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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Changes

Let's face it.
I'm a quilting meddler.
I'm one of those pattern changers who cannot leave well enough alone!
If it's square, I make it oblong.  If's it's fusible, I make it needle-turn.  If it's in pastels, I force it into my pallete of brown, green, gold and red.  (Blue is for cool people: I think I'm a "warm" person. :-P)

All that changing is working well for me so far this week, though! :-D

First is my UFO (Judy's UFO Challenge) for the month of March.  #1 for me was Stars Around the Garden, a block of the month from Bits 'n Pieces.  I've had the 14 pieced blocks done for a while, but could NOT seem to get "into" the applique center medallion.  What to do, what to do.....? 

I rummaged around, found some pinwheel blocks I'd planned to use with another quilt that I meddled with (the one Mary at Quilt Hollow is quilting now!! Isn't she just a fabulous quilter!?!), and thought, "Hmmmm......" 

So I had enough pinwheels for most of the center, and just had a 10 1/2" x 21" space to fill....what can I put in there? OH! Why not Bear Paw blocks!!!!

Here's the result, a finished top for the UFO Challenge! The lighter brighter colors intended for the flowers sorta make my pieced center glow. I don't mind a bit! :-)  It's DONE! (well, the top is! :-D and now I can get back to February's and see if I can get caught up! :-D)

I've also been working on Eventide (the quilt-along with Thelma at Cupcakes 'n Daisies).

Yeah, I'm thinking of changing it up a little, too.  It's very nearly square.  I just prefer oblong quilts.  Probably because beds are oblong.  I don't have any square beds in the house.  I probably don't have any square walls either! LOL (That's a little carpentry humor...very little! :-P)

Here's my progress so far on Eventide.  I have some more quarter-square triangles and Ohio Star blocks pieced....gonna play around and see if I want to make changes to it.

I've got some other projects to complete.....
My "Brown Bag Quilt Challenge" quilt has an April 1st deadline.


My other UFO for March is my Mountain Laurel Sampler (I've got about 2/3rds of it hand quilted; here's one of the blocks)....NOT gonna get that one done this month. 

I've been watching Teresa at Fabric Therapy as she hand quilts her All Around the Town quilt.  I love how she has made the quilt her own with her whimsical additions to the pattern. 

I think it's interesting that what we do as quilters is so very similar to what God does with us.  There is a very clear pattern that He has designed for us; we are to be like Jesus!

Yet He never intended that we should be only clones of His Master Design.  One of my favorite passages, 1 John 3:2 (NIV), says,
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
I don't always know exactly how my quilts are gonna turn out.  But my hope is that they will be like the design, yet uniquely mine.  I rejoice that, as I follow and emulate Jesus, I am still free to be who God made me to be! His design; my colors and personality and size!  I will not be Him, but I will be like Him.

Hallelujah!

22 comments:

QuiltSue said...

Your "meddling" has definitely been to good effect. I love what you have done, but I specially love Eventide in your colours. It would look so great in my house!

Shelley said...

Some really "cool" quilts for a "warm" person! Like'em all! Meddler also translates to non-conformist--to troublemaker!lol! Insert my name in the middle of all that too!:)

Teresa Rawson said...

Quilt meddler...I LOVE it! I'm certainly one of THOSE!! I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how your fan quilt is turning out in Mary's (Quilt Hollow) very capable quilting hands...stunning! There's nothing wrong with changing a great idea to make it fit with the maker's finish parameters...I'll keep telling myself THAT as I gather courage to email Sue Garmon a picture of my townie quilt! LOL

Your hand quilted butterflies, etc. look fabulous on your hand-quilting project...thanks for the shout out.

Change is good, but can be a little scary. We are not cookie-cutter people, so change from person to person is required, expected, I think. That's where all the beautiful diversity comes from. Just how imagine how dull it would be for people to find tons of identical quilts some day!

In stitches,
Teresa :o)

Staci said...

Meddling, I how you used that word to describe changing up quilt patterns. It is a great word!
I love your Eventide. I love that pattern and am thinking about using that fat quarter bundle I just won to make one, too! You are so prolific, it always amazes me to see all that you accomplish.

Mary said...

I love the way your UFO project turned out! It really does glow. You may call it meddling, I would call it creativity.

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

Your UFO turned out beautifully. I love the center you created. Your Eventide quilt top is gorgeous. And your other two projects are wonderful, too!

Karen said...

Miss Quilt Meddler, your playing around makes for good results.

Rhonda M said...

Just keep on meddling, because it sure is working. I love your ideas. I know you and I are kinda-sorta neighbors, but I wish we were true neighbors. I am also a warm color person and you just have to take a look at my fabric cabinet to confirm it. Your posts are such a blessing to me!

Crispy said...

I don't think it as meddling. I'm sure that the designer would do the same thing if they weren't under pressure to get a pattern done for the publisher. They just don't have time to think things through LOL.

I LOVE what you did with Stars Around the Garden quilt. Maybe you should rename it Ursa Major Redo after the bear constellation :0)

Crispy

Miss Hillbilly said...

Make it yours!! And I am glad that you are His! Blessings!

Mary L. said...

Love your changes! Gorgeous quilts!

Judith said...

Love eventide in your colors.

Patty Sumner said...

I so want that new finished quilt. I love the colors.
Blessings!

Sandie @ crazy'boutquilts said...

Stars all around looks great! I'm a 'fiddler'~ always fiddling with pattern sizes. lol Tomorrow is Thimbleberries Sew Day~ hope you join us! ;-)

stephanie @ Luckystarquilts said...

I love how your Eventide is turning out! Meddle away; looks like it's working for you!

Appalachian Mercantile said...

I'm a quilt meddler, too. If it weren't for us meddlers, there would be a million of the same quilt out there, and how fun is that? Love your quilt!

Blessings

Carol said...

Love your meddling...you've made it your own. Your Eventide is just beautiful!

Lori said...

I love how you finished the star quilt. The center is lovely!

I agreee about the square quilts although I generally don't work out the math to make them oblong.

Anonymous said...

http://www.quilthollow.com/2011/03/grand-finish.html

I posted your beauty. :0)

Candy said...

I love your quilts, but even more I love the way you correlated quilting with our walk with Jesus.

Anonymous said...

Mary Lou, I have just read six or seven of your posts - a day to chatch up on blogs... And by the last post I was finally focusing on who and what the Lord wants me to be.... so I am off to write a note of encouragement to a soul who has just plain annoyed me this week. Thank you ever so much for getting my focus where it SHOULD be in all things - not just the things I want.

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