Circle 7 : My Starter Panel

                                                  

So one of my favorite quitly things going on right now is being part of the Circle 7 bee.  Essentially, each person in the bee created a starter panel and set a theme for her quilt, which would then be passed along to each other person, everyone adding their part to her quilt.  Since the first traveling quilts bee began, the idea of creating a quilt with a group of friends in this way - where there is tons of room for improv and creativity - was super appealing to me. So when Jenn asked me to join a group of women I hugely respect and admire to make quilts in this way, I didn't even have to think about it.  Of course I wanted to be a part of that!  The hardest part was finalizing a theme for a quilt.  I ultimately chose to make a quilt with pieced words and favorite patchwork.

Here is the starter panel I made for my quilt.

 I free pieced the word "Smile" - this is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do!   It takes me forever, but I'm always happy with how it turns out, and I love that I can write whatever I want.

Next I made this Carpenter Wheel block.

This is the colorway I chose for the quilt.  Without a doubt, one of my favorite parts about quilting is pulling fabric combinations.  The possibilities are endless!

I sent out my starter panel at the end of May, and I've been giddy watching my friends add to it over the past few months.  I am so excited to see how it makes it's way back home to me!  Watching the quilts evolve and change with each step along the way is so exciting.  A huge thank you to Jenn for gathering us together.  I am so thankful to create with this wonderful group of women!