There has been a project box in my closet for a future quilt named Esperance (hope) where I've been stashing all manner of leftover KF fabric pieces, trimmings from backings, and assorted orphan blocks.
Over the weekend, I had a Eureka moment when multiple thoughts coalesced into what will eventually become Esperance, the quilt.
So what were those free-floating images/thoughts that collided with each other?
A while ago, I purchased this digital pattern - Rush Hour by Gina Gregory - with only a vague plan for its use aside from stash-busting.
Last week Audrey posted a progress photo of her Joy basket quilt top (you can see it HERE). I love Audrey's make-it-work/use-what-I-have approach and her liberated HST block borders really struck a chord with me.
Lynne visited the Currier Museum last week and shared this quilt photo with me. [Made by Gee's Bend Collective member Gearldine Westbrook (1919-2016)]. Its eclectic, colorful, liberated, scrappy vibe reminded me in no uncertain terms of my own love for this style of quilt making.
Couple all of these with our khaki-colored time of year and the delightfully spring-like colors lurking in the Esperance project box.
(Side note - late last week we had a sunny day with temps in the low 70s and today we have an everything-is-closed snow day with frozen sleet, snow, and a wind chill in the single digits)
Needless to say, with only minor encouragement from the always-nearby studio squirrels, I pulled that box out of the closet and started sorting. I found enough pieces to cut about 3/4ths of the strips needed for the quilt top (minus the long vertical sashing strips). Some of these involved piecing two like fabrics together before trimming to size, which was not a problem.
I took the HSTs leftover from Haru and sewed them into three long columns (one needed extra fabric added to the ends) to be used in the scrappy pieced backing.
I sewed lots of other smaller pieces together to make two more long columns (one shown at far right).
(shown here waiting to be pressed)
In the box I also found long pieced strips leftover after making Pretty in Pink - likely enough for at least three (and maybe more) long columns for the backing. (not shown here)
Last night I pressed all of these long columns and hung them on a hanger in the 'waiting to be quilted' closet until I'm ready to sew the backing together.
Since Dragon Fyre is now on the design wall, I've tucked the Esperance box of goodness away after making LOTS of notes to myself. It will be such fun to pull this one out one day in the future with so many big decisions already made.
And finally, the mystery of the waxed amaryllis has been solved - it's blooming!
Quiltdivajulie
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"The color of springtime is in the flowers; the color of winter is in the imagination."
Terri Guillemets
8 comments:
Love the detour to making HSTs for a later project that will be a delight to work on due to your many notes to let you know where you're going with the quilt, unless you change your mind at that juncture, of course!
What a glorious Amaryllis!
We have snow today, too, but it's tiny flakes and still doesn't cover the grass. I have wild bird and song bird seeds on the knee wall of the front porch for the neighborhood birds. I hope to machine quilt a little quilt for an elderly friend who is in a nursing home following a stroke.
Hugs!
Love those HST columns, QD Julie!! You have a lovely stash to chose from...I think your plans for Esperance are great--lovely pattern choice. Amaryllis is so gorgeous;)))) Hugs, Julierose
I love to pull out the projects that have good notes in with the fabric too.
The Amaryllis is spectacular! I like the stripey ones.
Look at all those yummy fabrics! A little progress now and more to come. Great idea to make notes and put it away for some time. Gorgeous amaryllis! Have fun with whatever the squirrel decides on!
A great colour fix here for me - looking forward to seeing the results!
Beautiful inspiration pieces, beautiful fabrics - absolutely the kind I'd buy too if I saw them. Glad you're feeling spring energy and being creative! Here it's snowy and rather cold still.
I had to read your post a couple of times to discern the sequence....I think I've got it! When so many of us are trying to empty boxes you're stocking up for Esperance.
oh my such lovely brights...anything you do with them will scream spring...i think that's why so many veer towards those colors in dreary winter...
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