I am not turning twenty. That happened many years ago! But I am Turning Twenty with my latest project and it IS making my hair turn gray. Say what?!
I've started on my Christmas projects and the first one is a quilt for the youngest granddaughter who is sixteen. Her favorite colors are purple and lime green. Quite the bold combo if you ask me. But those are the colors she likes. The pattern I chose is Turning Twenty by Tricia Cribbs. Its an easy pattern to cut and make. You just pick twenty different fat quarters and go to town on your quilt. I chose to do the twelve block layout rather than twenty. I wanted to make a lap quilt rather than a big one.
I picked out twelve fat quarters in different shades of purple, lime green and hot pink, all with a polka dot / circular pattern to the fabric and a coordinating flower print for the binding at my local quilt shop. Cutting out the blocks took me less than an hour. There is very little waste and the instructions are well written and extremely easy to follow. Next I did a random color selection on the blocks to make an "A" and a "B" version and sewed them up in less than two hours. So then why is this causing my hair to turn gray when things seem to be going so well?
When I started doing the layout of the blocks, I was just not happy with the way the colors were going together. The quilt top seemed bland. Can you imagine that with lime green and hot pink? Yes, I just wasn't feeling the love with it.
I fired up my Electric Quilt 7 program and re-created the pattern. Then I scanned all twelve fabrics into the program and began to color the blocks on screen to see if I could get a more pleasing layout. I tried and tried and still no love for the quilt top. I decided the quilt needed some additional color to go with the purple, lime green and hot pink. The flower print I was using for the binding also has bold aqua and bright orange in it and I would replace some of the white background polka dots with these. I also decided to add the optional six-inch border using the same flowered fabric to add even more wow factor. Back to the quilt shop for two more fat quarters and another 1-1/2 yards of flowers.
I scanned the new fabrics in to EQ7 and played again with the color layout. I finally decided I didn't like how some of the blocks were arranged so I blew out the original Turning Twenty A/B pattern and created my own. I think the original block pattern is just fine if you are using twenty different fabrics, but the fabrics I was using for the twelve block layout wasn't cutting it. After an hour or so, I settled on how I wanted the colors and blocks positioned. Only that meant I would have to rip out a majority of the seams in the blocks I sewed the day before. Oh well, it was worth the extra work for me.
And here is what I have so far minus the border. It's got color now!
Speaking of borders, I was so intent on re-sewing my blocks together that I forgot I needed to add the small inside border strips to the outside edges before sewing the rows together. Duh! I will have to sew them on as a long strip separately. Once I finish the top, I will post an update with pictures.
Until then, I'm off to the drugstore for Lady Clairol.
I've started on my Christmas projects and the first one is a quilt for the youngest granddaughter who is sixteen. Her favorite colors are purple and lime green. Quite the bold combo if you ask me. But those are the colors she likes. The pattern I chose is Turning Twenty by Tricia Cribbs. Its an easy pattern to cut and make. You just pick twenty different fat quarters and go to town on your quilt. I chose to do the twelve block layout rather than twenty. I wanted to make a lap quilt rather than a big one.
I picked out twelve fat quarters in different shades of purple, lime green and hot pink, all with a polka dot / circular pattern to the fabric and a coordinating flower print for the binding at my local quilt shop. Cutting out the blocks took me less than an hour. There is very little waste and the instructions are well written and extremely easy to follow. Next I did a random color selection on the blocks to make an "A" and a "B" version and sewed them up in less than two hours. So then why is this causing my hair to turn gray when things seem to be going so well?
When I started doing the layout of the blocks, I was just not happy with the way the colors were going together. The quilt top seemed bland. Can you imagine that with lime green and hot pink? Yes, I just wasn't feeling the love with it.
I fired up my Electric Quilt 7 program and re-created the pattern. Then I scanned all twelve fabrics into the program and began to color the blocks on screen to see if I could get a more pleasing layout. I tried and tried and still no love for the quilt top. I decided the quilt needed some additional color to go with the purple, lime green and hot pink. The flower print I was using for the binding also has bold aqua and bright orange in it and I would replace some of the white background polka dots with these. I also decided to add the optional six-inch border using the same flowered fabric to add even more wow factor. Back to the quilt shop for two more fat quarters and another 1-1/2 yards of flowers.
I scanned the new fabrics in to EQ7 and played again with the color layout. I finally decided I didn't like how some of the blocks were arranged so I blew out the original Turning Twenty A/B pattern and created my own. I think the original block pattern is just fine if you are using twenty different fabrics, but the fabrics I was using for the twelve block layout wasn't cutting it. After an hour or so, I settled on how I wanted the colors and blocks positioned. Only that meant I would have to rip out a majority of the seams in the blocks I sewed the day before. Oh well, it was worth the extra work for me.
And here is what I have so far minus the border. It's got color now!
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| Turning Twenty aka Turning Twelve aka Turning Hair Gray |
Until then, I'm off to the drugstore for Lady Clairol.
Now I under stand why you were pulling your hair out!!! What a job something so simple turned out to be...
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