Done to the 'Top' Stage!

Tracy here!
I really do love piecing! From the cutting of the fabric into little bits, to sewing and matching seams, to watching pieces grow into blocks and blocks grow into a quilt. Each stage holds a delightful surprise at the end. And no-risk creativity is involved to a great extent with a scrappy quilt - how it goes together is all good.
This has been a challenging year for my family. I would call it "Annus Horribilus" like Queen Elizabeth did one year, if I only knew how to spell it! But God is good and he has surrounded me with great friends and a hobby to turn to when I had time and energy. So getting this top finished was a cause for celebration for me and I was overjoyed to share my creation with my quilting friends.
It was a beautiful sunny day and they suggested that we display the quilt outside. It took Gaye to help get the lighting right, Kim's inspiration to let it wave in the breeze and Pam's patience in waiting for the breeze to take the picture!

Now I get to enjoy the process of planning the border. I had something fancy-dancy in mind as I like piecing and I didn't want to rush past planning the border just to get it done either.  Now that I see it all put together I have something much simpler in mind - you will have to wait and see!
We are linking to Needle and Thread Thursday!

Dresden in Progress

Tracy here! A while ago I posted a tutorial on Perfect Circle Applique and it is time to give you the Big Picture of my project. In June a local quilting shop announced a Dresden Plate challenge and the QT's responded with enthusiasm. I thought I might make a small project but once I got going I got the Dresden Plate bug and wanted to make a quilt - a large quilt. I decided to alternate a Dresden Plate block with an Irish Chain block for a light airy look and got started on the Dresden's first. Here is a look at 2 of 18 completed Dresden Plate blocks - they are all hand-appliqued with silk thread and I learned a lot by doing them.

The next thing to do was to design the Irish Chain block - with a clear picture in my mind but a weakness in the drafting department the QT's helped me with my dimensions. I completed a test block and loved how it will set the Dresden Plates 'on point'.

But the large size of the center block didn't give me the delicate look I wanted so I did a test with a nice-patch as the center block and loved the results. Check it out! What do you think?

I made 18 of the cute little 9 patches and next step was to cut 216 - 2 1/2" blocks for the chains. To ensure a balanced but scrappy effect I made 18 piles of 12 - 2 1/2" squares and distributed my colours somewhat evenly. The first fabric 'layer' in each stack might have all the same yellow fabric but the next layer might have 3 different shades of green.

Now I am busy with my piecing assembly line. It is a lot of cutting and piecing but I really enjoy this part and am having a ball.

I'm linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday!
Needle and Thread Thursday.