Quilt Pondering

In 2006 my two quilting best friends and I took a block of the month class from a local quilt shop.  We loved the Moda fabrics and we enjoyed learning new techniques.   We did not like the teaching style of the instructor and we battled every month with our reactions to her style of quilting and teaching.  In many ways it left a bad taste for quilting and I think that is why it has been so hard to get this quilt finished.  Yes, we did learn some new tricks that have been beneficial and it has even carried over into current projects.   It was just hard to set aside personal feelings for the instructor and it reflected on the way we felt about the class. (I felt like I was back in high school when I had to do an assignment and I agonized over the paper then finally stuffed it away in my locker and hoped the magic homework fairy would finish it for me.)   Well, I am not in high school anymore and the quilt fairies have yet to find my numerous unfinished projects.

Anyway, these 12 blocks were done at the end of the year.  One of my friends was very inspired and motivated by her son’s upcoming wedding so she continued on and prepared a pattern for her blocks in EQ and it was done several months later.  Her quilt turned out to be a beauty and she made it king size as a gift to her son and his bride for a wedding present.  It was inspiring but I still was road blocked on my quilt.  My other friend still has hers blocks in a container waiting for inspiration.  She had a worse case of “Quilt Block of the Month Aversion” than me.

In the last 6 years these quilts blocks have been in and out of their container.  I have laid them out, previewed fabrics around them, purchased more fabric to finish the quilt and I have drawn several designs of the proposed finish.  Nothing has clicked for me.

Finally, November 2011 I decided enough was enough and this quilt was going to be done in 2012.  I had a wall hanging pattern that I liked I thought it would work great with charms squares from the same line of Moda fabric, Kansas Troubles that I had in my stash.    I began to work to create in the center a medallion for the quilt and decided I would build the quilt with the 12 quilt blocks around the medallion.  The medallion is now complete and the next step is to add 2 or 3 inch coping strips onto the 12 blocks.  Then I can begin to lay out the design with the blocks and the borders. 

Wish me luck on the next phase!