Wednesday 10 March 2021

Propelled by sheer obstinacy

 Yup, that's what has kept me moving with these tulips this week.  Here's how it went:

1.  Decide to piece your tulips.  Do a little sketch.  Decide the piecing will be too fiddly and that you need to make these blocks a bit bigger.  

2. Use a dodgy string block to get a feel for what the pieced flower might look like.  

3. Accidentally drop the flower on top of another block.  Like how it looks, with the tulip in the corner, so make a couple like that.

4.  Check these flowers with your string blocks.  Spot the not-so-deliberate error.  Two sides might work, the other two will merge into your strings in an unpleasant mush.  Also, larger gingham makes everything way too busy.

5. Not giving up.  Pull apart blocks, go back to your drawer full of shirts and look for a new background.  Find a lovely taupe shirt, recently acquired (but sadly way too big to wear).  Yes, that looks good.  Remake blocks.

6.  Check these flowers with your string blocks.  Hmm.  Like the strings, like the flowers but they look like they belong in different quilts.

7.  Maybe this would help?

8. Remake blocks adding little extra strips which, as it happens, add a slight leafy effect.  Better.

9. Check these flowers with your string blocks.  They look too big and a bit top heavy.  Decide they need to be smaller.  Try not to think about step one.

10.  Cut them down.
I'm not there yet, but feel like I get closer with each iteration.  To be fair, I only made a couple of the initial test blocks, so there are not horrific amounts of re-sewing going on.  in fact, the thinking probably takes more time than the actual stitching. 

A side note: this kitchen floor is doing nothing to help.  It is scheduled for replacement and you can be sure that I am hoping for something that does as good a job in quilting terms as the dark grey tiles at the last house.  

7 comments:

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

Adding in those last two inserted strips made a really big difference. I hope that you are close to a final iteration and are ready to move forward making more of them soon!

Ann said...

This is heading in a delightful direction even if it's taking a while. How resourceful and determined you are to design and re-design the tulips. I prefer them pieced, too, but decided I wanted/needed to practice some applique. Either way, there's lots to learn.

Quiltdivajulie said...

Good for you!!! I like the direction you've taken - keep going!!

sue s said...

This is my first time on your blog. I am glad to see your thoughts on this as I was also thinking piecing. I have a Rose of Sharon die I may use, or else will find a pieced rose. Good work!

O'Quilts said...

Very fun...love it

audrey said...

When at first you don't succeed, try try again! I can definitely see where you're trying to go with these!:)

patty a. said...

I love the idea of the improv tulips. Once you get them just right they will look great and fit in with the theme of the improv strings. I was at a counted cross stitch shop over the weekend looking for some hand dyed floss (I was too lazy to dye my own). The owner asked me what I was doing and I told her about a sampler I saw a picture of, but the chart was no longer printed. I told her I had enough pictures of it that I would just improv it. She looked at me in horror and I told her that is the same way I make many of my quilts - Just wing it!