For a while now I've wanted to use up some of my older scrappy fabrics in a way that made them look a little fresher. The Square Dance mystery quilt at My Caroline Home seemed like the perfect project to give this a try. The fabric requirements are quite simple - just dark/light, and best of all I got to use some pre-cut 2&1/2 inch squares for the darks. For the lights I've thrown in some modern low-volumes, so I'm mixing the old and the new together and I'll see how that works out.
When I bought my new sewing machine my plan was to get better at quilting my own quilts. As soon as I read about the Free Motion Quilt Along that the Central Jersey Modern Quilt Guild is running this year I was "in". This is a great way to practice new quilting designs because each month you work on a fat 1/4 sized quilt sandwich - nice and easy to manipulate. At the end of the year there's going to be a smart way to join these pieces a-la quilt-as-you-qo. I'm using up hand-dyes from my stash. I love love love hand-dyes and I always have a stash of them, though some of the backs are the ones that don't seem to have found loving homes LOL.
See that middle one has a blank 1/4. Well.... there's a design I haven't got my head, or my hands around yet. I'm going to have to come back to that one. I'm enjoying this project. It's fun and I'm learning as I go.
Linking up with Sew-Stitch-Snap-Share a regular meet up where you see what other blogging quilters are up to.
looking forward to seeing your quilt al long come together.
ReplyDeletequilting projects look great, and a great way to learn and master skills!
I like your idea of mixing old and new...something I always like to do for a 'unique' look too! Great fmq-ing too :-)
ReplyDeleteI love your fmq designs, and the plan for a quilt is a great way to use these fat 1/4 sections. I struggle with fmq so your quilting is very inspiring! Thanks for sharing with 'sew stitch snap SHARE'.
ReplyDeleteI have seen quite a few people joining in with the FMQ; it looks like a great way to build skills. I like your mix of old and new fabrics; it will be interesting to see the quilt come together.
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