I designed the center panel as I have designed much of my recent work.  I drew one-quarter of the design to scale, then flipped it and rotated it to complete the entire design.  But I worked in sections, just as I have been describing them to you.  (To see the previous 6 sections, visit the category Current Quilt Project.)  I traced a section at a time onto the background fabric; fabric selections were made for each section once the previous section was appliquéd.  So, while I had a pretty good idea of what it was going to look like, I hadn’t seen the entire center panel until sections 7 and 8 were stitched. 

Section 7 Left Side

Section 7 Right Side

Sections 7 and 8 are quite similar.  One runs horizontally across the top and bottom edge of the center panel; the other runs vertically down each side.  Once again, each section has a left and right side, meeting in the center and joining up with sections 2 and 3.  Section 8 also joins with section 6.

Section 8 Left Side

Section 8 Right Side

There are quite a number of patches in these last two sections:  26 in section 7 and 28 in section 8.  With these sections repeating four times, a total of 216 patches were added to the appliqué.  This brings the final tally to 182 individual patches and 665 total patches in the entire center panel.  It’s a good thing I didn’t count them before I started!

So, what comes next?  Borders.  The first border will be a frame for the center panel.  I’ve done a small mock-up but I haven’t tried it on full size.  This is because I am waiting until the appliqué on the second border is completed and I can view everything together.  Stay tuned!

Section 6 Left Side

Section 6 Right Side

So here we have section 6 of the center panel.  To see the first five sections, visit the category Current Quilt Project.  Section 6 is a connector:  it picks up where section 5 leaves off and joins up with section 8.  Like sections 4 and 5, section 6 is not symmetrical but has a left and right side to keep the design in balance.

This section has 16 individual patches, which repeat twice on the left and twice on the right, for a total of 64 patches.  This brings the total number of patches in the first six sections to 449!

I had a bit of a tricky time with the three pinkish patches coming out from the top swirl.  Which one should go under and which one over?  I think I ended up with partial seams on all three.  That is to say, part of each patch is under and part of each patch is over its neighbor.  It’s hard to explain, but perhaps I’ll try in a future post.  This is a very useful appliqué technique and one I’ve employed quite often in this quilt.

Section 4 Left Side

Section 4 Right Side

Since finishing the center panel of my current quilt project, I have become consumed with designing the borders.  I have thought of little else over the past two weeks and have lost a lot of sleep (see last week’s post)!  Part of the issue has been the challenge of making sure that the border designs work well with the center panel, in addition to looking nice on their own.  Not to mention that I have nothing to sew until I figure it all out!

One piece of the puzzle has been choosing a background fabric for the border.  Four stores and one failed attempt later, I think I’ve finally found it.  Of course I had to bring the completed center panel with me shopping, and I enjoyed watching the reactions of those in each store who saw it.  Making quilts certainly gives me pleasure, but to see my work give pleasure to someone else is incredible.

Section 5 Left Side

Section 5 Right Side

You, however, will have to settle for just seeing sections 4 and 5 at the moment.  The first three sections have been pictured in previous posts and you can see them by looking at the Current Quilt Project category.  Unlike the first three, sections 4 and 5 are not symmetrical but they each have a left and right side to bring the design back into balance.

Section 4 frames each side of section 2.  In fact, the left and right units touch the top and bottom of section 2 making it look like one group.  There are 18 patches in each section, with two lefts and two rights bringing the total to 72.

Section 5 starts out alongside section 3 but then branches out.  It eventually connects to section 6, so it doesn’t look completed on its own.  This section contains 28 individual patches, again multiplied by two lefts and two rights for a total of 112.  Altogether, these first five sections contain 385 patches.

Sections 4 and 5 do something else interesting:  they frame section 1.  The green leaves meet just beyond the corners of the mitered square and this happy circumstance – planned, of course – is one of my favorite parts of the design.  I just didn’t know nice it was going to look until I saw it in fabric!

Sections 4 & 5 Framing Section 1

Section 3

Section 2

My current quilt project has a center panel that is approximately three feet wide by four feet long.  This rectangular background is covered with appliqué, swirling vines and leaves and curly-cues.  To help me keep track of it all, I divided the center panel into sections.  This enabled me to work on one or two sections at a time:  choosing the fabrics, tracing the design lines, cutting out the patches, and stitching the appliqué.  Section 1 was pictured in the post Introducing my Current Quilt Project.

Sections 2 and 3 are similar to each other; in fact, section 2 is a subset of section 3.  There are two of each section, with section 2 running horizontally and section 3 running vertically.  These two sections form the spines of the design – symmetrical anchors to counter-balance the movement of the whirling vines.

Now for some stats.  There are 35 individual patches in section 3, 19 of which also appear in section 2.  Some patches – 13 of them – have a left and right, so they repeat 4 times.  The remaining patches repeat 2 times, for a total of 44 patches in section 2 and 96 patches in section 3.  I incorrectly stated in the earlier post that section 1 contained 13 individual patches.  I had, in fact, counted the dark green patch at the bottom of sections 2 and 3.  Adding in the 61 total patches from section 1, these first three sections contain 201 appliquéd patches.  As for fabric, section 2 introduced 11 new fabrics and section 3 added two more, bringing the tally to 21 different fabrics used.

Sections 1, 2 and 3 were completed by August 2009 – approximately two months time.  I get a lot of handwork done in the summer while I am at the cottage!  But I’m getting better at keeping up a good pace at home too, especially since I invested in a floor-standing Ott Light.  I find that having this good light over my easy chair in the family room means that I can stitch at any time of the day or evening.  Next week, I’ll share the method I use to prepare my fabric patches for needle-turn appliqué.

Theme

I had already made two quilts based on Scripture:  The Lord is my Shepherd from the 23rd Psalm and Instruments of Praise based on Psalm 150.  I hadn’t even been thinking of any other passages that would translate into a quilt.  But on that Friday morning, it came to me:  John 15.  “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.”  Vines and branches and fruit?  Oh yes, I could see it.  And so the journey began.

Color Scheme

My idea for the color scheme was sage green, gold and salmon – analogous, I suppose.  Next week, I’ll write a bit more about the tried-and-tested method of using a focus fabric for choosing fabrics for a quilt.  But since I didn’t have such a fabric in this case – the colors existed only in my imagination – my first task was to find one that matched my vision.  Here it is, believe it or not!  This fabric has no business being in the quilt, but the colors spoke to me.

Quilt Layout

I’m not going to show you the overall layout for this quilt.  I have to leave something as a surprise to keep you reading!  All I will tell you is that it has a rectangular center panel and multiple borders.  Over time, I will show you individual sections as I’m working on them so you can watch the quilt evolve.

Center Panel Section 1

So here’s the first section I’m going to show you.  It measures a little over 12″ square and really sets the tone for the color scheme.  There are thirteen different patches in this section and nine fabrics.  It is needle-turn appliquéd by hand, although I pieced the three fabrics in the outer frame and mitered them by machine before hand stitching them in place.