Gypsy Wife quilt-along with my exuberant friend Hydeeann :-)

Actually, I'm really pleased that Hydeeann coaxed me into committing to Gypsy Wife #2. When I look at the photo of version 1, I still love its scrappiness and I want to see it made in colours/fabrics I also love.

Hydeeann has posted an initial outline of our epic #GypsyWifeQuiltAlong2016 adventure and there will be more details to follow. In this post I'm going to show you my fabric selection for version 2 and say a little about what I have chosen and why.

I started with a trip to my not-so-local quilt store All Things Patchwork, and bought a small selection of 20cm WOF cuts. I looked for a few fabrics that I really liked that could lead the way. Why WOF cuts? See all those long strips in the photo above? That's why. You can use FQs but I look for any short cuts I can find :-)

You can see that I also chose a few greys. I think this pattern works well with a nice supporting cast of low volume fabrics. When I got home, I raided my stash.

In making this pile of fabric I was aiming to include some specifics. I've rearranged the fabric so you can see what I am talking about.

Starting with the lower right - my large scale, multi-coloured fabrics, some of which provided the original colour direction. I'm hoping these will give the quilt its "gypsy" flavour. Directly above them are some smaller scale fabrics. A lot of the pieces in this quilt are very small, so a good number of small scale fabrics are useful. Bottom left I have included some fabrics that read quite close to solids. I may include some actual solids. I like the look of the few solids sprinkled in among the prints in version one so we'll just see how it goes. Top left are a few extra greys including a nice dark one.

Finally I have started gathering a small pile of 'maybe' fabric which I will use for little pops of punch if needed. I don't want my quilt to get too samey samey if you know what I mean (its a technical term). I won't know about these until progress is underway. They are pretty small scraps, but because I will only use them in moderation, they are perfect for the job.

Overall, I think the trick to this quilt (if you like the look of the original) is to make sure you have a nice balance of light and dark fabrics. Having said that, there are some other quite different takes on this pattern which also work really well. I'm looking forward to starting this adventure again with Hydeeann and cheering on our team mates!

Round robin round up!

Yesterday we had our first Monday Modern meeting of the year and those of us who had participated in the round robin received our completed minis back from the person who had done the quilting and binding.

I had Louise's quilt for the final round. I am not a confident quilter so I aimed for 'tidy' rather than anything more ambitious. Louise's was one of the larger minis at approximately 34" square, so quite a nice size for a baby quilt or pram quilt. With this in mind, I thought I would avoid quilting it so that it became stiff as a board. Basically I did some simple echo quilting, then found a binding fabric that I was particularly pleased with.

My centre block was worked on by Robyn then Mel and quilted by Carolyn. I'm so thrilled with it - I can't stop looking at it!  A huge thank you to Laurina who organised the round robin and kept us on track :-)

My style?

Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2016 brings you happiness and plenty of crafting time!
I'm beginning 2016 by pondering my quilting 'style'. Occasionally I post pictures on IG of projects I am working on, and occasionally Alison comments that she thinks the project 'isn't me'. I don't mind in the slightest, I would be the first to say that my style is somewhat eclectic. As my friends at Monday Modern would attest, I am also prone to saying I don't really like many quilts I have made. I would go so far as to say that I often sound like Goldilocks. "This one is too fussy... this one is too plain... this one isn't scrappy enough... this one is too scrappy..." I'm waiting for the day when I can say with excitement "this one is JUST RIGHT".

I made some collages of quilts that I do quite like as a way of thinking about what I have been making over the last couple of years. First up, the graphic series:

The top two are my favourites in this bunch. When I look at the four together I remember how much I like graphic lines/shapes.

But I also like a more scrappy look...

Again, top right is probably my favourite in this bunch (I have since given it away for a school raffle).

The two unfinished projects below are again on the scrappy continuum. The one on the left may end up being a little too quiet, while Gypsy Wife on the right is too something. I think the something has to do with the colour palette. When I look at this picture I am tempted to make it again, but use colours that are more 'me'. 

And the latest project that isn't 'me' in the eyes of my friend and quilty hero Alison?

A Liberty quilt using the pattern On a Whim by Camille Roskelly. I can see my enthusiasm for graphic shapes in evidence here. Goldilocks has already started compiling her reservations about this one, but as she always enjoys the process, if not the final product, there is no cause for concern!