Sssh! Don't tell .....

With any spare minutes I've had over the last few days I've cut myself a 'jelly-roll' out of what I have in the shop of Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks collection. It's quite a soothing pursuit actually cutting 2 1/2 inch strips, especially when it's mingled with a little satisfaction because it's turned out rather well!

Why am I doing this ? Well, I've think I've taken 'lurking' to a whole new level for me. I've joined in a quilt-a-long (which I found here ) without actually letting anyone else know. That's a bit naughty really, 'cos everyone needs to know that what they're doing (ie organising a quilt-a-long) is getting a response. I will own up at the end. Time is just so pressured at the moment that I didn't want to give myself anything else to fret about. Worrying that I wasn't keeping up with everyone else. I just wanted to enjoy the process... the putting colours together. Laying out the pieces to make up the blocks, stitching it all together and enjoying the results.

These are the blocks that are being made.

(photo from Fat Quarterly Ezine)

I've cut out some of the squares;

... and some of the rectangles...

I'm getting two 'block's out of one strip which is pretty good.

At the moment I'm planning to use patterned centre squares with 'plain' (perhaps I should say more plain) 'logs' and 'plain centre squares with patterned 'logs'.

Small Gathering in Azalea with Filligre in Sun

(Auditioning potential candidates already you see.)... or another variation ...

The thing with large patterned fabric is that you can get so many different effects from one fabric design. I always find that fascinating. I'm going to have to mix the fabrics carefully so as not to lose the shape of the blocks in the fabric patterns and to ensure that the outer edges really do 'hold together as a square surrounding a square. I've already said that I'm using the Filiigree fabrics as 'plains' and if I find I'm repeating those too many times I might just introduce Denyse Schmidt's four patch design which I think goes really well with the Good Folks designs and colours. I guess I won't know exactly whats needed until I start putting it together.