Frolicking Florals

It feels as if my Ikat quilt has a strong start, what with all the organization, prepping and first few blocks sewn. Aria is happy with each new block, thus I am happy too. The quilt feels just right for her!

And yet, it isn’t just right for me. I need something more energetic, more organic and far more colorful to fill my heart at the moment. Shall I start a second quilt? I think I shall! As we lean toward autumn in the northern hemisphere, I’m craving a quilt that’s layered and bohemian and lovely.

This is what I started with:

Glorious, frolicking florals from my multi-color fabric stacks! I see lots by Anna Maria Horner (of course), but lots by other designers too. It’s a flower free-for-all. I’m loving the energy here.

Since I sew for pleasure and for my livelihood, it’s always nice if I can combine the two when creative inspiration strikes. I’ll tell you a secret - - - I’m writing the pattern for my next sew-along right now. It’s a pattern for the Honeycomb Stars quilt I sewed last fall. You’re welcome.

I sewed the Starry Night version of Honeycomb Stars in an elegant palette of grays and blues, with hints of creamy peach at the edges. That initial version is really quite strong, so I do plan to create a quilt kit for those of you who would like to recreate it, color palette and all.

But, but, but.

What would the quilt look like in bohemian florals? In a floral version, I would retain the value blend (with darker colors in the center and lighter at the edges). That gives the quilt shape and movement. Honeycomb Stars recreated in a riot of flowers would feel more playful and cheery and young. I’d like to see that, so here I go!

Here are my floral fabrics, arranged with darker prints in the center and blending toward the lighter prints at both edges. The Honeycomb Stars quilt is an opportunity to work with color blends. I find this kind of palette so satisfying to realize!

Though, at the moment, I’m finding the fabrics themselves immensely satisfying. I so often sew with helpful fabrics, those that have one main color. This quilt will be quite a departure from that. Exciting!

The floral fabrics will be the hexagons in my new Honeycomb Stars quilt. Those hexagons are sewn together with triangles to create stars. (Luckily this is all done with simple seams, no y-seams or partial seams necessary.). I’ve settled on a range of greens for my triangles. I also considered browns, blues and yellow, but the greens feel like a natural choice. It feels like grass or leaves for my flowers.

Here are my fabric friends arranged by value. What a delightful array! I’ve added a few helpful fabric prints to the green stacks destined to become triangles. Mixing up the solids with a print here and there will only add to the sense of layered abundance. Plus, it’s what I do when I don’t have enough of something, haha. This quilt is entirely from my fabric stash. It’s a fun challenge to find a way to make what I already have sing.

The acrylic rulers I’m developing for this pattern have arrived, which makes me terribly tempted to start cutting. Oh! These hexagons are really going to show off the floral prints. But first, practical matters. There is a quilt on my longarm needing my attention. Back soon, I hope!