Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Retreat #1.....planning ahead

With retirement in the near future, I have planned for myself three quilt retreats......so far. 
The first one will be in April.  Second one in May.  Third one in June. 
Wow...I have never done that before! 

So, I thought I had better get busy and start planning some of my projects.  


I want to do this diamond quilt called Diamond Detour.  

I have been collecting fabrics slowly for the last year. 


I need 13 pieces or fat quarters.  I have 14, so one of them will have to be eliminated.  Which one would you eliminate?  I am thinking that maybe my big check might not work depending on how big the pieces are or maybe the fifth fabric from the left as it has a little bit more of a "dirty" look to it.  

Earlier this Fall I stopped in at a new to me contemporary quilt shop and found the big dots with the yellow background and thought it would make a great backing.  I NEVER buy yardage unless I have something in mind and I didn't have the pattern with me, but I normally would have bought 3 yards.  Well, this project requires 4 yards.  How lucky am I?.....I bought 4 yards.  yeah!!!

Anyways....back to my planning projects.  My whole point in pulling things out was to make a list of what I still need.  I need a background for this quilt.  

Do I do white? light gray? dark gray? light gold? or a darker gold?

Any ideas?

I probably will have to take some snippets to the store and interview them.  I had a gray with tiny white dots in my stash and  I thought how great would that be to be able to use from my stash, but it has more of a "dirty" gray look, so  that is not going to work.  

Oh well, 3 yards background goes on the shopping list. 

There are always other things to work on at retreats that I have going.....those are called long term projects, but it is always nice to make something new and something that you can actually complete at retreat.  

Stay tuned for the next project for retreat #2. I already have something in mind.  



7 comments:

  1. Lucky you ~ 3 retreats! Beautiful pattern and lovely fabrics...I follow your posting but I don't think I have left a comment before. But because you have asked for feedback about your fabrics...I enlarged the photo & did the 'squint test' I agree that maybe the checked fabric might not work, but also the yellow (3rd from the right) reads to me as a solid yellow and yet your other yellows had larger patterns. For your background a rich charcoal grey I think would make your colours pop. But then again that is only my opinion, and if it was me choosing for myself I would still be trying to make up my mind, it always seems easier to make decisions with other people's fabrics!

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  2. Yay for retirement! Yay for retreat! (Can I play, too? :) )

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  3. Wow! Lucky you is right! You will have a blast! I am REALLY interested in this quilt. I too bought a stack of yellow and grey prints to make a quilt for my GD graduation gift. I haven't settled on a pattern yet...or a background colour! I will be looking over your shoulder on this one! I love the idea of a grey/white little polka dot...but it all comes down to the 'right' grey and the 'right' white! Muddy won't do...Good luck in finding your fabric. Looks like I better start looking!
    P

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  4. Wow! Lucky you is right! You will have a blast! I am REALLY interested in this quilt. I too bought a stack of yellow and grey prints to make a quilt for my GD graduation gift. I haven't settled on a pattern yet...or a background colour! I will be looking over your shoulder on this one! I love the idea of a grey/white little polka dot...but it all comes down to the 'right' grey and the 'right' white! Muddy won't do...Good luck in finding your fabric. Looks like I better start looking!
    P

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  5. 3 retreats!!! Good for you - well deserved! Actually I like your fifth fabric from the left. Large checks can sometimes present challenges - they can work well or come back to take over. You are right, so much depends on the size you will be cutting. White background would offer a really crisp look but with the right shade of dark gray that could be really dramatic. Not much help am?
    :-)

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  6. I like your upcoming retreat schedule! ;)
    I've admired that diamond pattern - your fabric selection is wonderful for it.
    Gray is a tough one to match, it varies so much by collection from warm to cool.
    Have you considered an "off" white to compliment the gray & yellow prints?
    One with cooler/blue tones rather than warmer yellow ones.
    I'm sure what ever you find while shopping will be a perfect fabric for your background!

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  7. I think you chose the right one to get rid of - the large checks. Those fabrics are so cool. Gonna be a lovely quilt.

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