Layer Cake Bargello

I thought I would take a break from hand applique and work a little on reducing my number of UFOs. The first one I pulled out was my layer cake bargello.

Previously I had stitched 10" strips together in color order, to create large 40" x 10" rainbow strips.

I cut my fabric into strips, organized here by their width.

I don't have a design wall so I draped them in order on the back of my couch. Of course, kitty had to help.

See her in the back corner of this photo?

Here is the whole thing stitched together. I took a page from Leah Day and stuck it up on the wall for a while so I can ponder how to finish it.

I really like quilts that take a standard pattern and add some interesting applique to the front. Here are some examples.

Seen at Quilting in the Garden 2012

Seen at Quilting by the Bay 2012

Seen at the Sisters Quilt Show 2013

Seen at the Sisters Quilt Show 2013

Seen at Sisters Quilt Show 2013

I want mine to look like these, somehow.  I need to figure out what shapes I even want to applique on top, and what color. Plus, since this was a layer cake, I am out of fabric, so I need to purchase more (once I get a plan!)

Next project: Whipping up Christmas gifts! Yep, it's that time of year...