Thorny roses

Okay ... 14 blocks in ... and there are some I just don't like.  Here they are up on the wall.


I've been so determined to use up scraps, that I think I have just lost the plot with at least 4 ugly blocks.  And here I was rubbing my hands together thinking, "Only 10 more hours to piece two more 'roses' before I start appliqueing the centres!"

Disgruntled, I decided I needed a break.  I'm so grateful to Audrey at  (Quilty Folk) for posting tutorials on how she hand quilts her beautiful work. I am thinking of hand quilting the roses quilt, but need to practice on something small first. I remembered starting a Quilt-As-You-Go project about 13 years ago.  There have been 3 house moves since I started making the blocks.  Now, where could they be?

I went hunting for them.  Found them (and you guessed it) found several other forgotten fabrics in various boxes during the hunt. Some fabrics were picked out for an idea for a long-forgotten bear paw quilt that I also found gathering dust in yet another box.  

Looking at the bear paws that I did manage to make, I had obviously settled on autumnal colours including red, green, orange, yellow and gold.  I have no idea where the actual pattern is.  I think it was called something like Falling Leaves.  Not sure what to do with these now.

Anyhoo, I gleefully pounced on the forgotten fabrics.  Finding them will mean I can still make my goal of not buying any new material to complete the stone roses blocks and maybe remake the 4 ugly ones.

And here are the Quilt-As-You-Go blocks that I will practice my hand quilting on.

I don't know where I got the very fuzzy photocopy of this pattern from.  All I know is that the pattern is by Margaret Gutowsky and is based on an antique quilt that she decided to recreate.  The pattern was published in an American magazine called Quilters Newsletter Magazine (QNM July/August 1998).  

I love that the blocks are reversible.  I have used white damask (wonder how that will hold up) for the background, and I quilted the blocks with white thread that I no longer have, or like.  So the plan is to rip those stitches out and start again with new Perle Cotton thread. 

And make more blocks of course.  This quilt can be made as big (or small) as you like.  Luckily I kept the white damask with the blocks.  I'll still use it because I like the texture and I'm not fond of lots of white space - maybe that's why I decided on the damask? When the damask runs out I'll call the quilt done.

The stone roses will get finished.  I've come too far to give up on them now.  

In the meantime, a change of pace, and space in my head to slow stitch the QAYG, will be very welcome this weekend.

One of these days I'll get the linking right!

Linking to:

Peacock Party

Beauty Pageant


Comments

  1. Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting4 November 2022 at 04:59

    Wow, on your thorny rose blocks!!! I can't imagine which ones you don't like!?! They each look great from here!!!!

    ReplyDelete

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