Kaleidoscope Recovery!

I can't believe I have a finished kaleidoscope flimsy quilt top to show!

Have you ever started a project and something went wrong and you couldn't fix it?  That's what happened to me when I joined the Kaleidoscope QAL back in May 2011.

The blocks didn't come together as expected, they weren't square and I had baggy bits in the middle.  I was really disappointed, it was my first experience of an online QAL, I didn't have the knowledge or experience to put it right and I also didn't have an 'in the flesh' quilter to come and look at it and offer advice, so it all got packed up, put in a drawer and pushed to the back of my mind.

Then I decided that after 2 years perhaps I should include it as one of my Finish-along goals for the quarter and at least try to resurrect a block or two.  Having looked back over everything there seems to be a catalogue of issues;

• my templates printed slightly to the wrong size
• my then very novice cutting skills compounded the problem
• my then very novice piecing skills meant that my 1/4 inch seams we're off.

So I reprinted the templates, tried to salvage as much as I could from the already incorrectly cut pieces and made sure I was sewing more accurately this time!  And voila, kaleidoscope blocks started to appear!

Don't look too closely, it's still not perfect and some of the points are off but I'm so relieved to have conquered this one and saved the coveted Denyse Schmidt Picnic Fairgrounds fabrics from the back of the drawer!  I was only able to salvage enough for 20 blocks which doesn't make for a very big quilt so now I'm thinking that maybe I could sash it in white and then add a further border of scrappiness from all the bits I have left...  I went online but couldn't find this line available anywhere so buying more is out of the question.

 

With hubby's Jack Attack quilt to finish I'm not sure I'll be able to afford to buy any wadding and backing for this quilt just yet, so I have time to ponder on it some more.

 

Linking up to Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Crazy Mom Quilts,

Anything Goes at Stitch by Stitch.

 

And for the Lets Get Acquainted Link Up this week we have to answer where our favourite holiday destination is; well 10 years ago I was honeymooning in The Maldives and it is the most beautiful, idyllic, peaceful place I've ever been.  We had an amazing bunglaow on stilts in the water and would open the doors to the sea every morning.  We snorkelled with baby sharks, turtles and lion fish and I ate lobster for the first time!  One day I hope to return there, hopefully the sea level won't rise too much as it promises to claim those beautiful islands forever...