Fruit Basket Beginnings

On Mother's Day I was fortunate enough to visit one of my favourite spots.

Mitchell River, Bairnsdale, Victoria

 I happened to have my Mother's Day present with me (as one does).

I saw these fabrics from Blue Hill Fabrics Pomegranate range at the Australian Quilt Convention. I bought them from The Quilted Crow and had a very nice conversation as well. The bundle was a bit outside of my budget so I declared them to be my Mother's Day present.

While I was waiting for Mother's Day to come I thought about how I would use them.  I like Dear Jane and The Farmer's Wife  but I didn't want to make the same quilts as everyone else.  I though that a basket block would suit the colours.  I was going to use one pattern and make each block in a different colourway; then decided a collection of different basket blocks would be far more fun.  And seeing as Pomegranate is a fruit I chose Fruit Basket as my first block.

My finished block, hot off the press, is a little smaller than my intended 6 inch finished.  I had some difficulty dividing a six inch block into five by five pieces even with EQ7. 

Fruit Basket is a pattern in Ruby McKim's 101 Patchwork Patterns (1931).  She has suggested piecing it all in small squares and half triangles, I think that would have caused even more grief.

This fruit basket quilt was on eBay, I like the way the baskets spin around the (almost) centre.

The Mitchell River isn't the only picturesque place in Bairnsdale.  I visited the Courthouse too.  Inspiration can come from anywhere!