Where Poppies Grow Progressing towards a Finish.

The last couple of months have been dominated by working to put together my quilt top for the Poppies project.

The top is now what I am calling done and ready to go to the longarm quilter. I say "calling done" because a couple of weeks back I thought I was done but then decided to make a few changes.

When you are working on a block of the month project things evolve during the process. Sometimes what you did at the beginning,and seemed right at the time, no longer look quite as right once all the blocks are done.

The February block, Love Entangled, as made I was quite happy with. This is how it looked:

However, once all the blocks were made and together as a set that pale color in the outer edge really jumped out. It is said that if one particular fabric or color jumps out at you the solution is to add more of it. But in this instance, with all the blocks made, I could not come up with a way to add more of it. So the only solution  was to remake it:

I think the block looks less interesting now but it does fit more happily into the set.

The September block, Red Cross, was one where I needed to ignore one of my own rules about the colors I was using. Because of the name of the block I really did need to use the color red and this was how it looked:

Again, when I had made the block I was quite happy with it. But put together as a set and those four red squares in the corners really needed to go. I auditioned several fabrics in there but eventually decided that plain corners looked the best and so the block had a renovation and now looks like this:

Golly, it looks vastly different doesn't it? Really all I did was to change out the corners. But this is the result of using two different cameras as well as photographing outside versus inside. Ditto the first block.

The original blocks as made by the designer were in a red , white and blue colorway. By choosing to make mine primarily in the taupe/khaki colors of the army uniform it did change how the fabrics contrast with each other.  In remaking the February block I happened to look back at the original pattern and see that the way I have arranged the fabrics in that outer edge is different from the original, thus making it my own version.

My Grandpop was in the devastating World War I battle that took place in Gallipoli, Turkey in April 1915 with huge loss of life among the Allies. New Zealand and Australia have long marked this battle by the observation of Anzac Day on April 25. This year, being the centenary of that battle, the services on Anzac Day will be ever more poignant and many added special observances will be taking place there. My way of marking the centennial will be showing you my finished quilt so don't forget to check back here on that date and see the finished quilt.