Well, I love to do many things, but playing with colors, shapes (and eventually fabric), while designing a new pattern is definitely one on the top of the list! Computer is full of ideas, virtual quilts, designs…and some, sometime see the light of the day too!
    So, how does that happen? Never really thought about it directly…until today. I took a look into one of my EQ (Electric Quilt, my favorite quilting software) files and the order of how things progressed…So here it is:
1. Started with a doodle on paper, I think while on a bus ride home from work…

Can’t even say why I started this simple design… I was thinking about my Beginner’s quilting students and how I can make some interesting designs with some very simple blocks/shapes.
So, decided to put it into my trusty EQ7 and play with some colors….
Hmm..it looks good but not terribly exciting, don’t you think? Or maybe – we have seen this before. So, looking at it, somehow I saw – a flower.

OK – now we are on to something! As soon as I saw flower, it needed to be finished at the edges of the quilt too – OK, add small border with some Flying Geese units, to finish the flowers at the edges:

Well, now that wasn’t enough, not yet. Flowers also need some yellow centers, right? OK, if I make a variation of those half-square triangles that make the flowers – add a little yellow corner, and voila:
Now that looks more like it! But I think it can look even better…color can change to make them more lively, to make illusion of leaves – more “click”, “click” with my color tool in EQ:
Well that looks like a garden now! Whirlwind Garden! Sounds like a good name to me! What do you think?
 We can play some more now – WHAT IF…(that is my favorite question!!) we take away some blocks – to make it less as all-over pattern, more medallion-style? Here it is without some of the middle blocks:

Doesn’t this looks even better?
OK, lets see how some other sizes or colors can look like:

Dark colors look good! Maybe some Black-eye Susans:

Different size? Wall hanging:

Table runner:

Here is a queen size quilt, with all flowers made from same color:

OK, now – these are all virtual quilts, you say. How does a real one look like? In other words – time to test this pattern and design. So far, wall hanging size is done – it really is easy to make and I do like it! YAY!

So, what do you think? Me – on to play some more…stay tuned!

0 replies
  1. Marija
    Marija says:

    Thanks Robin – this is great advice! I always forget that and really am not very careful when it comes to these things (and should be).
    However – this whole "mystery" turned not be one after all and resolution is even funny!! The "Anonymous" is actually my very dear friend who only now got the time to check out my blog (crawling baby doesn't allow for much fun in the web! 🙂 ) and (again in a hurry) wanted to leave me a comment, making a slight mistake in doing so (hence, Anonymous). She and her mom are great new quilters who love to work with my designs-in-development – so "Mo-Do Team" was meant to be "mother-daughter team" (slight sp. mistake). She just called me and we both had a good laugh about this whole thing!! I am still laughing!
    Thank you all for your comments!! I really appreciate them (I actually get so excited when I get any!) and hope you will come to visit again.

    Reply
  2. Robin
    Robin says:

    Marija,
    If you have the instructions written down for how you made this and it is Your design, then it is already copyrighted! Place the copyright symbol and your name and date across all these photos.
    I am assuming you meant official government copyright but that doesn't mean it isn't copyrighted as your design!
    Robin

    Reply
  3. Marija
    Marija says:

    Oh my…I certainly hope NOT (writing instructions). Even though this design is not copyrighted, I posted this thought process in good faith and thinking it will be interesting for others to read, not to copy or take credit for?
    However – definitely don't want to jump to any conclusions, so hoping for Anonymous to jump in and clarify (I was wondering the same question, what is a Mo-Do team?) and maybe even not be anonymous any more? 🙂

    Reply
  4. Anonymous
    Anonymous says:

    Marija,

    I just want this wall hanging x 2 in my bedroom. Thinking of colors: green, white and brown. Our Mo-Do team will have a pattern to follow now! Many Thanks to you.
    Great blog, by the way.
    I'll stay tuned.

    Reply

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