Feeling the need for something relaxing

 Let me make a start on this post by showing a photo of a lovely cloud formation a few nights ago

the last rays of the sun were catching the edge of the cloud, I made out onto the drive to take a photograph
 and love looking at this,  it will be printed out and pinned  above my cutting table, perhaps it will cause the frustration I'm feeling presently to dissipate!

Maggie Pearl has been frustrating me no end. I have seen quite a few of these quilts and they were beautifully restrained with soft colours, yes, why not try passing on my usual colour choices and go restrained, I wish I hadn't followed that particular path. Blocks were made and up on the design wall they went, more blocks were made and even more blocks, I still wasn't too happy at all. 

Layout two days ago and excuse the uneven photograph, I was perched on a set of drawers all set up with a bed for Leila, also the blocks are just 'thrown' up there leading to some higher than others

I didn't feel this was a 'me' quilt in progress. What would happen if I changed things around and added bold and bright blocks in the style of the middle block third row down, here they are again

and together below with a few more blocks added into the design

The bottom row needs a change and  the middle block second row down needs to be lighter.

I would really appreciate your advice and feedback on these two settings please free to be brutally honest!! At this stage I dearly wish I had never started the darned thing. We all need to try something different now and again in our quilting whether it be choice of pattern or colour, just seems that I'm having difficulty with this.

I needed a break and Leila entertained me with a game of hide and seek, I suspect she is counting to ten trying to cover her eyes.

I'm off now to re-watch an episode of Broadchurch, then back here to check out for edits needed before publishing.

Maureen

The last few blocks for Maggie Pearl - warning photo heavy

I'm calling time now on Maggie Pearl with all 20 blocks. I made a few more over the past week, some made it, some did not, but I'm happy with the end result. They're now down from the design wall and will be back up there again this week to get a good arrangement and I've no doubt I will take for ever trying to find one that pleases me!

I'll just show the new blocks. In my last post the one below originally had Spot in a soft turquoise, wasn't happy so made another using Paperweight in Sludge - one of my favourite KF fabrics.

Can you tell that I love greens?? This next one carries on the theme of green plus black - see the photo in my last post, bottom row block on LH side - I've decided to keep that one in the mix

Thanks to my grand-daughter and her good work with my scraps I found a piece of Lille - the lovely lime green ribbons on the fawn background - there was just enough to scrape together 14 squares.

Two more good finds in the block below, the black based fabric with exotic orchids and leaves plus a small piece of soft green with tiny flowers.

Almost finished ladies - Lotus Leaf plus a find of Tree Rings by Martha Negley, I used a little of this in a different colourway in one of the other blocks.

Another old pattern below is the rich red, purple and yellow fabric but I can't recall the name of this one, bet Wanda would know!

It has taken me far longer than intended to make these blocks, the reason being that I began overthinking

the combinations of fabric and now I have quite a few rejects, on the other hand I have two which were a huge no-no in the mix but I just love them to bits and will likely make another Maggie Pearl but in the style of the ones below but each block separated by a fine border.

Excuse the rough and ready set up of the blocks, just re-covering my design wall, dealing with all the different settings on my new iPhone plus needing a steadier hand to take the photo.

So next post, hopefully, a quilt top but until then I hope anyone in the way of the snow storms in the UK and the USA can keep safe, dry and warm.

Maureen

Short and sweet .......

We are still battling on here in New Zealand, not quite believing what has taken place, truly a disaster!

The human spirit is alive and well with everyone helping each other, support and the necessities of life are
being freely given. This is not a fix in a few months but a few years, quite a few years. 

I have been lucky enough to have a box of new fabric arrive at my door, a new mini hi-fi in my sewing room, I will now be able to play my CDs and listen to radio. Lots of folks will have lost these sort of items and I do have pangs of guilt at being one of the lucky ones, not to have lost anything. 

Beautiful Daisies

Shiraz in four different colourways

I have 16 blocks stitched up for Maggie Pearl and on the wall in sets of two each in similar colour.
More all ready for the making and then decisions can be made on which blocks will be kept in the mix and will not make it! The colour is slightly subdued in some of the fabrics, the opposite in others. The bottom left hand bottom block will likely not be included, doesn't seem to work for me. You need to enlarge to see the detail clearly.

Time is being spent working on settings on my iPhone camera side of things, it's pretty complex, all things relating to colour need more work. 

Not enough time has been given to quilting over the past week due to a cortisone shot in my right shoulder to help my torn rotator cuff and the left shoulder was the recipient of a B12 shot. Test shows too  low a level of this vitamin, the report suggests to consider Pernicious Anaemia - not a happy thought, I now need to have the shots every 3 months.

There was a stunning sunset a couple of days ago 

shame about the top of the tree! 

All for now, happy quilting and hopefully more quilting content next post.

Maureen