Project Update: 13.02.2024

Hello Friends and Welcome Back!

With a few weeks of February now behind us, it was beginning to seem very much like our local groundhog was correct in his predictions of an early Spring. The last few weeks have been unseasonably warm, and nearly all of our snow had melted by the end of the weekend, but this morning, I awoke to a fresh blanket of snow!

In my house, we're hoping for a nice cold week so the ice will be solid for the coming long weekend. If it is, we'll be able to spend the weekend at the cottage enjoying a warm fire and some ice fishing (though I'm not too fond of the fishing part myself). I'm planning to prepare some Ice Cream Soda pieces so I can get started on that project this weekend!

And though I haven't started Ice Cream Soda just yet, I have been busy working on several other projects that I'm excited to share with all of you!

Hexie Harvest

Though the quilt along ended last October, I've been working away at my Hexie Harvest quilt top throughout most of this Winter. And last week, I finally finished piecing together the quilt top!

Seeing it all together like this is so inspiring! I love the way my bright colours stand out against the dark background, and it's interesting to see how much movement the prints create in comparison to the solids!

Of course, I can also see a few things I would do differently now that I have a little more experience with EPP patterns. But that isn't a disappointment to me, I love that I can see what what I've learned!

I still plan to add borders around the outer edge to square off the quilt top, so I suppose it isn't completely finished, but I'm thrilled with my progress nonetheless!

Hexie Harvest was designed by Jodi Godfrey of Tales of Cloth.

The pattern ran as a quilt along through most of 2023.

Indigo Way

When I last worked on Indigo Way, I left off after completing the week four clue, but with all the clues available, I can proceed in any order I want!

I decided to jump ahead to clue seven; quarter square triangles and Card Trick block assembly!

So far, I've completed one Card Trick block. I love the way my colours look together and how the scrappy blue background creates movement throughout the block!

It turned out so well and I can't wait to continue putting my blocks together!

Indigo Way was designed by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.

The pattern ran as a mystery quilt along through December 2023 into January 2024.

Generations Quilt

Of all the projects I've worked on this month, I think I'm proudest to have made progress on my Generations Quilt blocks!

It has been a long time since I seriously worked on any of my Generations blocks. I cut all the pieces for a set of rainbow Dresden Plate blocks back in March and finished piecing three of the four in July. Now, after over half a year, I finally finished the last one!

I'm really happy with how it turned out! Like Hexie Harvest, the black background enhances the brightness of the rainbow colours, so they stand out really beautifully!

And working on that block inspired me to put together a few new Dresden Plates too!

I chose a graphic, floral print from my stash and prepared enough pieces to make four blocks. I initially started by arranging the pieces at random, but something about the layout felt off; the block was clunky and chaotic. Instead, I tried laying out the pieces so the colours and shapes transitioned from one piece to the next.

Though the effect isn't seamless, it creates a really beautiful finished Dresden and I plan to piece all four using this layout!

To finish my blocks, I decided to use a navy background, reflecting the navy background of the floral print. I happened to find a perfect piece of navy fabric in the remnants section at my local quilt store!

I'm looking forward to getting the block put together!

The Generations Quilt is based on two traditional block patterns, the Dresden Plate and the Six Pointed star. Templates for these blocks were drafted from blocks made before 1990 by my Great Grandmother.

Friends, I'm so excited about the progress made on each of these projects Some have been long ongoing, while others are much more recent, but each has been an exciting opportunity for growth, creativity, and experimentation!

And I can't wait to see what all of you have been working on as well! I would love for you to share stories and photos with me in the comments below, privately via email, or by tagging me in your posts on Instagram!

I'm always inspired by your work and look forward to seeing your progress!

And speaking of progress, I'm excited to get back to working on my projects this afternoon and in the days to come!

Until Next Time, Keep Creating!

~VA