Paris Panel OMG Struggle Finish
I know I’m not alone with having my sewing mojo ebb and flow and glide far away. It has been a real struggle this month to even think about going into the sewing room. Sue has tried her best, offering short stints or a new project or even new fabric purchases. To be honest, I really didn’t care if I finished this month’s OMG project to link up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts. I greatly appreciate her monthly motivation – most months it is enough encouragement. The struggle is real but I know it won’t last long.
Paris Panel Purchase
We picked up the Paris panel way back in 2017 in a lovely quilt shop called Mill House Quilts. What a lovely variety of everything quilting . . . a one-stop-shop for sure. While browsing, the Paris panel just kept beaconing to me so it just had to come home with us. Fast forward four years with it hanging in the closet waiting for some attention. The finish-a-panel-challenge caught my eye and, deep sigh, it was time to get it out of the closet. Now to capture its true potential and bring out the key aspects of this beauty.
We were wise enough to pick up this complimentary Paris fabric at the same time as the panel purchase. Wiser still would have been to find something to go with the red/red-orange color found in the umbrella and her coat! Alas, that had to wait four years as well.
April OMG Focus
When I heard about the finish-a-panel-challenge back in March, I was certain that my mojo would return in overdrive. Shelley at Prairie Moon Quilting is the hostess of the fun QAL. The rules are simple: pick a panel, turn it into a quilt of some sort using your stash, and finish by April 30th. How darn easy is that?!! With four full weekends in April, it would be a cinch. Yeah. Not when it’s a struggle to force myself to sew. Diversions like finding additional fabric to match the red meant a trip to the local quilt shop for the first time in a year. That’s one thing that you cannot do well online – try to exactly match a color! This is what we found – of course, a little extra came along with the required red.
Next, another diversion to spark my interest was to design a potential layout in EQ8. Hmm. I gave us three options . . . which one should we use?
I like the ease of the red cornerstone while I love the suggestion of movement with the flying geese. Sue likes the nine-patch in the corners.
Dreaded Quilting Time
This was probably the cause of the struggle all along . . . how to quilt the panel?!! First, the eight flying geese needed to be made – not the three per corner that is shown in the EQ8 suggestion. Then, rather than adding the one-inch thin red border pictured we decided to add two sashing strips leading into each cornerstone using the new red fabric along with the Paris fabric.
NOW it was time to get ‘er quilted, starting with some outlining of the Tower and the couple. Once that was complete, I followed the diagonal line of the sidewalk to define that area differently from the wavy lines in the sky and water. Both the Eiffel Tower and the couple were not quilted beyond the outline to have them stand out. We used a gray and white zebra print for the backing and I used light gray or black as a quilting thread with white in the bobbin.
A simple black binding completes the frame and the April OMG project. A project I never thought would actually have a period on it.
And, thanks for linking up to TGIFF!
I don’t usually do panels but I really like this Paris one! I like your choice of flying geese cornerstones. The pop of orange to match is also a great choice. You were smart to buy the Paris text fabric! Never gone wrong with text! Glad you got into your sewing room for a finish!
Lovely. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly goal and congrats on your finish!
Loved seeing your EQ8 mockups for the borders. Glad you went with flying geese. It turned out so well! Hang in there my friend, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get things done.
Well done! I’m not sure if my comment will post. But I love it!
It’s gorgeous. I love the quilting and the flying geese. Hope your mojo returns and it will. Obviously you just need a rest.
I love it! Isn’t that struggle very real. I have that happen a lot especially when I can’t make a creative decision. I love the flying geese as cornerstones. It looks fabulous!!!!
You did it!!! Good for you, and it’s perfect!
Such a pretty panel. You did a great job turning it into a quilt. Great choice of motifs.
Roseanne the geese are the perfect corner for the panel in my opinion. I love your finish and the quilting is perfection. How awesome that you found the perfect orange/red. I’m in the same frame of mind lately but still managing to sew something every day.
Beautiful Roseanne! Love the quilting.
Your panel and quilting are beautiful! I struggle with my sewing mojo and feel like a roller coaster sometimes. It’s there and then it’s gone. I’m trying to just let it flow on and off without stressing out. It can be hard!
Love what you did and love your EQ auditioning. Great job. And congratulations on finishing one of the languishing projects.
Congratulations! A job well done for both of you. Your wall hanging is beautiful. That sewing mojo has been leaking out of me like a tire going flat. Your finish is celebrated because you somehow made it happen in spite of the missing mojo. I hope you feel wonderful with this finish.
Beautiful. Decisions are difficult sometimes but your final quilt is stunning.
Oh that turned out so great – for not having mojo – you have an awesome finish. And your quilting totally complimented that panel! Go you, and fingers crossed that Mojo comes back soon!! Hugs my friend!
Great job, Roseanne! I love this and the geese were my choice! Glad you finished. I am waiting for binding which should be here tomorrow and my panel challenge will be complete! I finished the quilting over the weekend! I’ll probably post on Saturday!!
I liked the flying geese best too! Somehow it is just hard to work with panels. Your panel must have been printed more straight of grain than the panel I choose for the challenge. You have a very pretty wall hanging. Happy stitching!
Hi Roseanne! I LOVE everything about this quilt. I yelled, “Flying Geese” when I saw that as a option so I really love this finish. Your quilting is perfect too. I have been struggling with my sew-jo because I have a project that I am no longer loving but that has to get done (and before I move on to something else or it will never move to the finished pile) You have inspired me to just press on and “git ‘er done”!
Love the flying geese corners…beautiful panel and project!
It turned out beautiful! I am sorry your quilting mojo is lost, but look at you! You did it anyway. Hugs.
Your Paris panel turned out wonderfully, Roseanne! I’m so sorry to hear you had some struggles with your sewing mojo while you were pushing yourself to work on it, but you did it! The borders and cornerstones look perfect for the panel. Do you have a special place to hang this beauty?
My choice was the flying geese corners so I really like how you finished your panel, Roseanne!
I have been in a funk myself…no sewing…but I have had a wonderful vacation and I’ve planted some flowers. It is okay to have a change of pace now and then. 🙂
Doesn’t it feel good to have that panel done and dusted? I like what you did with it, the flying geese, the quilting. Yay! I think you deserve a donut (wink)! I’ve been to Mill House Quilts – what a fun shop!
I really really like how you framed the panel. Glad you made a step forward into the sewing room afterall:) Hopefully it felt good to you once you got in there and started on the project.