Even using a more 'uniform' background would help IMHO. I saw a wonderful Long Time Ago this morning, only a few colours were used. You can still use different fabrics within the colour range. I thought of doing the same once I have the pattern ;)

In the materials & supplies list of many quilts template plastic is mentioned. I was searching online to see where I can purchase it when I came upon some info, saying to use a cheap plastic placemat. I happed to have those and cut one up. It works like a charm :D :D And if I have to toss them after having used them for only 1 quilt, that's ok with me.

Anael, that's a great idea. I've gotten some good stiff plastic placemats for just a few dollars a piece before. So, great use of your resources! Now, I only have 4 and I still use them. But, when they are no longer useful, I will willingly repurpose them. Cardboard is good for templates also. I usually save the cardboard that fat quarters from JoAnns sells for templates. They are disposable after several uses. (Or , even recyclable.)

We don't have a JoAnns or similar here. The placemat almost needed to be replaced so nothing wasted :D Like you said, recyclable haha! And these were really cheap, like 5 or 6 for 2 euros!

I use cardboard too...or poster board for my templates.. Never thought of recycling plastic mats. I'm now going to dig through my yard sale piles and find the ones I stuck in there...:D I just recently bought the Angle Play template set. Haven't tried them but they make some awesome block designs... Thinking of doing my next QOV using the templates.

Ok I may have fibbed a little found a SAL tracker for Long Time Ago and I Completed my first blocks on 3/15/17 so not to old of a UFO. :D Ok so with the motivation of this group I was able to completed 2 more blocks today. The next one after these are to make 21 Churn Dash blocks.

Yeahhhhhhhh Christine!!!!! I love those blocks! One year isn't long ago :) It's hardly an UFO hahaha!
Good luck with your 21 tiny churn dash blocks!

Thank you Teen and Anael.

Love your applique Teen! I love the look and the time involved. I just don't have the patience but admire those that do.

It's doable with the Apliquick method. I like to hand appliqué too but it's too time consuming (or my bucket list is too long haha!) so since Teen showed the Apliquick method I started to use that too.

Christine, 2 more great sections to your quilt. I am loving the fabrics. Your quilt is going to be really pretty. I just finished a Whole quilt of Churn Dashes in 3 different sizes. I think the smallest was 6.5 unfinished. But, I have made tiny ones for postcards before. One of my favorite blocks! I hope you have fun making them.

As much as I like the churn dash block, I don't like making 21 in a row!!! So I think I would alternate between these blocks and some others.

I still didn't get my Green Tea and Sweet Beans book. It turns out that quilt shop sold this book to me but they don't have it themselves :( I kept asking why I didn't receive the book and finally they answered. They ordered it in Australia.......I told them they could have said so before taking my money!! First time I ordered from them, never again.

Christine....love your blocks. That one has so many pieces...yikes... You piece beautifully...and thank you for compliment. I love to applique and have tried just about every method. Appliquick method works best for me....super easy and lovely finish. I do not enjoy handwork... I did needlework for years and it burned me out. Lol...

Judith....Please share your churn dash quilt.... I love that block....so many things you can do with block layout and the center. Three sizes sounds really neat.

Anael.....OMGoodness!! That is so rude and unprofessional. Are they refunding you? I bought mine from Amazon and it came next day. Not sure if that is an option for you. How disappointing. At least you have GW to work on. Do you have more blocks to share?

i didn't sew yesterday....just cleaned my sewing nook and office. Getting ready for our trip again. We leave this weekend. Need to prep some stuff to take to work on in evenings.

No they didn't, I didn't ask for a refund. But if I had known I would have ordered the book in Australia myself, together with the other 4! Most of the time I order from Amazon in the UK but this time that wasn't an option as they don't have Jen Kingwell patterns/books.
I remember that same quiltshop was selling precuts for the 365 challenge. The designers told not to use large prints because of the small pieces needed and what did they sell amongst other fabrics? Large prints, really huge ones!!

I have more blocks but I need to make a group shot. I finished all blocks of section 1, 2 and 10. Section 3 needs only one more block, section 4 also one more. The other sections need more blocks.
I will try and make a group shot tomorrow as I need to clear my design wall.

I cleared the design wall and made a group shot. What do you all think? I'm not sure about the dark blue fabric with the golden stars.

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Anael, it will work if your going add in more dark blue here and there. If not, it is a kind of stand out block.

I'm leaning towards replacing the dark blue. I've studied the other blocks and I don't see I'm going to use the same fabric (or another dark blue) again so it will stand out and I don't like it.

Anael - Just sort of snooping around on this thread to see what you all are doing. What a happy, happy quilt you are going to have! You always use such cheery fabric. I don't think the blue with gold stars is too dark - it blends in well, IMHO.

Thank you DonnaPea!!!

Anael.....I guess the shop has a bit of a reputation it would seem. Hopefully,you'll get it soon and will have it ready when you are ready to tackle it. Your GW looks awesome and I favor a dark anchor fabric so I like the dark blue if you can squeeze it in on other blocks. Kind of like the use of my black on SBS....doesn't have to be much....but, with or without, this will be gorgeous and bright. Your fabrics are sublime. There's smoke coming out of your sewing room, girl.....you are hustling' on this pattern.. So cool...

