My New Project for January -- Gavin's Quilt

You may remember that in this post I decided that I'm going to participate in the 2013 NewFO Challenge.  I'm not only planning to complete UFO's this year, but I'm also going to start (and hopefully, but not necessarily complete) twelve new projects this year - that's one a month.  

My January project is a quilt for grandson Gavin.  For years he has been completely into all things mythological.  I bought a book of paper-pieced mythology creatures, "Spellbinding Quilts" by Maaike Bakker. 

He studied it a while and then sketched out the quilt he wanted me to make.  He even told me what colors he would like used for each creature and the background.  

This isn't the first quilt Gavin has designed for me, but more about that another time!  

I had to get Hubby to help me with the math so I could get the pattern pieces enlarged.  This, in case you've wondered, is what $73 worth of enlarged paper-piecing patterns looks like!  

Oh!  I was shocked that I was required to sign a waiver before I could get these copies.  It seems I was violating the book's copyright by making more than one copy of each pattern.  The quilts in the book have multiple dragons and knights and castles, so you must have multiple copies to make any of the quilts.  Plus, the copies you make get stitched through and then torn off into tiny little pieces.  I am totally into obeying copyright laws.  I never knowingly violate them.  But I cannot figure this one out.

Well, then the fun began!  Manipulating fabric for normal paper piecing is bad enough, but when you enlarge the pattern 270%.....

 .....it makes for all kinds of wonderful wackiness!

The B I G Centaur came together well, but I have to admit that it took me two solid days of sewing to get that part finished.  

Thankfully, I noticed a couple of spots where I had used background fabric in the wrong place and was able to make corrections before stitching the components together. 

On to the owls.  They were even more work since each individual owl has 31 pieces in it.  Yikes!

I think it took a little more than another day of sewing to construct all four owls.  

So, this is what Gavin's new quilt is looking like so far.

He's pretty excited about it, and even though I absolutely HATE to paper-piece, I'm thrilled with how it looks so far.  I do have the four Hippogrifs for the corners almost ready, and I think the towers for the side panels should be a little more simple than the previous pieces.  I had hoped to have the entire top ready this month, but life (and being sick!) got in the way. 

I am linking up to Barbara's NewFO Linky party.  Can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to!