Retreat Session 2

I was able to cut more background fabric and got 8 of the blocks ready for piecing. I am still not sure of how the end arrangement will go and really need to wait it out. Sometimes the clarity in life is only really seen once we are closer to our destinations, and so it is with this quilt. 

There are a couple of options for the first border that I am considering, both are lighter shades of either blue or green. While it would be easy to just pick one & buy the 1/2 yard of fabric, I've decided to wait until the entire center is completed before making that purchase. All the Kaleidoscopes are pinwheeling off in the same direction which took a bit of planning. The close-up details are magickal on each one, and I am very much in love with how it is evolving. Of course, the blocks need trimming and pressing, so are not looking as crisp as they will be the closer it gets to completion. 

It is very art deco in design for the individual blocks, and with as lovely as it is at this stage, it seems worth it to wait to buy the best choice for that first border & binding. I feel like a kid looking into the glass turning it & tumbling the pieces to see the designs unfold. Every block is a design discovery.

There is enough of the fabric to make the blocks, however, I have not cut the in-between block setting pieces, and may need to purchase more background to extend it from the lap size to a twin. I did a layout for the last 4 blocks to see which of the 3 will fit. It seems that the blocks with the finer detail hold more of the light green and the blocks with the bigger objects are in blue. Its so interesting! The richness in the designs remind me to be grateful for the patterns in my life and to see how varied they are. I am not sure how one compares each experience because its almost like the value is in the bigger picture, in the greater good.

This was a great quilt to work on in a retreat class setting because of the complex pinning/cutting treatments. I left after another four hours at it in this second session simply because I've learned that its healthier to feel good and quilt another day. My body was starting to get weary and my concentration was being compromised. 

I will finish up the last 3 blocks, and then see if I have what it takes to put the center workings together or if I need to make a purchase. I have to keep working on it this week to get to that stage.

Meanwhile, the other current projects on my to-do list are sitting here too. Its not that I actually veered off course, however, I would like to get back to them so that they finish on time. This quilt is free from a 2014 deadline for now.