New Quilt for 2011

I've started working on a new quilt for 2011... which I actually started in 2010 but I do have a tendency to procrastinate. Since I started the quilt over a year ago, I couldn't remember what I was planning to do so I had to think of a new pattern. When I decided to revisit the quilt over the Easter/ANZAC long weekend, I had 172 four patch blocks measuring approximately 14cm x 14cm... well, on average anyway. I know quilting is all about precision but no matter how careful I am with the cutting and sewing I can never get them all the same. I like to say that I follow the Amish style of quilting with humility corners (making mistakes on purpose as the Amish believe that only G*d can make something perfect). To be honest, the imperfections on my quilts are not deliberate, but life isn't perfect afterall, and it's the imperfections that makes something unique and adds to the charm (so I tell myself!).

I've decided on a variation of the Stacked Coins pattern for Quilt 2011, and I'm drawing on inspiration from a quilt I completed in 2009 (below) which took about a year to complete as I prefer to hand quilt (I like the lumps and bumps that only hand quilting can achieve). I'm now deciding what colour fabric to choose for the main background and I'm thinking green. Here is what I've completed to date.

I see life and living as a patchwork quilt - it's filled with an array of colours, some of them bright and beautiful, others more muted and somber. When sewn together, our eyes are naturally drawn to the more vibrant pieces, but it is the duller patches that enhance the beauty of the brighter pieces. Some blocks are a challenge to sew - do you unstitch the pieces and start again, leaving marks etched on the fabric; do you stretch or cut the pieces to try to make it fit but end up distorting the block; or do you discard it and start afresh? The answer depends on the situation at hand, but whatever action you decide to take, it is something you have to live with.