and so it Begins!
As soon as we knew we would really be moving this year, I started brainstorming projects that would be ideal for a time of transition. Of course, English paper piecing (EPP) was the first to come to mind! Since this style of patchwork is 100% hand sewn, it travels well by train, plain or automobile. And I knew just the EPP project for me…
Why, yes, that is an Ice Cream Soda quilt kit! My friend Jodi Godfrey is an EPP fairy godmother. She cuts recycled paper templates at Tales of Cloth, her family business in Australia. Years ago she created the Ice Cream Soda quilt, which was pretty much an instant success. I’ve wanted to make the quilt for sooooo long, but was a little scared to commit. Ok, fully scared.
Friends, I’ve never ever made an all-handsewn English paper pieced quilt. I’ve made a table runner and pillows, but nothing full sized. Last summer’s Kingfisher quilt was a compromise. We combined EPP Hexie flowers with machine appliqué and machine pieced diamonds, to speed up the finishing process. But the Ice Cream Soda quilt is a true EPP quilt: all hand-sewn, all the time.
Time to stop procrastinating and just start it already! It’s ok if this quilt takes years. My plan is to appreciate each block as its own little finish and not even keep track of how many I have to yet to sew.
I’ve selected a mostly analogous color scheme, using purples, blues and teals, plus neutrals. Aren’t these colors serenely gorgeous? I have a feeling the controlled color scheme will help me take deep breaths as I navigate the many ups and downs, set backs and waiting places to come.