Thank you Teen!!
For now I'll leave the dark blue, but I still think about replacing it. I can do a few small 3" ones with dark blue and see if that works with the large block.

Your quilt, darlin.....Go with your gut.....you have an eye for color ways....

My books have been shipped from Australia. Hopefully it won't take weeks before getting here!
Lets see which ones arrive first: the GTSB or the other 4.

Thank you!!

Nice looking blocks! And if you the navy looks out of place to you, replace it now. It will never be easier to replace than right now! Too often I've thought - maybe - and then decided I didn't want to bother. I'd say in most cases I end up wishing I had, but decide I can live with it. But usually it ends up being a quilt that goes in my "give away "pile even if I had originally planned to keep it.

So I've gotten way better about taking the time to change things. The truth is the most common reason I don't is that I'm impatient. There is no reason for that, I just get in a rush and then forget that I don't have a deadline on getting quilts done. My life is too full of deadlines I'm just use to operating like that.

Thanks Macebaby!
I made another block with the dark blue fabric. Just a tiny 3" finished one so the fabric won't be noticed. I think I'm going to replace the dark blue in the large block. I'm quite sure I always will 'see' it and wonder why..........:)

I'm like you, impatient but for me without having any deadlines. Lately I'm learning to adjust things, replace pieces, resew seams......well you get it :). We're never too old to learn!!

I get impatient too. Mine stems from not wanting things "un-done"/not completed, which is the reason why I have no UFO's and work at it to not have any. I take the time now and fix things if I don't care for it. I did that with Sylvia...I think I remade 5 or 6 blocks. When I first started quilting, I couldn't make a quilt fast enough....there were so many things I wanted to learn. Sylvia taught me a lot and.......wore me out.:D

Glad the books are on the way, Anael...You've got a few projects ahead of you. Wonderful!

I made a couple of pieced blocks yesterday in Section 2 of GTSB and, today, I'll finish up an applique block for same section. I'm just taking my time and loving my dots and stripes... I won't get the section done before my trip this weekend but that's OK.

A few blocks for section 2. Kind of took some liberties with the berry basket. Thought the basket needed sprucing up a bit..

Gorgeous blocks Teen!!!!! I thought you were off to make a jelly roll quilt......:D :D

My GTSB book will be shipped tomorrow so it that's true it will be here Thursday. Yeahhh fingers crossed.
Knowing the propeller block is 3 1/4 " finished I already made a few ;)
In the meantime I'm thinking about the GW strips. Should I do them in bright colours or tone it all down a bit.....or both.......decisions!!!

Hi Anael, I think your Gypsy blocks will stand out more if you keep your strips not so bright. Maybe a mixture of creams or beiges. Or even white on whites and very light gray. What do you have on hand to play with? I think it really depends on the look your going for with this quilt.

Teen, more adorable blocks. I think your berry basket is very cute. I really like your background fabric.

Thank you, Judith & Anael!!

Anael...I agree with Judith about going with light strips so your blocks are distinct. I lean toward white more then cream...maybe white with teeny tiny color prints...like micro polka Dots? And then a solid of some other color here and there... I like the soft gray suggestion. That's what I'm doing on GTSB....Just bouncing off ideas... I think you are going to have to audition several scenarios to decide.

I had a look at several finished GW tops, found a few with white/cream strips and wasn't impressed. I think it sticks out too much. I will finish section 10 with the strips I have in mind - the fabrics I'm using for the blocks together with fabrics in a softer tone and see how that works. With section 10 I'll have a good example of how the whole quilt would look.

While searching for finished tops I came across one, done in only solids (yellow, greens and lots of blues). The strips were solid blues mixed with blues with tiny stars. It looks like a night sky, I really love it. I asked permission to share a copy of the picture here on the board. I thought you might want to see it too. I'm waiting for her to reply ;)

No sewing today, I will be gone most of the day. Maybe tonight one or two filler blocks :)

I got permission to share the picture of that starry night gypsy wife with you all. Here it is:

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This one is designed and made by Sarah Ruiz.

Wowzers Anael. That sure is a pretty one. I do like those darker blues.

Anael - that is the one I really liked too, and figured if I do a second, it would be like that. My first was the opposite, lighter stripes with darker blocks.

what a wonderful interpretation! Thanks for sharing....

Oh....I like that one alot alot alot......

Worked in my garden this morning...then got too hot so I did a couple of more blocks for Section 2. The left one I ended up doing PP....worked fab!!

So tell me Teen, yhow does PP work on round shapes? I love the new blocks!!

Macebaby, I thought the same. One wild Wife and one not so........hahaha. No really, I would love to make one in these colours too. Who knows, she mentioned the fabriclines she used. I would have to go back and find out.

My GTSB book just arrived. They had another shop send it to me. That's ok with me, I guess I would have had to wait too long otherwise.

I made the Berrie block. As I already had the Wedding Chain and Double Pinwheel they're now sewn together.
It's so different from the GW, I really have to get used to these colours :)

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