Wednesday, February 11, 2009

A series of quilts

My strings and leftover strips are out of control and just before my Go Cutter arrived, I started to contemplate a series of Log Cabin quilts to tame the string bins. It would be so easy for me to just play with the new Cutter and my fabric stash but I like to set goals and stick to them - gives me a feeling of accomplishment.

So I've decided I'll do a series of Log Cabin quilts this year and see if I can make a dent in the strings. I'm going to work with different layouts, color options, and some variations (i.e. Courthouse Steps, Half Log Cabin) . For all of the quilts, I'll use leftovers of various widths so there will be no cutting involved and I'll alternate making these blocks and tops with ones I'll make out using the new cutter.

I've been puttering around the last couple days getting caught up and have managed to make 30 of the 48 blocks I need for the 2nd quilt in my series. I also need to finish those last Kaleidoscope blocks this week.

So do you get bored easily and have to try lots of different patterns or do you enjoy making the same pattern in different variations? I figure if artists and art quilters can work in series; so can I.


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16 comments:

Susan said...

I don't think I get bored easily, just I hit a snag and then...find a different project to work on.
It doesn't bother me to make more than one of a pattern. Have made 6 of the Yellow Brick Road pattern, and just love making strip quilts, which I really learned a lot about from your Heartstrings projects.
Can't wait to see your Log Cabin series! Have enjoyed the ones you have shown till now.

Lori in South Dakota said...

Right now I would like to take my noodles basket and make another "25 in 25". And of course I have my bricks cut for more bricks and stepping stones. I have a high tolerance for boredom in patterns, but not in colors! I love two color, or scrappy quilts, but not the "controlled" type quilts. Especially if their in pink or purple.

Bonnie said...

Yes, I get bored easily and half way through a quilt I am picking out fabric for the next. My focus is hard to come by because I not only want to make every quilt known to man, but I want to knit and do counted cross-stitch and read. Which reminds me, have you seen the new Kindle?

Gari in AL said...

I don't get bored, often, because I usually work on 2-3-4 projects at the same time: I just bounce between projects. And that doesn't include the BOMs and misc. blocks I get to make each month. I do try to plan what I am going to do each day but have no problem changing the plan if I feel like it.

dee said...

I do get bored easily-witness my UFOs-but I find that blocks like log cabin and scrappy styles hold my interest because you can do so much with them. I often resort to them when I'm sick of working on something else, just for a pick-me-up.
Hey! Have you seen the new Kindle?? Super thin, light, and many new options....I'm just saying

Silverthimble said...

I am definitely not the type of quilter who is disciplined to start a project and finish it completely before starting something new! My attention span is short and I get bored easily working on one project consistently. Perhaps that is how I ended up with so many UFOs! I am now trying to tame the UFOs, slowly finishing them off. However, I still get distracted and throw in something new once in a while. It is too bad I guess that the internet is so full of wonderful quilters with such tempting ideas and are such a source of inspiration! LOL

Denise in PA said...

I do get bored easily but will make the same pattern more than once - just not right away. And, I do have lots of projects going at once, that way I can switch off when I get bored (I'm the same way with books). Although I am getting much better at finishing what I start. And I'm really seriously about finishing the projects that have been around - some for more than 10 years. I'm actually making a dent!

zizzybob said...

Yes, yes, yes, I get bored easily. That is most likely why I like string quilts. I can use any and all fabrics. I can't stand a pattern with lots of hst or anything that is constantly repeated.

Quilter Kathy said...

I get bored quickly. That's why I prefer mini quilts because I can play with a design or colours until I'm bored with it and still have a couple of finished quilts.
I think it would be great to make a log cabin series!

Anonymous said...

Gotta love those log cabins! I think I could make just those, but there are so many other patterns calling my name!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Mary. I've been reading your blog lately and enjoy reading about Minneapolis. I grew up in Coon Rapids and worked at a law firm in downtown Minneapolis for many, many years. My husband and I moved away from the Twin Cities in 1998 and we now live in Las Vegas. Back to quilting, I don't get bored with my quilting projects. In fact, I'm making a scrappy log cabin quilt. I made all my 7" blocks -- 196 of them. I had the top sewed together, wasn't totally happy with the arrangement of the blocks, so I "unsewed" all the blocks and started over laying them in the barn raising pattern, which I'm much happier with. I've sewed the blocks into strips again and now need to sew the strips together again. Whew!!!

Anonymous said...

I don't like doing the same quilt blocks over and over but I do like using up strips. Right now trying to use up many 2 1/2 inch ones and am finding all sorts of different blocks I can make.

On blogging, I find that I am EITHER up to date on my blogging, or getting a bunch of quilting done. I can't seem to do both.

kathie L.

Joyce said...

I do get bored but feel I must finish things so I don't have a huge pile of UFOs. That's why I like doing some smaller wall hangings and bags sometimes.

YankeeQuilter said...

The good thing about log cabins is there are do many variations I am not sure I could ever get bored with them...I think there are blocks I like to work with (log cabins, 9-patches...) and then those I may make one and then put aside (bowties...)

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

Over 51 years of quiltmaking I have made the same pattern over again many times. With log cabin it was always trying to do a better fabric selection or try another layout. I have made at least 8 Kaleidoscope quilts and as many bargello. I have made at least 20 Trip around the world, probably more, but in between I'm always trying something new, hopping from project to project with my short attention span.

As far as yesterday's post about reading blogs, I think it is a shame so many people never get to your main blog when they read through Google Reader and only see the current day's post. That way they miss the side bar with Labels where they can see all of the posts about a number of subjects, such as Kaleidoscope or Strips and Curves. They think you have only made one of whatever is on the current day's post.

Elaine Adair said...

WE all LOVE those LGs, so I'm especialy looking forward to seeing what you come up with. AS for me, I have 3 LGs in process! LOL. They keep accumulating, like the strings!

Have fun, and I'll be watching. 8-))