Gemm

In my intro to the board, I explained how I had taken quite a long break from quilting, but found myself getting back into it when I was living in lockdown due to the global pandemic. I was, at first, very limited in terms of what I had to hand, and so that dictated my first quilting endeavours. One of the first things I made was an I Spy quilt for a friend/colleague's child - I had quite a collection of novelty prints (mostly FQs or less) left over from the 90s, and so I started. As I laid out the quilt, I learned that a LQS had set up online ordering with curbside pickup, and so I filled out my stash a bit. I spent a couple of weeks planning and cutting and putting it all together, and using this process to maintain some sanity. Fast forward a few weeks and I was finally able to deliver a quilt to my friend's daughter (socially-distanced, of course). My mother really liked what I had done and asked if I would be willing to make one for her friend who was expecting a grandchild. I had the fabric and the time, so I said I would. In the meantime, pictures of these quilts got circulated among my mother's friends and I started getting requests to make more quilts. No... not really more quilts. More of _these_ quilts. So they multiplied (as did my collection of novelty prints). I'm at the binding stage of I Spy Quilts # 4 and #5. I have one more "order" to fulfill, and I intend to take a long break after #6. I'm pretty done with novelty prints for now. Don't get me wrong - I have enjoyed this. They are quite fun to make and I enjoy the fussy cutting, but I've also been really glad for a few other projects that have allowed me to believe that I'm not "just" an I Spy quiltmaker! I'd be curious to know if others have had this same sort of experience - being "known" for a certain type or style of quilt and having trouble breaking out of that cycle.