My sis had been asking for me to make up some panel quilt designs, so I started working on those.

(This was BEFORE COVID-19).

Here’s one of the ones I worked up. My goal isn’t to make these very hard - just something fun, easy, but a bit more complicated than simply borders. People usually know how to do a simple bordered panel. I will add that they often look fantastic just like that!

Here’s one of the first ones I did.

and here it is as looking at it straight on. The picture isn’t as good as I’d like - but I’ll get a better one after it is finished:

My “inspiration” here was back in my teen/college days when I did scrapbooks.

We (my sister and I) did the kind where you actually have a paper book and then keep memorabilia in it - from various things you went to and did - not just photos like the whole “scrapbooking” craze (20 years later) seemed to morph into. I never got into that craft, though - my girls did a bit of it.

You can tell by the corners - I was imitating the look of the mounting corners that you could put into a scrapbook so that you could attach photographs onto the page easily. The frame around the center panel was just that - a frame to make it look more like a photo that you want to feature. The bear paws I added because I wanted it big enough to be a lap quilt.

Because I’ve not actually worked with panels “all THAT much”, they take longer than you’d think for me work up a nice design.

Also…because they are “themed” it is a bit harder for me to come up with the borders to put around the edges - as I have found myself “short” of some fabric I wanted or color, or style. In other words, I was finding myself needing to be a bit more picky than my normal style - since I needed the fabric to more or less “go with” the theme - or at least not “fight” with it. :)

But like a lot of things, it doesn’t mean I can’t do it when I don’t enough of my first choice of any given fabric - but rather, that it forces me to think of other options/ideas—ones I can do.

I’ll be trying to get these quilted up quickly and get them ready to go back to the store as samples for such a time as we go back to the states.

As you know if you are a regular reader here, I’ve been working on a couple other overwhelming and all-consuming projects lately, so these have gotten pushed into the" “not as important” category of things to do.

For now, the pattern is just an idea - not written up. But it’s here for you to see and enjoy today!

Have a great day wherever you are reading this! Stay safe!

Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store!