Cutting Gems

patchwork for pretty fat quarters

Happy Friday! This morning I have a few hours to make a good start on my new quilt, beginning with cutting up these pretty fat quarters.

As I press and cut each one into tidy rectangles, I notice how Juliana Horner’s fabrics differ from her mother’s. Anna Maria’s fabrics tend to have more color variety and more complicated drawings. I am curious how they will look all mixed together in my patchwork.

And then there’s the blue squares. I need LOTS of them! It felt good to use up all my random solid blue scraps. I also pulled one vibrant dark blue from my yardage to cut a large batch of squares. That blue (below inside basket) reminds me of the blue I was drawn to in Van Gogh’s painting this February.

After all that cutting, I was eager to sew; but, first I needed to mark horizontal lines on my squares. I confess, this was tedious. I only managed to push through about 1/3 of the squares. The rest I’ll mark later, while watching a movie.

I’ve tossed my marked squares into that large basket to mix up the colors randomly. As I sew the blocks, I blindly grab square after square. It’s a good practice in letting go, within limits. ;)

What do you think?

I think that this patchwork style is a fantastic way to feature a fat quarter bundle, especially one with picturesque prints! It’s also beginner-friendly patchwork with rather complicated-looking results.

I feel a pattern coming.