I have a hanging piece of heavy felt for a design wall. Anything laid on a flat surface is considered fair game to the cat menagerie. If I laid a quilt out on the top of the bed, I would have a constant battle pulling the pieces out from under various cats, all of whom would display their utmost displeasure at being disturbed! I can't leave the ironing board set up, either.

When I made a tessellation quilt, (since I do not have a design wall), I have pinned all the pieces to a sheet. I would remove and replace the pieces as I sewed. I could also fold up the sheet and place it in the closet out of the way. Everything would remain in place and I need not worry about quilt inspectors changing my design choices.

I was just looking at this pattern last night. If I were to make this kind of quilt, I would simplify it by putting all the blue patches for block A (blue leaves) in one stack and all the cream/tan patches in another. I would do the same for block B - the cream/tan leaves.

The patches would be random within the blocks, so I could make a bunch of blue leaf blocks and a bunch of cream/tan leaf blocks and just sew them together.

I don't have *any* design wall space. :)

I would love to see your finished quilt - I really love the indigoes. :)

The problem I had was the "wings" part that is either on upper or beside or lower section of the block. The 4 sections of each block, 2 turned out and 2 turn toward the center, so don't think your idea would work. I do not have a design wall either, that why I had to use the floor.
IdahoSandy

Here's a pic of the one I did - all in fall colors. The book I used, "Tesselations" had a page for each quilt drawn on a grid, and I used colored pencils to color it in to keep me on track. That made it considerably easier.

Your quilt is beautiful and love those fall colors. The one I made is in blues/tan/cream colors and it is brighter than what the picture shows in the magazine. The one in the magazine was too subdued for me. I can not sent a picture because I only buy those throw away cameras and they take for ever to take 27pictures. Have to buy a new camera, then find someone to teach me how to scan it in my old windows xp Dell computer. Thank you for showing me your quilt.
IdahoSandy

That's really beautiful! Love, love, LOVE those colors! :)

I think I'd have to make the blocks one at a time if I were going to try to make each leaf of one fabric, like this. Between the ADD and the lack of patience with things that need to be ripped out and re-sewn, I'd be frustrated at trying to keep it all correctly oriented.

As with the indigo quilt, I would go for a scrappy look. No tears or pulling my hair out while I'm piecing :D and you can chain-piece the patches and blocks. No worrying about which way the wings are going.

I did the same type of pattern, only just table runner size in fall colors. It is definitely one you need to lay out to make sure everything is in the right place!

Yes, I love that scrappy look and wings would be no problem(and this is where the problems started for me). I just brought a yard of blue fabric at the fabric store, just could not live without. If I ever make this quilt again it will be with scrappys.
IdahoSandy

I have not done that one, but I just finished a quilt with similar issues. I found it was easier if I posted a picture by my machine, sewed one strip of blocks at a time, and drew a line through each column as I completed it.