uh oh! Susanquilt '07 Report #1: finally finished cutting fabric!!

Well I know I mentioned posting quilt-related pix in a purposely sneaky multi-click-away way so Jessica would be able to resist temptation to look at the progress and thereby be surprised but I'm --ahem-- running just a tad late on this project so I decided that it is just as well to go ahead and show all the quilt stuff to everyone. I still think I'll be done in 2-3 weeks but since this was partly to be for Jessica's bday (this next Saturday) I think it will be fun for her to get an early glimpse since quilt ETA in Virginny is liable to be around the time of Bastille Day.

So, without further ado, here are some pix of the fabric for Jess & Harland's quilt. As per usual please be kind re: limitations of both my camera and my digital photography expertise... merci...

Array of fabrics, 5 in all. This is without the flash so less clear but you get a better idea of the true colors this way, altho they're still a bit morphed by my scary bedroom light. I wish I could take credit for this fabric family but in fact Hobby Lobby was selling them this way altho I did make the personal selection of these 5 out of 7 or 8 total. As you'll see below, there is a main design around which several more specific patterns play.

Here is the main landscape pattern. This time with the flash so don't forget the colors are truer in the first pic. This gives a good idea of all the stuff going on tho.

Again this is with flash so the color is quite off, but I wanted you to see the detail of the fun stripes. Note the gold, which figures in each fabric. It is the hardest thing to see in these shots but is one of the things that ties the fabrics together and is truly truly cool. In case you still can't tell, it's true metallic gold, like someone having drawn all over outlining the figures with a gold metallic pen. (Very glad I've got a fair amount extra of all the fabrics but one so I can continue to input them in various pieces for ages to come!)

Another detail, this time the mini orange flower design. Again note the fun gold.

This is a really good shot to see the green design clearly but in your head you'll have to overlay the color as you saw it in the array in the first pic. There's gold on this one, too, as with all the others, and I think this might be my favorite use of it.

This one is without flash but you can still see the gold to a certain extent. Do you see the little things that seem to be jumping around in between the birds and the bluish stick/hay/hashmark thingies? They seem to be some kind of critter (best guess: frogs?) but even in person I cannot make them out. They might be just leaves or flowers but I guess we'll have to wait til the quilt goes to J&H's and see if they can figure it out.

If you notice an Asian theme, besides the fact that I used to live in Japan and so any tastefully-done Asian perspective on stuff appeals to me, you should know that I was especially delighted to find these fabrics for J&H since Harland's family is Chinese and since Jess and he used to live in Korea. The fact that it could also be categorized as having Aub*rn colors was quite accidental altho that means something to Jessica as well, even if she & I sometimes regard that angle a bit, um, grudgingly. :)

I REALLY want to give you all a link to go look at the quilt pattern I've chosen but I don't want to give it away til it starts coming together. Even tho it was Hobby Lobby's idea to feature these fabrics as a family, I take full and ample credit for finding an exceedingly cool quilt pattern quite on my own and envisioning the possibilities with this fabric set. I am pretty dang happy with the way I'm using them. If this turns out 1/2 as fun as I think, it will be stupendous.

So I think piecing will have to begin Tuesday since I'm about to poop out and tomorrow is relatively full of tutoring and then pottery (am I Creativity Incarnate or what?!) I did go ahead and get out the sewing machine this afternoon (freshly cleaned and lubed at Opelika Sewing Center) as well as my new quilting feet (crazy!) so we're all set to go. Please stay tuned for further progress reports.

Few quilt reports would be complete without a shot of the backup team!

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