A Tale Of Two Roses

Have you ever designed a quilt that just took on a life of it's own? I have.

I designed Rose Cherry & Lily to be such a sweet and simple quilt, but look at it now:

Rose, Cherry & Lily

the quilt that took on its own personality

Rose, Cherry & Lily will be released as a complete pattern in my online shop (when I get around to it later this month). Due to the method of construction, it's not suitable for a BOM format at all and is going straight to pattern. It's an advanced applique quilt.

 

When I launched Love Entwined 1790 Marriage Coverlet (an advanced applique quilt), I decided that I should launch a beginners applique quilt at the same time. I have a lot of quilt patterns which I'm working on freeing from my journals and pattern books, so it felt like the perfect time to release two quilts at the same time and create something which all members in my Yahoo Group could work on.

I think it was a great idea. What I didn't know however, was what a big deal Love Entwined would be, how quickly my Yahoo Group would grow and how it was suddenly impossible to launch two quilts at the same time!

 

Love Entwined demanded all my attention. I didn't want anything to distract me from my new interest; the 1790 marriage coverlet and decided to put off releasing the second quilt. Then changes started happening, I couldn't stop tinkering with the design. This second beginners quilt was called 'Rose, Cherry & Lily' and it took on a romantic flair all its own and whilst I love it, it's simply not a beginners applique quilt anymore, so I definitely couldn't release it as the 'beginners' alternative.

 

Looking at it now, it seems hard to believe that it started out as such a simple quilt and then grew into another heirloom...but there you are, that's the influence of the marriage coverlet!

 

 

Luckily, the same week I realised that Rose, Cherry & Lily would not be released, I visited the V&A exhibition in Brisbane. The 1790 era quilts inspired me to go and make another applique quilt for beginners. I already had the centre vase pattern in my folio, what I needed was inspiration for the borders. And I found inspiration aplenty at the V&A! I loved, simply loved the patchwork borders which appeared again and again throughout various quilts of the period. What a brilliant idea. I didn't think I'd ever create an antique looking patchwork quilt, but I have! And I'm delighted with it.

 

Lily Rose

Applique & Pieced Wall Hanging

 

It's a simple and intermediate applique (a  perfect beginners applique quilt) with plenty of simple piecing and an oh so satisfying wall hanging size. It's a three month project and it is offered for free to members of my Yahoo BOM Group.

 

I will be releasing it this month as a BOM in 3 parts and it will be done by December which feels like such a nice project to fit in before the end of the year. I'm so pleased to be sharing it with you. Of course, I'm torn over which colour scheme to go with (sounds familiar?) so I've put up my two favourites here. Everyone seems to love the red one above whilst I am keen on the turquoise one below. Well, I love them both anyhow!

 

Let me know what you think...