After yet more tweaking, this was the result.
Meh.
(click here to read another great MEH story)
I went downstairs and printed out a color copy
of the previous photo so I could cut it apart.
So much easier to rearrange pieces of paper
instead of the fabrics on the design wall.
The dark green/gray quarter log cabin block was voted
off the island and sent back to live in the orphan box.
Even with it gone, this still feels Meh.
Getting closer so back to the studio I went.
I spent more time rearranging
but got sidetracked while thinking about
where I really wanted Pandemonium to go next.
A long time ago I took a class with Mary Lou Weidman
who had us "make your border/frame first" and then
fill in the center with lots of "hoochy-mama blocks."
I can do that.
Which led me to browse through the backing stash
where I found the yardage on the left.
Yes!
After a lot (!) of fiddling with the HST borders,
I chose the sawtooth look over the flying geese.
(oops - I see now that the bottom and left-side
HSTs are still aiming the wrong way - sheesh)
Inspired by the pink flowers in the backing,
I pulled the very last of this soft mottled pink
and cut 1.5" strips to use as an inner border.
I also enlarged the HST frame
so it will yield a border 51" x 63".
In the interior area, those 2.5" low volume squares
were unstitched from the two Otsego Revisited HSTs.
The two HSTs were also unstitched from each other and
then sewn back together but in the opposite configuration.
The large aqua/teal block from Awaken
was unstitched along its center seam making it into
two units since it was just a too-big blob before.
While digging out the border pieces,
I pulled a stack of low volume prints with pink
as potential filler fabrics.
Workable but also underwhelming.
Sitting on the drafting/cutting table was this stack
of freshly-laundered recently-thrifted shirts.
(for once I got lucky with colors I don't usually find -
I especially like the shirt fifth from the bottom
and the fact that the plackets, cuffs, and collar
are lined with that blue paisley)
Now I'm wondering if I should mix a few
of my paler stashed shirting fabrics
into the filler mix for Pandemonium.
Hmmmmm . . .
* * *
While I continue pondering,
I think I'll go sew those HST borders together.
Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------“Pink activates endorphins and energizes my creativity.
It is a colour of femininity and fierceness.”
Janna Cachola
11 comments:
I like where you're going with this! Great ideas: Play with the paper pieces vs. fabric, and start with your borders and work in. Brilliant!
This is looking good! I love your idea to print the picture and play with pieces that way, and also the idea to start from the "outside" and work inward. That would force you to think differently for sure. Can I suggest low-volume strings as fillers? More work, but could take away your "meh" feeling.
Oh, the addition of the pink inner border makes such a difference! I also like the decision to use the saw tooth border. For some reason, I keep thinking those two four blocks (green, pink, yellow, blue)) (I can’t remember the name of that block) would be sweet sewn together as the center of a baby quilt…or possibly taken apart and use as eight blocks (more work, sigh). I learned two things from today’s post: The idea to make the frame first and work from outside inward. Print a photograph of your layout and cut it apart to rearrange blocks. I never would have thought of those. Your stack of low volume fabrics is just gorgeous. I like every single one of them. Thank you for sharing this today!
Wish I could come over and play. Did you try a black and white photocopy to just see values? I think the more you get it to read as cohesive unit through shapes and less like islands in the stream, you will be pretty darn close. Someone else's dilemma always is more attractive than what is in my bags.
I know you're still arranging....the blocks in the upper left look a little too dense/dark compared to the rest. I have a spare parts design that's been on the wall and off the wall a couple of times and, like you, I had the presence of mind to take a picture and print it so I can remember where I left off.
Your pink inner border adds life. I'm enjoying watching you work through your design choices. You're making good decisions.
I really like where you've gone with the border and fill idea. LOVE those sweet pinks as filler. Then, in typical Julie fashion, you hit us with the shirting! :o))
Love seeing how you make it all come together!!!! And I never think about starting from the outside in!! I would just love to watch you work all day! And you scored with the shirts! I never see any that colorful either! Love the pink inner border and the sawtooth outer. Orphan quilts are some of my most favorite!!! Thank you for sharing your processes.
my first thought was how interesting all the patterns and lines make this... and read your word, MEH. I looked again and thought why... is it because there are so many lines mostly in medium tones? I see the light and darks but because there are just dashes of those proportionately the eye sees medium tone. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact I want to make a very quiet medium toned bed quilt for our bed. I get stopped when I picture the poodle sprawled over it, licking his body on my quilt!
I love your paper-puzzle idea for visual layout- briliant! This is going to be a show-stopper, I can't wait to see the following steps as you progress.
Yay for the pink border and an even bigger yay for your idea of printing out a copy of the photo and cutting it up - an amazing idea and time saver. I absolutely love your chosen backing fabric, it's delicious! I'm now going to read your most recent post to catch up on progress.
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