Monday 22 April 2019

Progress and a sigh of relief

I have been all around the houses with this quilt, but I have finally moved it on a bit.

Since I last posted about it I have contemplated adding smaller blocks, adding a darker block, adding sashing using my darkest red shirt.
I also spend a lot of time pondering why I felt the need to do anything.  After all this is a perfectly satisfying block and a whole bunch of them just sewn together in a perfectly straightforward way look rather lovely.  Yet I couldn't quite bring myself to do it.  I needed to tinker.  I needed to make it my own in some way. 

I rather liked the smaller block (it's 6.5") but only till I thought about how many I might need to make.  The grey didn't add anything, so the red shirt seemed like my best option.  Just to be sure, I went back through my boxes and found this, mucky greeny-brown, which also seemed to be making a case for inclusion.
 In the end I have ended up with this.
I would concede that this is only the tiniest tweak and am not even claiming that it looks better than it would have done without my butting in, but somehow I feel much better and there is a lesson for me in that.

I might add a border or I might stop here. Tomorrow I'm hoping to sew the final seam on it (currently it's two big chunks) and then I'll see.  Right now I'm mostly just feeling relieved!

14 comments:

Wendy Caton Reed said...

Why do we agonize so? I love these blocks and I am sure that all iterations would have been lovely. I do like what you finally decided on so I guess all that fussing worked!

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

I like the subtle secondary plus or crosses that you added. Definitely worth the tweak. I'm glad you gave it time and were able to find just what was needed. :)

patty a. said...

I am glad you have come to a resolution. I like this top a lot.

Quilter Kathy said...

SO fun to watch over your shoulder as your creative self makes lots of suggestions!

Lisa Boyer said...

I love all your quilts, but I especially love this one. I know sometimes our perspective is altered by looking at something too long and the agony of trying to figure out what to do, but I just want to let you know: I love these blocks. They are just wonderful. Keep up the energy with trying to make them your own! Pep talk over. (P.S. I love these blocks. Don't stop. Pep talk over again).

O'Quilts said...

yup on the nonstop overthinking bit...we all do it....good job here..xo

Janie said...

Great progress and moving ahead.
I like the blocks, each with a different story but working with the whole.
I'm looking forward to more updates.

Quiltdivajulie said...

I like that latest addition - and am glad you feel relieved.

audrey said...

It's very subtle, but all you. I know what you mean about not being able to leave things alone without adding just a little tiny bit of customization. What you don't realize is that the fabric/color choices alone make this quilt unmistakably YOU!:)

Ann said...

Mixing the dark red and mucky green together makes a good sashing strip. I am intrigued by how narrow it is and by the disjunction. The discontinuity is uniquely you - it adds a sharpness to the design and makes a statement in an unexpected manner.
It is agonizing to work on small changes for such a long time but I'm coming to realize that's the only way we make quilts in our own styles. If we hurry, we only have a generic result.
You successfully met the value range challenge you set, too. Lovely.

Soma @ inkTorrents.com said...

I like the subtle changes you made. I like the colours too, not dominating, but they stand out.

-Soma

Cathy said...

I really like this block (Stone Mason's Puzzle? ) and the fabrics you used.

LA Paylor said...

those scissor stamps are adorable. I would have snapped them up! Go that you found your mojo and are moving along. I hate being stalled with a project.
LeeAnna

Quilter Kathy said...

There is a lesson for all of us in that... I would like to take that approach in my home!