My friend Kim commissioned a quilt from me. Her guidelines were broad: orangey-red, browns; warm, rich colors; use up-cycled goods. I've been shopping other stashes I know about and even bought a corduroy shirt at Salvation Army.
Tonight I just couldn't think of a reason not to begin (well, except for vacuuming and piffle, vacuuming).
And I despaired because it looked ugly. I rarely do "pretty" as an aesthetic for anything, but really, I told myself, maybe I should have aimed more for pretty here. All the fabric seemed so strange, but I made myself work on the block for an hour because patchwork is magical after a few rows.
I really really like it. What do you think?
I am cutting, designing, and sewing all in one swoop. It's more time consuming than I thought; I don't know enough about quilting to know if anyone else does it this way. My plan at this point is to machine quilt stitch in the ditch (maybe using yellow thread!). I haven't found a backing yet. I want to start sleuthing for a sheet
Hi Margo! Good for you! I think it will be great. You should google "quilts of Gee's Bend" -- the way you describe your process is like these ladies' way. They talk about putting some fabrics together and seeing what happens, and their quilts are quite alive.
ReplyDeleteI find that the more quilting I do, the happier I am with the finished product.
I will check it out - thanks for the tip! And thanks for the good word of a seasoned quilter. . .
ReplyDeleteThe aqua is a stroke of genius.
ReplyDeleteRebecca
I reminded me of Gee's Bend quilts, too!
ReplyDelete