Working on Mosaic Quilt

I have really been intrigued with mosaic tiles as inspiration for quilts.  There are several great books out there that develop this theme in amazing designs.  I found an old book on antique Roman-influenced mosaics and wanted to play with several ideas.  I have discussed this before in my blog and shown a few designs I came up with.

My interpretation of this mosaic as interpreted in EQ7 is starting to come together.

These are the sashing blocks that run diagonally across the quilt.  I am using the Stonehenge fabric by Northcott to make the blocks.  They really look like stone.

These are the primary blocks that are in the middle of the quilt.  I left out the bust of Appolausis and replaced her with more primary blocks.

Then I made a few blocks to connect the sashings and border the sashings on the outside edges.

Here is a section of the quilt on the design wall with one primary block, 4 sashing blocks and four connector blocks.  It is starting to come together.

I got the top put together at retreat this past weekend.

This shows the first two borders added and the braided border applied to one side.    I put on another braided border last night and when I have the rest of the borders done I will post another picture.

While on retreat, I also put together a BOB -- Bag of Blocks.  This is a swap I invented after accumulating many many bags of blocks from swaps I had participated in.  Several of us in similar situations (many bags of blocks with out ideas about how to set them) do a BOB swap.  We exchange bags of Blocks (BOBs) and devise a setting and put the top together.  We send it back to the original block owners and they have to quilt and finish it.

I received a set of 12 black and white sampler blocks.  I wanted to add some color, and here is what the finished top looks like.

What do you think?  Several girls at the retreat thought I should pattern it.  Do you think anyone would buy the pattern?  NOTE:  I didn't design the blocks.  I only designed the setting.  If I brought it out as a pattern should I include the pattern for the blocks or as a setting for any set of 12 blocks?  Need some input on this.
Thanks. . . you always give me great advice.

Finished Nina’s BOB

Tonight I finished the blanket stitching around the border of Nina’s BOB – that is “Bag O Blocks.” I came up with the idea of swapping BOBs a few years ago after many of the people in my swapping group had an excess of blocks accumulating in bags and tubs and not much time or incentive to get them made into tops. Ok. . . I was one of those procrastinators. I had more that 50+ bags of blocks in my sewing room and wanted to get tops made. So the idea came to me in a flash. Swap bags of blocks with someone else and get a top back out of blocks that you didn’t know what to do with. I will stop short of calling it genius, he-he, but it was a darn good idea. And since that time my group has done many of these exchanges.

• Return of BOB -- ROB
• Son of BOB -- SOB
• Bride of BOB -- BBOB
• Mother of BOB -- MOB
• BOB, Carol, Ted and Alice
• Return of the Son of BOB

well you get the idea. So the most recent BOB we hosted was this summer. I took my time finishing this BOB since I knew I would be hand delivering it to my friend in October at a retreat we both attend. Ok, so I drug my feet a bit. . .ok, a lot. But its done.

She sent me a stack of red pinwheel blocks. I set them on point, added an applique center block, some blue and white paper pieced setting triangles, and a vine and leaf appliqué border.

This shows the blocks up on my design wall with the center block in place and the first of the setting triangles. I wanted to change the tone of the quilt from being all red and white, to being red white and blue whimsical.

Here is a picture of the finished top once I got all the setting triangles made and inserted and the borders put on and stitched down.

Do you think it needs another border or is it done? Well it is going home to its Mama next weeks so I still have time to take it apart and redo it if you think it looks bad!! LOL

PS. Nina loved her BOB!!!! Yippeee