Finally, something new and totally without strings attached! It’s not often that I have time to make something purely for the joy of making it. A while back (well over a year), I took a class at our local fabric store, G-street Fabrics, in something I’d been wanting to learn about for a long time: Kaleidoscope quilts. Most quilt designs I can look at and deconstruct and understand basically how it was done. But there are tricks to creating a kaleidoscope design that I just did not know. I was lucky enough to take a class taught by a master of this type of quilt design, Nancy Fève.
I started on a quilt during the class with this wild Asian style crysanthymums print and it’s still not done. I think it intimidates me a little because it is SO LARGE. So I decided to start on a smaller one. I’ve been buying fabrics for this type of quilt since taking the class and I have quite the stockpile. You need at least 8 repeats of the pattern on the fabric and that can add up to a lot of yardage! I decided to start with a smaller, closer print of robins and cherry blossoms on a light blue background. I got several octagons put together between yesterday and today and I am pleased to report that I remember most of the tricks.
The smaller, closer print gives you instant impact as opposed to the Asian design I was originally working with. In the larger print with a 24 inch repeat the variation happens a lot more slowy – it will give you amazing impact when the whole (very large) quilt is done, but until then, you’re sort of left in the dark (be sure the check out Nancy’s quilts in the link above to see what I’m talking about). The smaller print I’m working with now and smaller octogons I’m creating provide instant impact and are much more suited to me and my sewing style.
I think this one will make a perfect large throw pillow for a couch or a bed once I have it all put together!
