Wednesday 29 January 2020

Very long, very skinny

I am chugging slowly along, notwithstanding the challenges I have set myself.  Piecing together my very long, very skinny coin sets, with all their bends and kinks is definitely requiring me to concentrate. That pink fabric whose job it is to fill in all the little gaps is going to have its work cut out. 

I have used most of the coin sets I put together at the start, so now I'm putting together more as I go along.  Quite a few fabrics are already running short, but I am much more sanguine about this than I used to be - one way or another my quilts always get finished.  Interestingly I have much less of the lovely multi-coloured stripe than I thought; I have realised this is because it was a short sleeved shirt - that extra bit of sleeve from the elbow down must yield a lot of fabric.  

Working away at the top right hand side here.
Just slapping bits down and shuffling them around to see what clicks.

Eventually I got to this.
I started sewing some parts of this arrangement together but lost track a bit.  One of the problems with my way of working is that sometimes I pick something up and then can't remember where it came from.  In those moments I just give up and start figuring it out again from scratch.  But some of this will definitely be there next time you see it. And some, you may have gathered, most probably won't.  

11 comments:

Robin said...

Regardless of the method, it looks very interesting. Sorry there isn't more of the stripe but there's nothing to worry about. I like your laissez-faire attitude.

Julierose said...

Love those little red hourglass blocks--they really add a lot i think..I also love how the fabrics are blending together...hugs, Julierose

Mystic Quilter said...

I like how this is developing, I admire your way of working Kaja and probably should expand my horizons by trying to bring more improv into my quilting, perhaps the hourglass prompt could be the beginning!
I agree with Julierose that red hourglass blocks add a lovely pop along with the small red strip.

Pam said...

Love this!! Very interesting work.

Ann said...

Your work constantly amazes me. Starting with a plan in your head and not measuring. It's such a treat to see these progress to a fabulous finish each time.

patty a. said...

It's great that you are starting to sew those strip sets together. Making adjustments as you go is something I have done too when I forget where I exactly a piece was planned to go. Running out of that plaid will just push you to substitute something else that will add to the character of this piece. Have a wonderful weekend!

Monica said...

I'm really interested to see where this goes. Looks very promising!

Marly said...

This is coming along nicely.
I recognise the problem of not knowing later where a piece came from. My solution is to take lots of photos with my phone while I'm moving things around. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, I sometimes forget! When the project is finished they all get deleted; they're just rough notes after all!

Kim said...

I am loving your "slapping bits down and shuffling them around" process, Kaja. As Marly said, I too take photos of my quilts as I go, because my muddly head can never remember anything. =)

audrey said...

I am so enjoying the little pops of red hourglass blocks. Such a great little spark!

Mary Marcotte said...

I think that part of improv is doing what you've just described. At least that's how I explain it to myself. I think about the improv piece when I'm going about the other parts of my day, then I get back to the sewing and have lost track. Apparently, I didn't like that track and starting over is a way of moving forward and trying something new. I used to keep notes, but rarely do anymore. Life is either more interesting when we forget or forgetfulness is just part of life...regardless, we get all of it. Since that's how it works out, there's no use getting upset.