Today was spent getting ready for a class I have in about 10 days. Cutting strips while watching tv is very relaxing and I have a bag full of beige, yellow, blue, purple and green strips for a class on hexagon log cabins which looked like just fun. Playing with one of the mandalas folding and refolding gave me an idea of what to do with some I didn't care for as much as others.
I took this square and cut into quarters and then each section into quarters again resulting in the following:
The ones on the top row would have been vastly improved with insertions of other colors before sewing them back together but the two on the bottom row aren't bad.
I decided that these would be an excellent exercise to practice some quilting before I approached the bigger quilts. I decided this was a good sacrifice for the cause!! If you haven't figured it out, I basically had taken those sixteen squares I made cutting up the 22 inch block and matched each with the other three squares that were in the same position in the bigger block. I then trimmed down the blocks so they were 10 x 10 inches. I quickly backed this with batting and some random dyed fabric and played with some quilting.
I should comment here that I had decided not to try to follow the lines of the mandala for quilting but to quilt a pattern over the block.
My first step in quilting was to do straight lines following the fold lines, so corner to corner and then bisecting each side. At this point, I took out the pins as it was stabilized. I had looked at Pinterest for inspiration but did my own design. Pinterest gave me the ideas to just ignore the lines in the mandala though.
I chose a bright blue thread and you can see it pretty much just blends in unless you look very close. I haven't decided whether I will go with darker or lighter thread ultimately. I also have some nice blue/aqua variegated that I might use.
Here you can see the quilting more closely. I think I have the right idea. The quilting isn't going to show unless you get close, and then it will be a surprise which is what I like in quilts -- a different look when close or far away.
There was enough batting and backing hanging on the sides, that I could do a little border. Now to decide whether to just finish it off or combine it with other blocks.
Start to finish from cutting up the squares to having a finished quilted piece took about an hour altogether!!
Now to just get these finished tops basted and quilted!!
Placemats for Meals on Wheels and Potholder gifts
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