Despite having had so little quilting mojo lately that I’ve been working (or more precisely, failing to work) on the same two projects for the last six months, I accepted a commission from one of Mr. Karen’s former coworkers (I’ll call him Stan) to do a 60th anniversary quilt for his parents. I only agreed when he said he didn’t have to have it in time for the actual anniversary date, which is later this month. I did say I’d try to get it done within a couple of months from whenever I get the photos he wants to include. To that end, I’m hoping that sharing progress updates here will keep me on track. (Though that approach didn’t exactly work so well with my Modern Quilt-Along effort—I still haven’t sewn the label on the back of that one!)

My first step was looking for some examples of quilts with family photos so I could have Stan look at them and get an idea of what type of design he might like. I narrowed it down to three links so as not to overwhelm him—one incorporating applique ( Family Tree Quilt by Larisa Thompson), one based on the Double Wedding Ring pattern (Love Rings by Embroidery Master), and one using straight line piecing ([*warning music*–at least it looks like music in the sidebar—I have my speakers off] 60th Anniversary Quilt by Grantzie Pantz). He decided he liked the third style best, so I’ll be working well within my comfort zone. I know what size quilt I’m aiming for (around 4 feet by 5 feet), and Stan gave me some ideas for where he’d like the pictures, but I’m waiting to get the scans of the photos before I start sketching possible layouts. I’d rather work my design around the photos than try and squeeze them into pre-defined spots.

Next step was choosing a color scheme. The direction I got from Stan on this was no pink, no crazy blues, and nothing really bright; he liked sage, taupe, and earth tones but not a really “country” look. Searching through my giant fabric stash for prints that might fit the bill (and which I had a fair bit of yardage of so I could incorporate in many sections of the quilt if need be), I came up with three color scheme options for him to consider.

Option 1 is soft blues, sage, taupes, and dusty purple, with a deep yellow accent. Option 2 is warm browns, peach, and rust, with muted green accents. Option 3 is muted greens and lilac with turquoise blue accents. I thought he’d go for option 1 based on what he’d already said, but he replied to my e-mail saying he liked option 2, though he did want his wife to take a look as well. Option 2 is my least favorite of the three but it’ll be good to stretch myself and work with that palette if that’s what they decide on (plus I’ll still have the other fabric to use on my own projects). Stay tuned for more updates after I get the photos.