Spring Wall Hanging

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not ready for winter to be over. I still need lots more time in my quilt room this winter season for my mental health and well-being. But some part of me must be at least thinking of spring, because I had a definite yearning to dig out and finish this wall hanging.

I've had it in progress for some time. Actually, I started planning it and pulling out some fabrics, way LAST spring when I discovered a spot in the house that really needed a long, narrow wall hanging. I got as far as cutting out the applique pieces . . . and that was it. The applique block isn't original; I saw it in a book, "Bits & Pieces," by Karen Costello Soltys.

Selecting the right color combinations for a piece, whether it be large or small, is very much my weakest area when quilting. Even if the colors look great spread out on the cutting table, sometimes after they are made up into the quilt, they're a dismal dud of a failure. Experts say the only way to get better at this is to keep trying. So I plod on, smacking myself on the forehead every time I make a really, really bad choice.

So here are my three appliqued blocks. I chose a light, soft, spring green for the background. Where to go from here? What to use to join the blocks together?

I finally decided to sash them in the same green because I didn't want anything too close to the blocks that would detract from them. Then on to auditioning colors/fabrics for the inner border.

I used a narrow strip of yellow to bring out the yellow flowers in the green floral print appliqued parts. Then just a tiny border of rose striped fabric to tie in with the deep rose of the round applique shapes. Next the final outer border.

This took me the longest but I finally settled on a small white and green gingham check outer border. Here the whole piece is sandwiched with backing and batting, held all together with quilting pins and ready for me to hand quilt.

I decided to bind it in a repeat of the same yellow fabric I used for the first inner border. The finished product, and a closer look at some of the quilting. Not a bad color combo for early spring, although I could talk myself into thinking it looks a little washed-out. I lean more toward the brighter, bolder colors much of the time which isn't necessarily good. As they say, I need to learn to make myself work "outside the box" and experiment with colors I don't usually use. Feels good to have it all set and ready for this spring.