It was time to start some new projects. Yes, projects. Plural.
I was feeling tired and lazy and not very motivated in lots of areas of life. The days at home were dragging by filled with boring repetitive tasks like washing and folding and ironing. Over and over again. At work, it was quiet with some key players away so I wasn’t feeling very useful there on the days I was there. My body was fighting off one of those lingering head colds – the kind that doesn’t stop you getting out of bed but nevertheless makes you feel sniffly all day. At the end of each day, I was tired but didn’t feel like I had achieved very much.
I felt like I was turning in slow circles and going nowhere.
Whenever I start to feel like I’m uninspired or tired or just in a slump, I’ve found that starting something new in my crafty life sometimes helps me to get motivated and moving again.
So I decided it was time to find a new project – or two.
I wrote about the first project last week: the 30 Day C2C Crochet Challenge. You can see the start of my blanket on Instagram.
The second is a new quilt project.
It has been a little while since I started a new quilt top – and yes, I do still have a quilt top or two waiting for quilting in my UFO pile.
The inspiration was a new book and a pile of rainbow fabric.
The book is this one by Vanessa Goertzen: Charm School. I bought it on the spur of a moment when ordering this book and this book for my son for his birthday recently. I have a little stash of charm squares that I want to use so this seemed like a place to start. Charm squares are 5″ squares that you can buy precut in many fabric shops. The quilt I’ve chosen to make is called Solar Eclipse in the book but I’m adding a rainbow twist to mine.
In the end, I was keen to use a rainbow that arrived in a QuiltyBox. It was actually a stack of 10″ squares in a design called Sun Print 2017 by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics. The quilt I wanted to make uses 3 sets of charm squares so I cut my 10″ squares down into 5″ squares. I have 3 sets of charm squares to use for this quilt and a spare set for something else. The colours are just gorgeous!
I’m using a plain grey linen look fabric for the background and there will also be some grey, black and white squares in the design. I spent two lovely days cutting fabric and listening to podcasts and now I’ve started on the piecing.
Has it fixed my doldrums? Not quite but I do feel like I’m achieving a little something each day that I sew a few more pieces together.
I like that feeling.
I can’t wait to see how your quilt is going to look finished the colors are so bright and beautiful and makes you feel happy.
I hope you feel better soon. Sunshine and rainbows always help lift my spirits, so hopefully the start of Summer and this rainbow quilt will do the trick for you. Love your work. Thanks for sharing.
Do you have any tips for a 1st time quilter? I am taking my sons old clothes and blankets ect and attempting a t shirt type of quilt or keepsake quilt a friend made one for my older son and it turned out just beautifully so sweet it has all the special little things i kept like his hospital gown from the nicu and some of his onies and blankets ect. Every square brings back a memory of him as a baby. I love your posts I wish I was as creative as you but I will have to stick to just being inspired which works for me. Btw I do have alll my squares cut and ready to go Im just kind of stuck and dont know where to start. Thank you
Dallas C. From addison TX
Your going to love it when it is done. I can’t take pictures to show but I have to tell you I made a rainbow quilt for a friend and it is so exciting with all the colors. It’s a PUFF quilt )) I think that is what it is called. You make pockets then stuff them. I used a flannel backing and the trim was different color prints. My friends daughter is expecting the end of February. She is a soon to be mommy that loves lots of color.