Field Trips in Fiber - Adventures in quilting, hand dyed fabric and fiber art.

Pendleton Fabric Palette Projects

It's Sunday and time for more EQ quilt images. I'm still using the Pendleton Fabric Palette and you can find more information on the fabric here. 

If you've been quilting for a while you may remember Doreen Speckmann. She published a great book called Pattern Play in 1993. It's all about making your own patterns with a few simple blocks. I love the book and have kept it in my library and I reference it often. It's still available as a Print on Demand book.

Today's design is based in a quilt in the book called Sally's Quilt. I've done 6 versions. What do you think?

Pendleton Fabric Palette Projects

I can't believe that it's snowing here again. We will only get an inch or so here but my friend Sally is getting dumped on near Charlottesville. With the cold and wet outside it was a good day to stay inside and peel wallpaper and play in EQ. 

I'm still working with the Pendleton palette and I decided to continue with the same train of though from last week.

First I decided to introduce a simpler block.

This is block #1664 from Blockbase. This will be a long post with about 9 layouts. I thought I'd share every step I took in the redesign of the quilt.

Ignoring that I didn't get the bottom row of blocks colored correctly. I do like these blocks better than last week because the quilt isn't as busy.

This switched the background to light just to see the different effect.

Then I did a couple of different colorations

I felt that the alternate block looked too similar to the main block so I searched for a simpler block and I do like this one.

I like it better but it's still not quite right.

Oh, much better. Let's play with the color.

I like this light background. But what about Navajo.

Now we are getting somewhere. Time to refine.

What do you think? I really might make this one.

 

Pendleton Fabric Palette Projects

Today was all about getting out tax information together and ready to deliver to the accountant. I used to try to keep it all organized throughout the year and I always failed miserably. I'd have folders labeled and ready and would end up with a bunch of random piles spread around the house that I never got around to filing. I took a different strategy this year. We designated a cubby in the desk to put everything for the year. I let it all pile up and pulled it out today to sort through. Sorting, stacking, filing and getting the tax info together took less than 3 hours! I think we have found our record keeping strategy for the rest of our lives. 

My reward was getting to play in EQ with my Pendleton fabric palette.

Today I am playing with a block in the EQ library called Mollie's Choice. It's a busy block so I knew I needed an alternat block to go with it.

I selected another block from the EQ library called Stellie.

First I played with a horizontal set alternating the blocks.

I didn't like that so much so I arranged the blocks differently and like this much better. Over the next iterations you can see how I played with changing the coloring of the patches and then made modifications to the Stellie block and to the Mollie's Choice blocks around the edges of the center of the quilt.

The last 4 are color variations of the same layout. I may play with this one some more next Sunday.

 

Pendleton Fabric Palette Projects

Today is ironing day as I have several kits to get in the mail tomorrow but it was nice to take a break to play in EQ. I am loving playing with these hot colors of the Pendleton palette. If you are interested in the fabrics in the palette you can get all of the information here.

After I get back from AQS in lancaster this week I am going to work on a kit or two using this palette but for today I selected 2 blocks from Blockbase to play with.

The main block I am using today is block # 1896, Old Fashioned Quilt.

I also wanted an alternate block and picked #1903, City Streets.

I started with a horizontal layout.

Then I wanted to see how the block looked on point. I think I like this best although I needed to simplify the alternate block.

I think I'd consider making this one (above).

Pendleton Fabric Palette Projects

First I will update you on our hell week. Chris got to stay 2 nights in the hospital but he's home now and cleared to do anything he wants. He will take blood thinners for 6 months and that's it. Things are getting back to normal and I was so happy to be able to sit down last night and play in Electric Quilt!

Thank you for all of the great feedback on the Indian blanket design from last week. I like that one enough that I am going to play with it some more and try to improve it and maybe there will be a project or kit in the future.

Since I offered the Back to Square One kit in December I have been thinking about making quilt kits a regular item in the shop. I have some beautiful art quilt kits designed by Deb Levy and Terri Stegmiller but I think I need some quilt kits too. That led me to a search for patterns and that's where today's quilt projects come from.

But first, if you are interested in the fabrics in the palette you can get all of the information here.

Are you familiar with the patterns designed by Dereck Lockwood? Check out his website, he has some beautiful designs. Today's projects are from his Starscape pattern.

Here's his design

and here are my versions

Which is your favorite? Have you ever made one of Dereck's patterns? I'd love to hear about your experience with them.