Tilda 9-Patch Flower Patch

Projects beget projects. Two recent finishes from this summer have resulted in a combining of remnants and techniques.

The first finish was making the last of the hexie flowers for the Grandmother's Flower Garden flimsy. I was adding hexies in order to straighten the edges. At that point, I truly thought I was done with hexie flowers. I honestly wanted to be done. I WAS DONE. 

But I kept seeing my quilting buddy Becky making these gorgeous larger hexies, and they were so pretty. Even though I'd firmly decided I was done with hexies, I loved those larger flowers.  My hexies were .75 inch compared to hers which are 1 inch. Ideas were percolating. I didn't want them to amount to anything, but they just kept niggling at me.

Let's move on to the other finish - the Wensleydale blocks. All 60 blocks are finished, and they are put aside until January when I will take them with me to Florida. I've slated Wensleydale for completion as a Snow Bird quilt. But the remaining gorgeous Tilda fabric was just so inviting. Why not use it for something? 

And that is how this new project was born - make a few (just a few!) bigger 1-inch hexies using the leftover Tilda. Gah! What a great look! 

These were so fun to make, I actually made more than I intended. They are addicting! This larger size is wonderful to work with. As I made these, an idea crept up on me. Suddenly I knew 9-patches would be the perfect complementary block to use with these flowers. 

Don't these blocks play off each other perfectly?! I love how these Tilda fabrics look so dreamy in every combination. Fabric this luscious does not require any fancy, involved blocks. The simpler the better works just fine. This will have such a charming, whimsical look.

I am currently appliqueing the hexie flowers onto a neutral background pulled from the stash. Combined with the 9-patches I'll have a pretty Tilda Flower Patch. It will only be a table topper; I don't plan to make a full quilt. That would be way too many hexies, and remember, I was done with those, right? Quick finish - that's what I'm all about with this project.

This mock-up is on the design wall. Only a couple of flowers are actually appliqued to the background fabric. The majority of them are resting on the design wall flannel. But clearly, you get the idea.

Playin' around in the Tilda fabric and the hexies. Feeling creative. Discovering what comes out of all the randomness. I'm definitely heading in a pleasing direction.

Do you ever get bursts of creativity? Or do your unexpected ideas marinate for awhile? I am so glad I allowed myself to go on this tangent. Sticking to a list of goals is great, but exploration has it's place, too. With pretties like this maybe I'll do it more often.

Many quilters, seamstresses, and other needle artists are linking up over at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching. I've not stopped over for a few weeks, but I'm going today. Come on along and let's check out the creative talents on display there.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne