The birth of a quilt

IMGP2469It all starts with a fabric, right?  I picked up the purple fabric on top when I was visiting family in the Portland OR area MANY years ago.  Our kids were small then.  They are not small now.  Any time I was up in that area, I had to visit Daisy Kingdom and their flatfold area.  Daisy Kingdom isn't there any more.  I would usually pick up border fabrics to make jumpers for our girls.  Our girls don't wear jumpers any more.  

While digging in the flatfolds, I came across this purple.  It looks like it has alot more blue in this photo, but in reality it is deep rich purples.  I knew I wanted to make a quilt for my bed with it.  I'm a purple person.  The quilt on my bed has been there since I was pregnant with our oldest daughter.  She's nearly 20 now.  

This fabric has been properly aged.  I bought 6 yards at the time since I knew I would not be able to find it again, I wanted it in the border, and you had to buy the fabric is 3 yard flatfolds.  I started collecting other fabrics to go with this one, not knowing which pattern I would choose for the quilt.   I visited a friend in Virginia in 2005.  While visiting Williamsburg, I saw a BEAUTIFUL Bargello quilt all done in blues that looked like waves in one of shops there.  I asked if I could take a photo and was told "No".  So on the flight home I sketched out what I could remember.  I knew I would make a purple bargello with this fabric.  Over the years I checked out books on Bargello quilts, tried it out with Binkys, explored different designs with this Bright Bargello.  All as practice runs for my future Purple Bargello.  I drew out the design, figured the yardage, everything was ready to get started on this quilt.  But I didn't.  Too much going on.  Too many directions headed for too many different things.  When I start something, I want to be able to finish it.

Two years ago, I joined our local Quilt Guild.  They have this UFO challenge.  You make a list of your UFOs.  They draw a number and that is the UFO you have to finished in the next two months.  As I said, I like to finish things that I start so I have two kinds of UFOs. The ones like this purple bargello where I have the idea, start collecting the fabric, but don't start the project.  The other is when a class is offered. I don't want to miss out on the opportunity for an education, so I take the class. If I can't complete the project in class, I'm okay with putting it on a shelf until I have time to revisit it and finish it.  Our Guild UFO challenge is the perfect avenue for me to get these projects going or finished.  I listed my purple bargello on my UFO challenge.  The number hasn't been drawn yet, but I'm afraid if it is called when work is back in season, I won't be able to finish it in the two months, so I started early.

IMGP2479Here I have the strips sets sewn together and I'm playing with the width and rise of the wave.


More later...