Quilt Three

So … I just finished a blouse and I couldn't be more dissatisfied. I knew when I tried it on I would never wear it. But I loved the fabric. So, I selected a different pattern, ordered more of the same fabric from Vogue Fabrics and waited for the fabric to arrive. My OCD wouldn't let me start the next outfit in my queue before this outfit was finished. This was a perfect time to work on my quilt.

I did not use a published pattern for this quilt – I designed it all by myself. I devised a layout that used only three simple-to-piece blocks:

1. Shoo-Fly

2. Churn Dash

3. Nine Patch Star

Since this is my third quilt and it uses only three blocks, I named this layout "Third Time Lucky". As a first design, this layout isn't great, but it isn't bad, either. The print fabrics were packaged and sold as a "medley", so I didn't have to worry about whether or not they coordinated. My job was to find the background fabric. I wanted something "batik-y", since the other fabrics were batiks. I did find a neutral batik, but I didn't buy enough and it was gone when I went back for more. I used traditional blocks this time and I realized I preferred a more a contemporary look in quilts. I enjoyed the design aspect of quilting. While coming up with the layout shown, I devised a several layouts for my future quilts.

The design was incidental, though. With this quilt, my goal was to improve my piecing skills. I put off quilting for a long time because I was worried about making neat looking corners. I made good-looking corners within a block. The corners formed when blocks were sewn together still needed some work.

By the time I finished assembling the quilt top, my blouse fabric arrived. I was glad to have a quilt to work on while I waited for the blouse fabric. Otherwise, I would have felt compelled to fill my time with cleaning and other useful housework.