This week I gave myself permission to begin my Stonefields quilt by Susan Smith. No I have not yet finished the border for Sampler Magic but it is cut out and I have started sewing the HST. I really did have good intentions to finish it first but once I had the fabrics pulled for Stonefields I could resist no longer. Since I purchased the pattern from Susan's website, I am not getting the pattern as a block of the month but have the whole pattern. Frankly, I am thrilled that it is not a BOM as I don't have to wait between parts and this is a very good thing considering the mess the jumble of fabrics is making in my sewing room. The first blocks are these little stars. I am machine piecing when possible so these were quick and easy.
Here are the first appliqued blocks. Orange peel.
Next up are these cute Pomegranate blocks. A good chance to do a little fussy cutting.
These circle blocks were fun. Based on some pastry that I have never heard of so now I can't remember the name. I changed the positioning of the little circles to keep things better balance. I planned to use this fabric for the circles in the green one and noticed on Instagram that someone else had the same idea!
These whirligigs gave me a chance to use a larger print.
And finally part one finishes off with this little posy pot. I think this is my favorite.
I have spent quite a bit of time with this quilt this week and just thought I would share a few thoughts on making this special quilt. First, it is by far the most fun I have had in a long time and I am thrilled to be using up scraps of old fabrics. Truly addicting! They are pretty quick to sew but getting the correct balance of fabrics and colors is a much more time consuming than I expected. In looking at pictures of the original and lots of other pictures on blogs and Instagram, I realized that the versions I like the best are filled with little surprises and lots of fabrics. That might mean fussy cutting or a pop of an unexpected color here and there. To help me stay on track I put a pillow and piece of decorator fabric near my design wall in fabrics that are inspiring my color palette. I think I need to add a few darker touches!
Posted with Blogsy
Your blocks are looking lovely. I see your red as being dark among the other fabrics. How dark do you want to go? I have Susan's Little Sparrow pattern and it is very pale, which I know will cause me problems. Looking forward to seeing your choices.
ReplyDeleteYour blocks are looking lovely. I see your red as being dark among the other fabrics. How dark do you want to go? I have Susan's Little Sparrow pattern and it is very pale, which I know will cause me problems. Looking forward to seeing your choices.
ReplyDeleteLove all blocks and your fabric choices. This is going to be a gorgeous quilt
ReplyDeleteLovely work! The fussy cutting is so much fun for this project.
ReplyDeleteHoping part 2 will arrive today.
You are lucky that you can just keep going.
Enjoy!
Just beautiful
ReplyDeleteYour blocks are lovely. I also found that getting the fabrics right is quite time consuming, especially the light/dark balance. you have made a wonderful start, I look forward to the next lot!
ReplyDeleteYour quilt wil be a soft quilt - colorwise - You are correct in stopping and selectig fabrics at once. I prefer patterns too rather than BOMs.
ReplyDeleteAre the blocks 6" - think the quilt size is 96 x 96. You will have a winner with this one!
Looking forward to your progress, and you will be happier by taking a break from your sampler quilt border.
Happy quilting Nanette
Love it! Another stunning quilt in the making.
ReplyDeleteNice start, good idea to place the pillow and fabric for reference. I love this pattern also and told my husband it is my Christmas list-- making it easy for him- I just want this pattern. So I will probably be good and have him wrap it for Christmas and I will not see it til then. Happy Stitching.
ReplyDeleteThese blocks are so pretty and so delicate. Your fabrics are devine! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE keep sharing your blocks with us!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous blocks and you have done a lovely job of fussy cutting. Love the colour choices you have made. Had a bit of a giggle when I got to the picture of the last block - I have 3 of the fabrics in that! Saw the bit you used for the pot first, then the others. Then I went back and checked the other blocks, but don't recognise anything in them.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, this is gorgeous. I'm going to love watching this one grow.
ReplyDeleteThey're beautiful Heather! This quilt is definitely on my wanty list!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! Love the fabrics you've pulled for it.:)
ReplyDeleteI am just today starting my Stonefields Quilt blocks. I am doing it as a BOM through Homespun Hearth but find it a bit daunting already as there are no real measurements associated with the pieced squares, just the notation "Make 4 of these" and a line drawing. They did include 2 little acrylic templates that are triangles. I can only assume so much in starting with fabrics I only have bits of as it is a BOM. Did your pattern have more detail in the measurements? I did see that Susan Smith's pattern called for 6 1/2 inch blocks to be cut in advance so I guess I will try for that as my finished size. Yours is truly beautiful and I admire you picking your own fabrics. Thanks, Pam
ReplyDeleteCan you send me Susan's website? I'd love to buy the pattern but not bom.
ReplyDeletePlums@comcast.net