This quilt started out as a learning exercise. I had heard about Foundation
Piecing, in which you sew directly onto a foundation following a printed
pattern either of paper (in which case you rip off the paper after sewing)
or of a light-weight cloth (in which case it stays behind the piecing, on
top of the batting and adds slightly to the thickness being quilted.)I looked at the available Foundation patterns and chose one of the hardest patterns to piece in the usual way, 'Mariner's Compass'.
I made one out of the first scraps I had to hand that looked nice together, golds, greens and a pale aqua print.
I worked out so well, I made a few more. Mom said since I'd already put
in so much time on them, I ought to do enough to make a little wall hanging.
Nine of them looked good, but not directly touching and I had no more of
the starry green and yellow fabric, so I found a compatible green and metallic
gold print and put it around them. At this point, it looked like it needed
some gold to pull in the color from the stars. After I added a border
of gold print separated by the few tiny bits remaining of the green and gold
star print I thought it was too big for a wall hanging, but too small for
a bed. So I found another green that worked with them, and added that. It
was still an awkward size. Another border of orange pieced by green made
it to a size that would work on a king-size bed.
Of course, the colors were all wrong for the only room that had a king-size
bed in our house.
The quilting frame sat in the living room for so long it began to seem part
of the furniture, being disassembled and hidden during holidays and then
returned afterward.