Thursday, December 18, 2008

Another Invisible Quilt

I would really love to show you the quilt I am currently working on, but it can't be seen.
It's another Mystery Quilt (for Quilting By the Bay's retreat at the end of January, in Panama City, FL...you may have seen this shop in the latest Quilt Sampler magazine).

Although I love designing the quilts and writing these classes, it is frustrating to work so hard and so long on something I can't be sharing with you!
But here...take a peek:


I think this is safe...there is no way to guess the block from this shot!

The challenge (for me) in doing a Mystery Quilt class is that I need to make a sample to try out the fabric requirements and construction steps.But I have (almost) never in my life made a quilt exactly the way the original pattern was set out, and I find it totally impossible not to mess with even my own patterns!
That's one reason I am so thankful for my Beta tester supreme, Cherry-Cherry...although she often has the same problem!
However, this does mean that when the class is held, I often have several examples of what can be done with the block/ pattern the students have just learned, and I think that's wonderful. You know, if you have done any mystery quilts, that the biggest concern is not knowing what it will look like. Sometimes the class projects are less than exciting...but it is exciting to see some ideas right away of what can be accomplished with a bit of planning, especially color control!

Right now the Big Thing is those "jellyrolls" of 2.5" strips, and no matter what I teach, that seems to be the first question: can I use a jellyroll for this?
This Mystery Quilt is designed to use ALL 2.5" strips! (OK, not when you get out to the borders...)
I can hardly wait to see what wonderful quilts we'll be making during the Quilter's Paradise retreat . That is the best part of going to class! And at a retreat you get to see a lot of quilts, as there will be several teachers besides all the students. Or is that "retreaters"?

I am sorry this quilt needs to be invisble for awhile longer, but I promise to reveal it ASAP. The retreat version is fairly straight-forward, but I like my own version so much I am going to publish it as a separate pattern!
It's name will be "Roxanne's Honeymoon"...and that, my friends, is a story that will have to wait for another day!

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