Starting off with a quick update of my own Orbit Quilt, two weeks in and I am really liking how this is looking! I have been quite surprised about the fabrics that I have pulled. When approaching my stash I generally have a colour in mind for the day, then I rummage about in cabinet for something that calls to me. The majority of these prints have been in my stash for a while, but have never seemed quite right for a 3D make or larger quilt project.
Originally the motivation for using stash / scrap fabrics was two fold;
Keep costs lower, quilting isn't a cheap hobby and making it accessible is key.
Reduce landfill and needless consumerism, I loathe needless waste.
But increasingly I am really enjoying the five minutes of play while I choose the days fabric. Its a little mental holiday, I can be whimsical or serious depending on my mood. When I am selecting fabrics for other Cake & Ale projects I am ever mindful about selecting prints that will be marketable... I never choose things that don't spark joy, but with this project I can be less self conscious about what "people may think".
I am incredibly grateful for that mental reprieve I know I can focus on each day. Especially when my design studio has been running beyond full capacity, and I am stretched thin being creative for other people.
Sadly with the paid work being so full on, I am now having to delay sewing my blocks together until the weekend * sad face *. So here are the two additional print you may have noticed were missing from the photo above.
Turns out I have a love of floral and pink and orange prints!
I have also been religious about filling out my journal for this project, I think it's going to be so nice to be able to look back and have a record of all the joys or feelings from the year. Sadly though the quilt has already recorded two chicken deaths, on tragically too soon and the other a beloved chook we have had for years (black with gold stars and white on white).
Now onto the update!
In the beginning I had planned to sew my months in blocks straight across the quilt working left to right, that plan has failed for two very important reasons.
I am WAY too impatient to wait long enough to sew chunks together. As it is I am ITCHING to select the next five days of fabric so I can so what will be three big segments together.
It's too impractical to store. Already my chambray fabric has frayed a little along the sewn blocks, so much so I am considering using 3/8" seam allowance, not 1/4". This way, if I can exercise restraint I can sew and store in sections to minimise fraying.
Below is an image with the plan as it stands today. I may look at updating the way the blocks go together in the hopes that I can make them into more uniform sections for 2026 and beyond! The magenta sections are just me planning out where I will be placing the optional whole block sections, birthdays in the immediate family and my wedding anniversary (16th Anniversary: Emerald Green, Red, or Silver).
Also a quick reminder too to enjoy the experience, don't stress over the pattern, don't take it too seriously. Personally, I have sewn four blocks in the wrong place already... and I will not be unpicking them. They tell a story, and I like I have said a few times now, the pattern is just a guide. Make it your own story and enjoy the process.
Cass
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