The main reason this blog is important is to help me chart my progress with my current WIP, which is a 60th birthday present for my Mum's older sister M. I might add that at this point in time Aunt M's birthday has come been and gone for a few weeks, but as she lives in another state and at the current time is overseas enjoying a snowy Northern Hemisphere Christmas, I can get away with some latitude in the promptness of her gift.
So, several, several months ago my Mum approached me with the idea of a quilt for M. I agreed for two reasons; one being that M has in the past remarked on my ability to match colours and patterns so I know that I can hit the right high points for her aesthetically speaking. We speaka da same language! The second reason was that I felt I needed a challenge, something to push me past my current projects. I was picking easy projects that didn't require a lot of thought and I know I needed to improve my quilting skills. How else to do that than plunge in the deep end!
So I had a plan. Aunt M's middle name is Rose and she loves the dusty rose pink colour in many things. (Just like the pinks of Phrynne's tunic as she's riding the horse in the above bookcover)
Find a Rose pattern and then make it up in lots of different rose-pink fabrics, preferably 30's reproduction prints for that nice vintage pastel feel and Bob's your uncle, Sam's your aunt - I was in business! (I think I'd read too many Phrynne Fisher books, and I was being subconsciously influenced by all the flapper fashion and 20's culture. I needed the outlet!)
One night I did a search online for Rose quilt patterns. And found this!
Oh My Goodness! It was perfect! I could easily substitute pinks for the yellow and find a similar blue and it would be perfect for Aunt M.
And to add to it's wonderfulness it was totally machine pieced and rotary cut, which to someone who abhors applique (i know, it's such a shame, i do!) it was a god-send.
Thank the wonderful Pam Bono and her wonderful rotary pieced designs.
I could see each rose as a magical blend of 4 different 30's period fabrics swirling happily on a dusty blue batik background, dropping the white lattice work for a simple pink on blue theme.
Can you see how I not only take a leap off the block into the deep end, I take a running jump at it. With springs attached to my feet!
Late May I found the pattern: early June I hit the fabrics stores hunting colours. I bought about 30 different pink fabrics that were of light, medium, bold and dark values that I thought would work together in various different combinations. I also found a terrific blue that was a Civil War reproduction print from Windham Fabrics that was an almost exact match for the blue of Aunt M's lounge room.
I gathered my pretties and washed and pressed them and admired them, but couldn't cut them, for you see, I'd started to read the pattern ...
Oy Vey!!
But that's a story for another time ...
ElleKay
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