Sometimes I just want to sew and so I look for a quick and easy pattern to use. This really helps when I've been away from my studio for too long and it helps to start the creative ideas flowing.
I recently came across the Fat Eighth Frenzy quilt pattern by Fat Quarter Shop and decided to whip one up with the fat eighth bundle I have of Kate Spain's Daydream.
Originally the only change I made to the original pattern was I planned to add 2 additional rows to make the quilt just a bit wider and to use up all 40 of the fat eights that were in this bundle.
I made the 1st row, was happy with it and so then proceeded to work on the rest.
In the interest of total disclosure, what happened next was because of of my own mistake. I joined the square and the 1st rectangle for every row, trimmed them, took them to the ironing board and then realized that I had sewn them all going in the wrong direction. A couple of not horrid swear words then flew out of my mouth, aimed at myself of course.
I turned the sewing machine off, flicked the switch for the light off and went to bed. An idea on how to fix this would come another day.
And it did. First I decided to leave the mistake as it was and take it even further by doing 2 things.....cut the 1st strip down the middle the long way to break up the overall color and pattern some more and on the next row (the one I initially screwed up) I added in some accent triangles, to bring in a lot more visual interest and to make the whole quilt a lot less simplistic. What I saw when I put them together was definitely more my style.
To say that the thought of this quilt now being quick and simple to piece together totally went out the window at this point and I kept slicing and altering as my mood struck. After planning out the color and pattern placement for the remaining rows I set to work. This is section one.
Section 2 was constructed in the same manner, with some of the rows sliced down the middle along the entire length and other rows getting a few pops of color with the little triangles. This is the completed 2nd section.
Then it was onto section 3. This one went together exactly as the other two. The toughest part of the entire project was just planning the placement of each print so as to mix up both the patterns and the colors. I love the way this is quite a bit different from the original design but that one definitely provided the inspiration for my altered version.
Ta Da! This is my completed quilt top. I really like the way it turned out and can't wait to get it on the frame and quilted.
While trying to take these pictures this morning I gave up trying to get a good photo of it completely flat. You see....my "assistant" (the one with the fur coat and long tail that has the nasty habit of being my alarm clock at 4am every single day) kept walking and rolling all over it. He doesn't get to go outside and is always really curious when I open the front door to let in the natural light for the photo shoots so he just had to test out the new quilt design too.
One thing I've learned about myself over the years as I've been quilting is that I like to look at a traditional block or quilt design and find new ways to break it up and change it up into something new. I'm sure this won't be the last time that I decide to make a design a bit more "my own".
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3 Comments:
What a great way to make the best of a mistake! Those are the best kinds of quilts. It turned out great.
That looks great. I've been wondering where this one would be going with all of the bits and pieces on IG.
I really like the changes you made. It creates a more interesting pattern.
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