Sunday, March 31, 2013

What to do when a plan does not come together.

 St. Augustine's Garden-
 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-45dLWZ4YA9o/UOBlDijz8iI/AAAAAAAAANE/_Z0Dhn25q4E/s1600/DSCN1085.JPG

 I'm amazed how the simplest thing can take a plan, turn it upside down and send me searching for alternatives. This is a absolutely Lazy Sunday. I can't work on Lazy Sunday Mystery quilt because I don't have the next installment. I can't work on my Craftst BOM because my granddaughter is not here this weekend, and we do that quilt together.

That leaves me searching my Projects on the Tarmac for the next project. I've said before I have no UFO. I mean how can something be a UFO if you never even started it. I do have a bin of fabrics that are set aside for projects I PLAN to start. The fact that it is supposedly spring started me thinking about the Saint Augustine's Garden quilt I  planned to make for my best friend. This quilt pattern is in the 2011 Winter edition of Easy Quilts.

There are three blocks that go together to make one large block in this quilt. And 20 large blocks to complete the quilt.  The red print above is the center of two small blocks. One is framed with the solid green and the other with the solid red. These stack on one another to complete one side of the block.Those are working out as planned. The problem comes from the long block that sits next to these. This block also gets framed by a nice tone on tone fabric. The center of the block is 9 1/2 inches tall, but only 3 1/2 inches wide. I had hoped to use the cottage print below for this tall block, but at only 3 1/2 inches wide it cuts the print up and you lose too much of the pattern.

I changed to the large floral print which is the border and the blocks (that's how the patterns does it). This required a small change in my tone on tone fabric to frame that block. I had the perfect fabric. Unfortunately I needed 1 1/8 yard to frame the blocks. I have 1 yard. So there appears to be a kink in my plan.

What to do? I looked at fabric, took a nap, looked at fabric, made dinner, looked at fabric, had dinner, looked at fabric, watched the end of a movie, looking at fabric and got on the computer. After looking at more fabric I've decided controlled scrappy is good and I've just going to fly by the seat of my yoga pants.
I am going to make blocks of the large floral and the cottage print, and blend them into the quilt. Each will have a different border, but the value is very similiar so I think it will flow rather nicely.

In the book I reviewed last week they talked about the advantage of making extra blocks and testing them as you lay out the finished quilt. I plan to do that with this project. The quilt is strip pieced so I think once I start to sew it will go together pretty fast. I'll do the small squares first. I have already cut the 9 1/2 stripes for the tall blocks. I've also cut my 1 yard of fabric for the border. I'll take that as far as it will go. Then I will cut and piece and cottage fabric for the rest, which will have a different border framing the block.Makes sense. I think.

So new plan. It will be interesting to see if this one comes together.

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