Looks like I found my next big project! I knew I was going to make a quilt version my latest table runner: Endless Possibilities, I just didn't know when it would happen! After going back and forth on what to make next and not coming up with any good ideas, I decided I may as well get started with this puzzle of a design sooner rather than later!
With no color restrictions or size requirements I began making block after block for several days. Once you start it's very hard to stop! I wasn't fussy with the colors I picked for each block which made the process painless and quick. Plus not having to worry about 'perfect' helps a lot too!
My intention when I started was to make the blocks larger than the table runner version. For the most part that happened. The blocks varied in size from 8 1/2" to 5 1/2" in length and the width was all over the place. It really doesn't matter in the end. For some reason I aim for large and end up smaller than I planned! Go figure!
Once I thought I had all the blocks I could ever want I got to start arranging them on the design wall. I grouped blocks that were close to the same length in rows. The trick was to place enough in each row that would fill my preconceived size of the overall quilt. My aim was to have a quilt top that was around 50" x 65". In the end the top will be about 55" x 70", close enough for me!
I learned that if you think you have enough blocks made...make more! Until you put the blocks on the design wall you really can't gauge if you've made enough. The blocks weren't squared up beforehand which gave me wiggle room to fill each row.
When making these blocks I tried not to worry too much about what colors I used or put in each block. Some blocks are a combination of three colors, while some may have four. Not color was off limits, the more the merrier! I also didn't worry about having too much of one color or like colors too close together when placing the blocks. That's not to say I didn't tweak the arrangement, but it wasn't a mind bender like many times happens during the layout process.
The center from top to bottom has the blocks sewn together side by side and I added Kona Nightfall around the sides for a floating effect. Let's talk about the floating effect...it didn't come off as I had planned, but I like it just the same. I think a brighter background color or less blocks around the edges would have been the better plan for my floating block idea. By the way, I also added Nightfall on the edges to finish it off.
That being said, I still love how it turned out! Things don't always go the way we see it in our head, at least that's the case for me! I've decided the quilt top will look beautiful hanging on my wall for a couple weeks. I need to take my sewing machine in for a deep cleaning and get it back in tip top shape! The hardest part is waiting for the 'your machine is ready' call!
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