New Quilt - Guess what scene I'm making?

A landscape scene - buildings...

 It has been a long time since I've posted! This year is incredibly busy as I'm teaching so much but I wanted to show you what I'm working on these days. I knew I was going to have a busy year so I told my friends that I was hopeful that I could make 1 quilt this year. Welp, this is it. 

It is a scene - imaginary - yet inspired by a well known movie. Usually I post the finalized picture first and then show you how I got there but this time I think I'll leave you guessing.  See if you can figure out what imaginary scene I'm making... 

Rooftops, Big Ben and St Pauls - 

 You'd almost think I was making a scene of London wouldn't you? Hmm.

I chose to use squares of fabric to make my city and just add what will be the appliqued details to help me see how the thing is developing. Thus, the dome and some of the spires, are just pinned in place. Notice that lavender sky in the above photo. (And yes, that pink is too bold for the place under the dome of St Paul's).

The growing city...

 You see the tulle shape in the sky? I'm going to be adding 9 bow tie shaped quilt blocks to the sky because this quilt will be entered into the National Quilt Museum's New Quilts from Old Favorites contest next year. (The contest block is the bow tie.) 

The thing about bow ties is that they 'tie' two things together. (ie. collars). That is a clue for you... An imaginary landscape inspired by a movie and something about two things tied together. 

If you noticed, I changed the sky a bit. I felt that there was too much lavender in the first design so I changed those squares to clouds - behind St Paul's. Below is the top half of my quilt top.

Top of the sky

By this point in my process, the quilt top has all the the horizontal rows stitched together. If you have my first book, you know I use a tear-away foundation to piece squares and if you look at all the 'Labels' on the right side of my blog you'll see one for 'watercolor landscape' and clicking on that label will bring you to blogs where I explain each and every step. 

Transferred squares on the foundation

 Basically I draw a grid on a tear- away foundation (I use Bosal Foam and Fiber's Create a Pattern product.) Then using a glue stick I transfer the fabric squares to that foundation.  Once that is done, I fold along the grid lines sewing all the horizontal or vertical rows using a 1/4 inch seam. Then I tear the foundation out of the seam allowances and press the seams in the opposite directions. From there, I can fold and sew the remaining vertical or horizontal rows and the seams nestle up together. 

I've pressed the seams in the opposite direction

 Once the final seams are sewn, I tear away the foundation from those seam allowances.

Everything is pieced now

 As I said earlier, I can't include the whole quilt in my pics yet but this is the bottom and you can see I've started adding red brick chimneys.

So far... I've built a lot of chimneys with pipes and added some spires

 Have you figured out what scene I'm making yet?

A closeup of St Paul's

A closeup of Big Ben

 Maybe I should give you another clue... the clock on the tower will be set at 8 am or so. 

Dancers and chimney sweeps? 

 And now for your last clue... 

A lovely pair of shoes... and who holds her feet that way!?

Well THAT probably gave it away didn't it?

If not, better look over the old Disney musicals.

Bow ties tie 2 things together and lately I've been struck with the popularity of themes which blend the supernatural with the natural world. You see it all over in popular books and movies - it is almost like something inside us needs to believe that there is something more out there than we can see, hear, taste and touch. We long for the intersections of the supernatural to touch our ordinary lives.

In the case of this movie, it did. And when it did, there was a reorganization of priorities which brought the results of love, joy, peace and fun!

Just something to think about.

Next blog I'll show you how I made a certain nanny.

Happy Quilting Adventures!