Parade Ready

I finished Dulcinea.  

Once I had all those pinwheels spinning in the center of my quilt, I had no choice but to surround those blocks with geese, to keep them spinning.  My first inclination was to make the center geese units using  medium toned pieces and the sky unit using dark toned pieces.  Then I remembered my Toulouse quilt, and how the geese in that project were totally scrappy and how I loved that about that quilt, so that's what I did for Dulcinea.  I figure it's OK to steal the border from one pattern to add to another, since both patterns are by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 106 - Dulcinea.

The pattern is Dulcinea by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

The fabric is American Banner Rose and Prairie Paisley II by Minick & Simpson for Moda.

It finished at 49" x 49"

It has approximately 598 pieces.

Thanks for all the great comments regarding those sticks on the pinwheel blocks.  The secondary pattern was pure luck, but I liked how it turned out.  The strips for the sticks were cut 3/4" wide, to finish at 1/4".   My first attempt had them finishing at 1/2", but that was too wide.

So the parade is Monday, and this is one speedy pattern, you still have plenty of time to piece yours.

Thanks Sinta and Sherri for hosting this sew-along, I can hardly wait to see all the other Dulcinea quilts and what's up next!

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Time's a wastin

As much as I would like to keep Coastal Lily on my design wall, forever, there's a Schnibbles calling my name and time's a wasting.  The June Schnibbles for Sherri and Sinta's sew-along is Dulcinea, and I've had this pattern on my To Do list for ages, I'm not going to miss out on being in the parade, especially a parade full of Dulcineas.

As a kid, I loved those cheap plastic pinwheels you would pick up at fairs or birthday parties.  I liked to put them on my bike and watch them spin as I rode, I also liked to swing my arms around as fast as I could to make them really spin.  I was pretty hard on my pinwheels, they usually only lasted a day.  So when I saw the pinwheel blocks in this pattern I immediately thought, "those pinwheels need sticks", just like the pinwheels I had as kid.  So I decided to add them.

I also thought the top would look like it had more movement if the pinwheels were going all different directions.

I'm using some Minick and Simpson fabric for my Dulcinea, American Banner Rose and Prairie Paisley II.

My favorite part of this pattern, you make the pinwheel blocks larger then square them up, they come out perfect every time.

The center is all done, and it only took one afternoon.

See that little green dot in the pinwheel block in the upper left hand corner?  That's a pin I use to mark the top of the quilt, like it would even matter with this pattern, but once I decide which side is the top of a quilt, I make sure it stays the top until I'm done.  And a lot of time, once the quilt is quilted and that pin is long gone, I can still pick out the top and hang the quilt or put the quilt on the bed with the top up!  I'm just funny that way.

All that's left is the border, I think it's looking good for me and that parade.

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