As a Maywood Maker we are being assigned 4 projects for the year. Our first was based on using a mood board to inspire our creativity. The end result was an "analog" tote that mixed Maywood Studio fabrics with thrifted denim and lace. A mix of the old and new which feels so very me.
Maywood Maker 2026 - Mood Board Inspiration
For this second project we were invited to a Colorblock Party with a mystery bundle of fabric. We all shared our favourite colours and then we were to RSVP with a mini quilt made up from our bundle. I don't think anyone here is surprised to find pink in my bundle.
Our creations were to be inspired by the Colorblock fabric designed in studio using block printing. So many great blocks to choose from but I'm on a curve piecing journey these days so I was instantly drawn to the half circles you see in green above and the block with the orange peel border. I wanted to see how I could use this inspiration to re-invent the block.
I started with creating a template for the curved border. I had a whole plan in my head, but once I started cutting the fabric, I didn't like the where it was going. It felt a little too predictable, and I knew I could push the idea further.
And so I pivoted.
I checked to be sure I would have enough fabric to create a bunch of circles that could be inset and then sliced in half. And of course, I bungled it the first time.
Can you see my mistake?
It did make for a great photo.
If you realized that I reversed the size hole and circle then you win the prize. There was no way that those circles were ever going to be sewn into those squares. (Cue eye roll!)
All was not lost, I had enough fabric and just re-cut my circles to the correct size and we were off to the races.
You might notice in the photo above that I decided to border the outer square with the background fabric before insetting the circles. This had to do with the fact that I was going to be cutting them in half and I thought it would make them easier to deal with when adding in the other elements later.
At least that's what I thought.
There was no real plan with this piece and I was figuring out as I went.
While this is a really great exercise in creativity and where your brain will take you, I don't recommend if you are on a deadline!
So as you can see above, I ended up removing the white borders in some cases. I opted to add more negative space between the circle blocks and I reversed the borders so that the curve was facing in rather than out.
The entire piece ended up looking like a math equation to me so I called it "Parenthesis".
When it came time to quilt it I decided on straight-line quilting. I wanted to keep the quilting clean and uncomplicated so that the piecing remained the star of the show.
I machine sewed my binding to the front of the mini quilt and then used big stitch to add a decorative touch to the back. I absolutely love big stitch binding and use it whenever I can.
And finally, we needed a label.
I think I may have mentioned I was working on a deadline!
Since I knew this mini quilt would be a wall hanging, I used Gentle Fuse to iron on my label in place. Normally I stitch my labels in place, but I wasn't worried about this one being washed so it was a quick and easy solution.
I highly recommend using Gentle Fuse for labels on quilts and other projects that aren't going to be washed regularly.
Once it was finished, Parenthesis joined the other mini quilts created by the Maywood Maker 2026 group and travelled to Sisters, Oregon, for the outdoor quilt show.
And I suppose this is the bigger point I’m hoping to make with this project.
If you ever have the opportunity to join a creative community that encourages you to make, experiment and try something a little different, GO FOR IT!
There is something pretty amazing about being surrounded by other people who are making things. They inspire you to try something new, push an idea a little further and sometimes create something you never expected to make.
That's exactly what happened with Parenthesis.
It started with a mystery bundle of fabric, took a few unexpected turns, including one rather unfortunate circle-to-hole situation, and ended up as something that feels completely my own.
What an amazing feeling it is to make something unexpected and from the heart.
