Have you started on your basket for our little QAL? I hope so! I confess, I didn’t work on it much this week. With graduation, moving my daughter, and work, not a lot got done. But I have been thinking about it! I love basket quilts, but since I try to avoid the A word (applique), I felt a little stumped. I didn’t want an empty basket for the middle of my medallion. Then I decided to put a print there. I made this block:
Hmmm….doesn’t look very Gwen. At all.
Okay, I might get brave. I grabbed some freezer paper and cut a basket-ish shape.
Then I dumped out my little box of leftover A shapes from previous attempts.
No need to reinvent the wheel, right? Time to play a bit.
I’ll need to prepare some more shapes. I chose that print for the basket because I thought it was reminiscent of a woven basket.
Tulip shapes are too small!
Better. Still not sure about this. Anyway, I thought I would show you how I made my stems. I remembered from one of Gwen’s books that she doesn’t necessarily cut her stems on the true bias and it works. So I cut some angled 1 inch pieces.
I folded one side a little over halfway up and pressed.
Then I folded the other side down and pressed.
Then I gave it a shot of this and re-pressed from the top side, curving the piece as I went.
Not a bad curve!
I’m hoping to finish prepping this for some slow stitching tomorrow. This QAL is pushing me in ways I had not planned!
Happy Saturday!
KatyQuilts 
I like your design. I think the basket fabric is great. As I was looking at your traditional basket (which I also like) my mind was playing around with starting there and making flower stems that went out into plain corners sewn with the basket on point in the middle. I don’t know if it would work, but I’m tempted. =)
This will be a beautiful basket Katy !
No doubt about it 🙂
Love how your applique basket is evolving!
I, too, love basket quilts….and I actually like doing appliqué…you know, I had not planned to join this medallion QAL, but after seeing your post today, I think I may just have to do one of my own!! I actually already have a couple of ideas floating around in my head…so I guess I may need to get to it!!
Thanks for the inspiration!
I love what you have done Katy and you are reminding me I’d better get myself organised. 😊
It looks like you’re having fun . . . even if you are doing the A word 🙂
I love that you are using those leftover bits. I think Gwen would be proud. : )
And I do think that was a great fabric choice for the basket.