Every other year we make and raffle off an opportunity quilt. This goes back to the early years of the guild when we held a quilt show at the fairgrounds every other year. Then on the alternate years to raise funds for our guild education program we made a raffle quilt and had a Springtime small quilt auction at a winery.
Usually this quilt is started in July of the previous year, but this year no one stepped up till I saw this pattern in February and thought it would make a great quilt.
After I tried making a house with templates, I decided to go with paper pieced houses. These original houses are 12″x12″ and that won’t fit on a sheet of paper so I reduced them to 9″. Then I made an error in drafting them and so these houses measure 9″x8½” finished.
I handed out patterns at the March meeting with an April meeting due date. I was hoping for 49 so we could make a 7×7 grid. A contingency plans was also developed as that was a big ask. I tried adding space and trees in case the 49 house goal was too ambitious.
I liked this alternate house layout when I tried it with the first blocks that came early. There was more visual excitement (see picture 1 below). I also tried green trees (too Christmasy) and grey trees.
At the April guild meeting there was an overwhelming preference for red trees and half liked the alternate layout of houses, the rest liked the traditional layout.
Our guild is also amazing! I counted I had 76 house blocks!
Enough for two quilts. A larger one with the creative spacing with trees for the Opportunity Quilt and a smaller one with 36 blocks for the auction.
Now I have the opportunity quilt is on the design wall and every time I walk by I change something. Here are a few of the designs I have tried with the last being the current one. Feel free to chime in with suggestions.
A-before I had all the blocks 
B-1st try 
C-widening the path 
D-Adding a bit of movement 
E-How about a circle 
F-Adding openings 
G-More of a circle 
H-Removing the corners
What do you think? What do you like?
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I like the “how about a circle”, but with a more symmetrical look, adding 2 more light blocks with the bottom half of the circle matching the top half. A group of trees would look nice = a city part? Just a couple of thoughts. Thanks for all your hard work.
I also like “how about a circle” the best. But the blank filler blocks, even tho the are pieced in various patterns just look like huge nothing holes. Piecing all the same would help. I don’t know what else to suggest, but it looks unfinished. I do like the red trees. Thank you so much for your work.
I like both the selections of D and E. D reminds me of back East where neighborhoods are separated by woods, culverts or rivers and E reminds me of California where there always seems to be a protected planned development in the middle of true neighborhoods. Thanks for all your work in the various stages of planning!