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I decided to go with straight lines – close in the sashing as I’d thought the other day, and in a sort checkerboard vertical-and-horizontal pattern in the blocks, as suggested by a friend. It was a very clever suggestion of hers, because the block layout is basically checkerboarded already. It should work very well. I haven’t decided how closely the blocks will be quilted, but I do prefer the feel of dense quilting over a looser, fluffy quilt.

I did consider free motion quilting and even did some practice, until I decided two things. 1.) I don’t actually like that all-over squiggling type of pattern, I’m not sure if that has a name. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying all those beautiful quilts with that sort of quilting aren’t amazing. I just don’t think it suits me that well. Maybe I’ll change if I get better at it, but I love other patterns like pebble quilting and feathers, so maybe it’s just not for me.

I did practice it anyway though, figuring it was as good as anything to get the feel of the free motion, and it’s … not the worst ever. Better than the first time I tried, that’s for sure. But that’s when I decided 2.) I’m just not ready to free motion a whole quilt yet, not one I’m afraid to mess up. Exhibit A:

What am I doing wrong that causes those spiky curves on the back? I first assumed it was tension, but a fiddle with the dial made no change, good or bad. Am I simply going too fast, do I just need to slow down and take the curves more steadily? I fully expect to have to practice this a lot to be any good at it, but learning new skills can be very frustrating when you don’t even know what to work on! I’ve got some dog blankets planned so that I can practice on something I’m not as attached to.

In the meantime, I’m SO very pleased with how my Mod Sampler is coming along. My gut said to go straight anyway, so there you go. I hope to have some time to continue over the weekend. (Though the development of a new knitting design may prohibit that, it depends how much progress I make on that today!) Photos when I’ve finished the quilting, of course!

Huzzah! The front and back of my Mod Sampler quilt are finished! I managed to get some photos over the weekend, right before a terrific rainstorm swooped down on us, as you might have guessed from the evil look in the sky.

They are also now basted into a lovely squishy quilt sandwich, all ready to be quilted. Whoop! Except that I have no idea how. Hmm. One of my commenters asked about this when I first showed the finished top a little while ago, and I hadn’t thought about it yet. Now I have, a lot, and I still have no ideas. See, here’s the thing: I’m actually maybe more fond of straight line quilting, it looks so crisp and tidy and, if used nicely, really makes the quilt’s design pop. So I’m tempted to go with a straight line design of some sort. I like the idea of four-ish very close quilting lines in the sashing, making a kind of grid. But if I did that, I have no ideas for what to do within the blocks, but they’re large and need quilting in there somehow. Maybe close concentric squares in some way? That sounds like it’d look nice but kind of be a pain to do on a home machine, am I wrong? If I did that, are there any experienced quilters out there who can help with a plan of attack? Should I start with the center squares, then the sashing, or the reverse, or neither? Any tips would help!

On the other hand, I do also like free motion quilting and I suspect I’m shying away from it just because I’m not very good at it and I don’t want to mess up my pretty quilt. But I’ll never get better at it if I don’t ever do it, right? I’ve spent a lot of time browsing Flickr for quilting inspiration and I’m a little bit obsessed with quilting like was done on this quilt by Blooming Poppies – very close straight lines, but not ruler-straight. Beautiful. But I think its suits her amazing modern quilt design, not my girly-pretty Mod Sampler. So I go back to the grid-in-the-sashing idea, but still have no good ideas for the blocks. Arg! I have the day off tomorrow on account of how it’s my birthday (!), so I really want to spend a quiet day with my quilt and some wonderful music.

Any ideas or suggestions? Help me, internets, you’re my only hope!

I think it may have started with my hexagon pouch — which I never showed you, did I? Sorry about that, I totally forgot! Here you go:

Perfect for my embroidery tools! Anyway, I think that project started a little bit of a craze – in my head – for English paper piecing, which has now sort of taken over everything. I really enjoyed making that pouch, piecing it tiny bit by bit, and finally admitted that what I really want to make is a traditional, 30s-inspired, Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt. I have a weird obsession with those 30s reproduction fabrics, and have been quietly hoarding them for several years now. Bits and pieces, sale buys, a jelly roll, etc. I think I always knew I wanted to do a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt, but I kind of know it’s insane. I mean, I actually prefer a long-term project over quick-fix projects – or at least like to have a balance – because I love the slowness of a long haul project. I mean, it’s nice to know that you really put your heart and soul into a thing, to watch it grow tiny bit by bit. It’s very satisfying.

But this is extreme, even for me. I realize that this will take many years. That I look at it now, brimming with enthusiasm, but will probably hate the sight of it after a while. It’ll probably go away from time to time, when I need a break. But I want it. What’s the point of making something faster if it’s not the thing you really wanted? I’m using my hoarded reproduction fabrics and will keep an eye out for any on sale as I go, and I’ve already finished one flower!

Yes, one out of a millionty, but it’s a start. (Sorry for the not-awesome photo there, I didn’t realize it until just now.) I even made a Pinterest board of vintage GFG quilts for inspiration as I go. Aren’t they stunning?

Then my mother asked for some decorative pillow covers for her bedroom, to add a little color to the room, for Mother’s Day (we still celebrate the US version, coming up next weekend. I’m not sure why, now that I think about it). Of course I thought of a paper pieced design, because why would I do something simple when I could make it ten times slower? She helped me pick the fabric to make sure it matches just right – a gorgeous Kona fat quarter pack from The Village Haberdashery – and she wants something of a traditional design. I teamed the solids with a piece of Tula Pink Plume from my stash and I’m going for a Lone Star-ish design, in part inspired by this amazing quilt by Fancy Tiger Crafts. I’m so in awe of that quilt. Mine won’t be a star shape, I’ll continue the diamonds solidly then square it up, if that makes sense. I’m not sure if there’s a name for that or if it’s still a Lone Star design. In any case, I’ve got a little start:

and just over a week to go. Oy. There may also be something going on with some extremely tiny hexagons and two crazy people, but that’s a story for another day!

* No, that’s not a typo. Paulie Walnuts fans will understand. Everybody else, just pretend it says ‘mayhem’.