WIP to Share

Last week I wrote a post about a project I'm beginning, and then I chickened out when it came time to share a picture because it is based on a pillow I saw online, and I wondered if it was okay to use the design for a quilt. Well, this week I changed my mind, and I've decided to share the picture and my plans for extending the design. The pillow is the Right Angles one offered by Dot and Bo. It's a printed design on poplin. I'm piecing the same design as the center of a large (120 by 120 inches) quilt. 

Here's my center block:

Mostly Kona Solids with some Moda Bellas thrown in 

It's 40 inches square and pieced in two halves using freezer paper to stabilize the large pieces. (See my first post about this here.) I'm using a technique that doesn't require sewing through the paper, which will make it much easier to remove the paper when I'm done. I figured out a way to press my seams open while still using the freezer paper, and I'll try to share a picture of that in a later post. I usually press seams to one side, but this big quilt seems to want them open. I'll be working on this project for a while--I have eight more big blocks to make.

I've been using a program I found online (Grid Paint) that has made it very easy for me to color in a pattern for the rest of the quilt. I'm using a grid that has vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines. I think this tool is used by gamers, but it works really well for designing this kind of quilt pattern. I've made a number of versions (way more than you want to know about) and shared them with the quilt recipients, and I think we're close to agreement on a plan. Here's the latest version of my design. If you look closely you can see the above block right in the middle. 

I'm going to have a lot going on in the next few weeks--family celebrations (lots of cookie baking right now) and some volunteer work at the school district I used to work in, so both quilting and blogging will probably be spotty for awhile, but I'll post updates when I can. 

I'm linking up today with Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday and with Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Bee Social.