Since today is Saturday, I’m taking a break from my “work quilts” and using the morning to start a watercolor quilt that is just for fun.  I purchased this quilt kit in August when I went to Keepsake Quilting.  It has a background of 2″ squares that are arranged by value NOT color.  A nativity scene will be fused over the background.  The kit comes with everything to make the quilt top and fusible appliques.  This quilt will hang over my mantle behind my nativity set during the holidays.

This is the kit.  The easiest way to stitch the background squares together is to fuse them to Quilt Grid.  The one I purchased is marked in 2″ squares and I had to send away for it.  Joann’s sells it with 1″ squares which I could also use.  Quilt Grid has a bumpy fusible side and you lay that out on a design board and then put the squares on top of it.  When you are pleased with your arrangement, you fuse the squares to the grid and then you seam them up and down the marked lines.  I don’t have a design board and it’s Saturday morning and I’m in my jammies, so I have no hope of getting one or making one.  I decide to use my large ironing board surface and I’ll fuse half and then the other half because it all doesn’t fit on the board at one time.

This is the Quilt Grid package and it’s pretty nifty stuff.  I’m starting to think I could design a watercolor quilt myself.

The kit comes with 3 piles of 2″ charms.  They are sorted according to value (lights, medium, darks).  I look at the directions again and realize I really need 5 piles.  The chart they give you to use as a placement diagram has the following categories – light, medium light, medium, medium dark, dark.  Value is a bit subjective so I spend some time sorting patches into 5 piles.  The photo shows 6 piles because I was undecided on one group.  Later I got the piles down to 5.   I also have not washed these because I know I’ll never really wash this wall hanging.  I know the quilt police would disagree but I want to start this thing NOW and I don’t feel like hand washing these little pieces and waiting for them to towel dry.

So now the fun begins!  I start placing the squares on the Quilt Grid  according to value and the placement diagram which is labeled L for light, D for dark, M for medium and so on.  I find the right side of my brain has abandoned the process and the left side wants all the fabric pieces to match and be symmetrical.  Uh oh.  I have a little talk with myself about how this is a watercolor quilt that is value based and NOT color based, etc.  I grab more coffee because evidently I need it.

I start playing with the squares and decide I’ll arrange 7 rows which is half of the quilt.  The more I play, the more I’m having fun…ahh, the right side of my brain has returned to the job.  I’d like to do more rows but I’m still in my jammies and I start to feel guilty about that fact.  I double check my work according to the placement diagram and realize that a few of my squares that should have been mediums look too much like medium darks.  I swap those out and deem myself pleased with the arrangement so far.

Next, I fire up the iron and add water to it even though I swore I’d never put water in my iron again due to leakage.  Quilt Grid directions say you must use steam so I put a small amount of water in the iron.  I fuse the squares down and I’m satisfied with today’s progress.

I will be working on this quilt in between my “work quilts” and I hope you’ll continue to follow along with my journey.

Please share your thoughts on watercolor quilts that you have created.

Happy Quilting!

Sandi