I'm so happy to be sewing regularly again. I try to get in a couple of hours a day which goes a long way at getting a quilt done...go figure! Progress Report on the Umbrella Quilt....40 Umbrella Blocks done ... 40 Fussy Cut Little Girl Blocks Done ... 10 Pin Wheel Blocks Done. (For the record I literally had to take out my first quilt book I ever used to remember how to do quilt block math and get my half square triangles to come out right .... how soon we forget!! )
I stopped right there and looked at all these little 6 in blocks I had amassed. A lot of blocks considering I had no set in mind. I do know what I didn't like in the original pattern set. It was #1 the lack of Underlying Value & #2 Not Enough Whimsy for the Cute Fabric. Now this isn't a criticism of the original designer. The pattern was suppose to be for a beginner quilter who wanted to get her feet wet in EPP and applique. But my obsession with the Abbie fabric line has moved well beyond THAT.
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| The original Quilt Pattern |
I have been brainstorming some ideas. I found plenty of more of the Abbie fabric line to play with so that was no problem, but one thing I've noticed.....a lot of the prints read the same value. With so many middle medium values, it's hard to put together a quilt design. Luckily there are some really nice lights around those little girls, but nearly enough darks for my taste. So I started there.
Since a good idea is to ALWAYS MAKE VISUAL DECISIONS VISUALLY....up the blocks went for a quick mock up.
The pinwheels are working ...with more of them they are adding some much needed movement and whimsy to it .... but they are still sorta all medium-medium.
See how just a little black makes everything around it pop?! Now the question is how much black and where. One thing I did not like about this collection is only one dark-dark - a black - sighhhhhhhh. EVERY COLLECTION needs some really good light - lights and some good darks-darks!
There is this idea hmmmmmm but I don't know ....I'm thinking these blocks are too big - they would have be way littler if I do it!!
Anyways that's where I'm at......
Since I'm finally heading to go see my parents this weekend ... yes across state lines...Call Gov Cuomo and Gov Wolfe....I'm making a jail break.... the umbrellas will have to wait a bit. I have some good ideas though to add a bit more whimsy to it and some scrappy bits. Every little girl's quilt needs some scrappy bits.
Honestly with my own princess turning 23, this might just have to get done waiting for her first daughter. OMG did I just say that?!?!?! These Abbie prints ARE getting to me.
So What Have Been Up to Creatively?!
So. Adorable!
ReplyDeleteI love how your umbrella girl project is coming along! Yes to all of what you said about value, and to adding some black. Another idea: Depending on how densely you're planning to quilt this, you can adjust the value of some of your fabrics to make them read darker or lighter by quilting them with darker or lighter thread.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I refer back to my beginner quilter books ALL THE TIME. Then, because my books don't all agree with one another on the "right" way to do things, I have to try to remember which book I usually listen to for the particular task at hand!
Rebecca.... I know people change values using quilting but I tend to use it for texture mostly. Hmmmmmmm, I haven't even gotten to thinking about the quilting. Normally, I tend to make one design decision at a time.
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