Back to the Blue!!!

I've  really been down for the count this past week, sick with a sinus infection and bronchitis -yuk!!!  Hopefully this will be my "obligatory" sick session for the winter and I'll have great health for the rest of it :*)  Once I started feeling better today and was able to sit up for a while, I got out this hand-applique project to see what I could work on while just sitting...

The Blue Collection
Design & Quilt by Maggie Walker

This poor project has been sitting ignored for WAY too long!

The Bad News -----

I was pretty shocked to realize the last time I touched  Blue Collection was in March!!!  

Wow!  Really???

The Good News ----
Almost all of the blocks are done for this quilt - whoohoo!!!!  Last week I finished up the next-to-last standard block before beginning to put the center of the top together - this is the tall vase standing on the left-hand side of the quilt ....

I left the top un-sewn to allow for those wonderful vines that will flow from it....

I still have one more block, as well as quite a bit of tracing and template prep for the outer border features, so sitting in my chair while tracing off those pieces was not too taxing at all :*)  My last true block will be very intricate - I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping it won't be too difficult....

The center block that holds the tree that moves through the center of the quilt

Here's how it looks in Maggie's wonderful quilt....

Of course, you know I'm prone to make things hard on myself, right?  I'm using a border print for this pot, which will just add to the challenge!  

Where you could usually use one fabric for the bowl itself, I will need to cut individual pieces and fit them carefully together to get the right angles with this print.  And I don't have a large piece of it either, but I really think it will be worth the effort!

Something you might not realize either is that the tree - that's 3D!!!  Yes, it's is 3 fabric ropes braided together and appliqued down.  Now that I think about it, is it really any wonder I've been dragging my needle on this one???

I also have to make some upgrades to a few blocks before I put them all together.  I started this quilt before I really learned how to do applique well, so some of the blocks are roughly done :(  For instance, see these pathetic attempts at koi below? ...... aren't koi supposed to be beautiful, elegant fish???

Ugh!!!  Nothing graceful about these poor things!!!  I found a print of some koi that I will use to make a new template - hopefully these elegant fish will look much better when I'm done :*)

It's not 2014 yet, but my mind has already started thinking along the lines of finishing up some UFO's which is my plan for the year.  I didn't touch anything at all on my December To Do list, but when you're sick, you have to do what you can do, right?  Hope you all have had a much better week than I did LOL!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

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