A Study in Contrasts

I'm always amazed by the infinite variety of choices we have as modern sewists... how does anyone begin a project when the number of fabrics we can choose from these days goes way beyond the imagination of our fore-mothers who quilted from scraps.

ROY G BIV just doesn't begin to cover it.

I was thinking about this while perusing the Splendid Sampler site this week.  http://www.thesplendidsampler.com/

This sampler/group project is being run by Moda's crack team of Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson.  Well, I'm not sure they're actually "Moda's", but you get it, I'm sure. 

There will be eighty-some blocks of various types, pieced, appliqued, embroidered, etc.  And there are bonus blocks and projects using the bonus blocks.  If you worked on these free patterns for a year you would not run out of things to make!

There are two blocks revealed each week. Block 66 is designed by Vanessa Goertzen.  It's a variation of pinwheel plus flying geese.  Her fabric choices are so great, a navy, a light blue print and a white fabric for the geese.  The geese show up splendidly (pun intended) against the navy.

If you go to that site you can scroll down and see photos of the various blocks made by some of the participants, with their color choices in all their glory.

I'm not doing the SS -- YET.  I'm accumulating the patterns, and take them out for viewing when I need eye candy.  I want (need) to get some of my UFOs off the list and onto the F list -- that is finished... before I start something new.

Famous last words.

I pulled out my box of Phone Guy's Wife blocks.  I'm embarrassed to say how long ago these were started.  I'm going to try to make this one my October OMG (one month goal)...

This first block illustrates what I saw when I looked at Block 66 of the Sampler, dark, medium and light, all clearly defined and the contrast is evident.

High contrast, good balance.

This bow tie looked OK in person, but in the photo it's a little muddy... I should maybe have used a much lighter color than that light green solid.

In this block, same thing, the in-person differentiation is better than the photo.  Maybe I should have used the same fabric in the four quadrants and put a sunflower in the center??

Ugh, this one is just awful in the photo.  The dots are really white, and the center and corners are cream with green.

 

When I had them all up on the design wall all those ages ago, you can point directly to the stuff that doesn't work...  row two, block one.  Row three block two is the one above.  All that work of cutting and piecing those little squares and you can't even tell which is which.

 

The way I'm actually setting these is below, white sashing and dark cornerstones.  It helps a little, I think.  Trouble is, I ran out of the white and dark green and need to find something to match, or at least not clash with, what I already have sewn together.  More on that later.  Hopefully.

 

 

 

This is a twisted bargello that I started also in the year 1... and here's an illustration of why you should step back from your design wall to see what's really going on.  See the strip in the center, where the colors don't line up going across?  I think I had a couple of the strips upside down or something because clearly this was not the pattern as the designer intended...

 

See where the design went haywire?  Luckily I saw it in time...

I finally got this wall hanging sewn after a long hiatus -- I think it was maybe three years ago now.  But it's been in the UFO box ever since.  Really, there's no excuse except that with the effort it took to put it together, I got a little tired of it.

I think I'm ready to return.

I think it's beautiful... and it's all sewn together, just needs layering and quilting.  I can't decide if I should send this out or attempt it myself.  I'm calling this one my November OMG. 

The kit was assembled for me by one (or more) of the Quilt Angels at Quintessential Quilts in Reedsburg.   I love the gradations and the transition from brown to teal.  Just the right balance of contrast.

Time to get to work...

Sew on!