Is it a mirage?

 I spent Saturday with some awesome quilters who wanted to make Mirages, my newest addition to the Circle and Spin series. I had given them directions to precut squares, so they were ready to cut some curves and start sewing. As you can see, they got a lot finished!

Jane's use of batiks was gorgeous...she has the best collection of batiks around. Karen was using bright prints on a mottled blue background for a eye-catching look.

Karen H

 I didn't get pictures of Karen S or Amanda's blocks, as they had used fabrics similar to mine, and didn't put their blocks up on the wall. They thought they could tell what it would look like. They got a lot finished as well.

Elsie

Elsie had some Laurel Burch fabrics in her stash and threw in some solids as well for a colorful look.

Deb

 Deb had 4 different fabrics on a green background, so we tried a pattern as we put the blocks up.

JoAnn

JoAnn just wants to make a wallhanging, so hers will finish quickly!

Trudy

 Trudy had been saving black prints for a long time. As you can see a few had some colorful bits thrown in too.

Mirages as a backdrop to class.

 I think we banished some worries about sewing curves! I can't wait to see them finished!

Update: Deb N. sent me a picture of her finished quilt in Dec. 

It's a start

With this bargello, you make 6 strip sets, then as you assemble the rows, you have to adjust some of them. So you look at the diagram and take off what you don't need on a strip, and attach it to the next strip. You continue to do this until you have your full row, which in this case is 39 squares. Because the pattern changes, so do your rows. On these first rows, even though my green strips have 7 squares I am only using 2 on each end in the first row, 3 in the 2nd row, and 4 in the 3rd row.

The inspector showed up.

More strips

Here are more of the strip sets I have ready for the Mirage bargello. Pinks...

 

  

Oranges....

  

Purples....

  

Blues....

 

All of the strips ready to go.  Had a class last night. but hope to work on it a little tonight.

Pretty strips...new project

 

I bought this Beautiful Bargello book awhile back and have been anxious to start the Mirage quilt featured inside. I have made a couple of other bargellos, but never one that seemed to twist and turn. I am using some gorgeous batiks...even the trimmings are beautiful!

Cut off the selvages too...amazing all the selvages I wasted for all those years.

I cut them in sets of colors, so as not to get too confused on how many to cut of each set. That is how they were presented in the book. With 23 different colors, it would be easy to mix them up.

 

The strips are 1 1/2" wide. I used all fat quarters, so hope it works out the same as it would if I used WOF. I think it should. The quilt isn't very big when finished...about 47" sq.

Here is the first set of strips finished. You make 6 sets of strips, all different colors.