Waiting for borders

I'm a little late in posting a photo of my String Tulip quilt,
 you can see that there are no String Tulips here, I decided to go with
a favourite fabric of mine and fussy cut and collage, the result of all the fussy cutting
resulted in tendonitis! After a break of a few days things
have eased up so it's back to the machine a little at a time.

 Two borders will be sewn on over the next day or so and then I can say
that is a finished top, even though I may be lagging behind.

Maureen

Month 3 of String Tulip QAL: Finishing the Top

 Yikes! I almost forgot to post here, too. This month contains lots of photos about finishing the top so here's a link to my other blog with all the directions and photos.

String Tulip QAL

Speaking of photos, many are starting to appear here and around the internet as quilters work out their own versions. Some people changed the colors or types of strings they used for ESS blocks. Some designed their own tulips. Many are taking the ideas and mixing them up in new ways. Take a look at previous posts here and on Instagram with #AHIQStringTulipQAL.

I enjoy seeing the many creative ways quilters improvise. And I'm delighted this QAL has encouraged several people to try something new - always a bit scary. Congratulations to everyone.

Ann

FORTY-SIX - an Update

You might be wondering why this photo

 of Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop is leading this post.

They popularized a song - 

one that our boys learned in Scouts

and still sing fragments of today.

Maybe you know this one?

". . . This is the song that never ends.

It just goes on and on, my friend.

Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was.

And, they'll continue singing it forever, just because

This is the song that never ends . . . "

(you can hear the melody by clicking HERE

if you don't already know it)

The words of that song pretty much sum up the way 

the current AHIQ challenge has affected me.

It would have been so simple to follow

Ann's how-to posts and make a quilt like hers - 

but "oh, noooooooo."

I wanted to make one of my own design.

Three months later and the words

of that song keep running through my head.

 

I know full well that I'm trying too hard

and have fallen far into the dreaded comparison trap.

I NEED to stop pondering, 

DO something,

and quit worrying whether or not

my SOMEthing is the PERFECT thing.

I'm sure many of you have been in this same spot . . .

So THIS is what I am doing . . .

I'm narrowing up the bias-cut stem strips 

because they were just too clunky-looking.

There are twenty tulip blossoms so I've chosen

twenty different greens for the leaf pairs.

I've added one of Marilee's numbered pins

to the center of each tulip so that

when I take the blocks down to machine appliqué,

the current layout won't be lost.

Amazing what happens when you quit

trying to make a masterpiece and just MAKE.

Quiltdivajulie

 

My first posting here! This is my take on Tulip Strings. My first string project; it went fast once I got into the swing of it. I'm not a fan of appliques so I pieced a few instead. I made it small so it could be a wall hanging. 

Strings galore - but still not enough!

Just to show I'm doing something towards the challenge! 

None of the blocks are joined so far; I keep rearranging them. I've trimmed all these to 5.5", following Ann's example.

I'm still thinking about the tulips, but most of the pieced tulip patterns I've seen have silly little little leaves at right angles to the stem, which tulips don't. So it looks like I'll be piecing the flowers to my own design on my appliqué sheet - it's about time I used it.

I have an idea for the layout of the centre piece, but it's too nebulous to describe. However it will also require the appliqué pressing sheet.

Keep safe and healthy

Happy sewing

Marly.