What Was I Thinking?! Too Many 25 Patch Blocks!

At our recent retreat to Vashon Island last month I worked on 25 patch blocks until I could do it no longer and still manage to maintain a smile on my face. 

In order to break up the '25 patch blues' I decided to make a much needed 'designer' cover for my sewing machine. I have it all 'put together' (see the image above) and I am working on what sort of free motion quilting I want to do on it. The fabrics are all from various Kaffe Fasset fabric lines. Vashon Island boasts the most amazing quilt shop, Island Quilter. They have the largest selection of Kaffe Fasset fabrics that I've ever seen. They specialize in Kaffe. The vibrabt flowers fabric above is actually a home dec fabric. The same pattern was available in a 'regular' quilting cloth but, for some odd reason, the colors in the quilting fabrics were far more subdued than the colors in the home dec line.

Below is the '25 patch blues' project that I am slogging through.

I have been working on this traditional bed quilt pattern (king size) for more years than I care to admit to. It's a Darlene Zimmerman pattern called Amelie's Story, Many Blessings'. I have a yen for making bed quilts in traditional repro fabrics (both CW as well as 30's). I like sleeping under them, but they can be very repetitive to make - some more so than others!
This image is taken from the front of the quilt pattern  booklet and is what the basic idea for this quilt is.  I chose to use a lot of coordinating fabrics from my stash for the blocks instead of more solid looking colors, but I do plan to use a mix of muslin light colors for the sashes and borders.

 I have piles and piles of 25 patch blocks and 2.50 inch, hand cut, strips. What was I thinking?! No wonder this quilt is taking me so darn long to get through. I need 120 of these blocks - or more in case I have placement issues - plus I want to use some for the back as well. All of the prints are from Judy Rothermels's various collections - they're beautiful quality, and scarp quilts make using these half yards feasible...but how tedious are 25 patch blocks anyway ?!! Very tedious indeed!
The question is - will I finish it? I am SO tempted to slice them all up and use them in a contemporary way - something far more abstract. I'm really considering doing that because making these blocks (think of the perfect corners and joins!) is making me crazier than I already am! I think the could easily work these blocks into a quilt  whose message would be that I am combining the old, traditional, with the new, more abstract quilt. Hummmmmm..... thoughts? Ideas? Comments?!

Comments

  1. This is a 10 year old post, what did you end up doing w all those blocks?

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