This is my birthday week and I’ve indulged myself with a lovely gift. I’ve been taking some down time and making a quilt just for me, a tradition that began only a few years ago when I realized that I was not going to be gifted many quilts in my lifetime as I have only one very close friend who is a quilter. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have lots of quilts, but at this stage in my life it’s nice to commemorate my birthday by doing something I love and having a lovely keepsake as the result of the process.
After receiving my cake boxes of fat quarters in the mail two weeks ago I had a good play and sorted them into ‘families’ of darks and lights. Even though I’m not using all of these fabrics in the quilt I still find this exercise very useful. It’s like a zen meditation that helps to clear the mind and transition into a new thought process.
Low volume prints
Pulling all the lower volume prints together totally inspired me and aided in selecting the new quilt for my birthday project… the bari j quilt along! This free online quilt along has been ongoing for a while now and when I first spotted it I was intrigued enough to start collecting the block patterns which are posted every second Monday. The quilt goes by various different names but the one I like the best is ‘anthology’, with the dictionary definition of “a collection of poetry”. I love that! and as you know, much of my work is inspired by my own poetry, including my ‘one hundred days‘ Haiku collection.
La Fleur block
The first block set the tone and colour scheme for my quilt and, as it is one of the larger blocks, I was able to throw some larger scale prints into the mix.
Floral Collage block
This second block will serve as a background for a collage of appliqued images and, as you can see, I was able to incorporate more of those lovely low volumes into this area. I haven’t begun the applique work yet as I still have some large scale floral fabrics to pull from the stash. The quilt has a bohemian feel to it and I’d like to really express that in a unique way.
Flying Geese block
And by now you know that it wouldn’t be a true carol quilt if it didn’t have flying geese 😮
Granny Squares block
The granny squares were a delight to make and I love how they turned out. I would be quite tempted to make an entire quilt from this block. One thing I should note here is that some of the blocks have been changed up a bit or I adjusted the construction methods according to my own style of working. This block was a perfect example of that, as it was originally made with all squares on the edges and then trimmed back, leaving bias on the outside of the block. I try to never have this happen and so, made changes accordingly.
Mod Tulips block
The mod tulips block is a fun modern twist on the log cabin block and placing it on point creates an interesting effect. This block would also be a fine candidate for a complete quilt.
Nine Patch block
Ivy Vine block
The block I’m working on today is the ivy vine and there are some changes I’ve made to the instructions on this one. Rather than a straight and upright vine, mine will meander more organically over the block. I also decided that I wanted a heavier stem, rather than a fine embroidered one, and therefore made some 1/4″ bias for the vine. I will needleturn applique the leaves onto the vine and then add some embroidered tendrils as an accent.
I will continue to work on this quilt, off and on, for the rest of the month in the hopes of getting more of the handwork finished. Next up on the project is a series of dresden plates, which I’m really excited to try, so keep watching for that. If you’d like to make your own Bohemian Anthology quilt just check out the blog post : barijdesigns.com/pages/quilt-along
until next time, carol xox
They are even better in person! It is going to be a stunner. My faves are the Mod Tulips block! xoxo
Thanks Tammy! There are so many components of this quilt that have great potential for new quilts… let’s see where it all leads me.