Saturday 20 November 2021

Going up, not going out

Like some of the commenters on my last post, I rather liked the picture where my blocks were staggered, with quite big areas of empty space - ie floor - around them.  The most obvious thing to try was adding in plain chunks of colour. I did NOT like this. Here is one iteration, but there were others.  I varied the fabrics I used, cut some bigger pieces, played around with placement. Nothing was any better than this and this is most definitely no good.

Isn't it frustrating when lots of quite sensible ideas produce an utterly dull looking quilt?  Fortunately scrapping this approach doesn't entail any seam ripping, so that's a small win.

Another possible way to go at this would, I suppose, be to cave in and add something lighter.  It may come to that but it doesn't feel in the spirit of things;  I really want to find a way to work with just this dark range, if at all possible. For now, I am going with the long, skinny chunks, but have introduced a few solids to break things up a bit.

13 comments:

Doris said...

yes, these stripes will do it I think. And isn´t it interesting how these pink squares seems to be a light color against the others? Not dull at all.

Janie said...

The design process! Waiting for the blocks to start 'talking' to you.
I do like the rectangle shapes and the various window treatments.

Julierose said...

Oh yes, it is totally frustrating for sure!! For me, it's all about whether the colors "sing" for me...and...Uh...I have a WHOLE box of
"started but didn't love it" blocks...
so, take heart...it will come...it just needs to "marinate" a while ;D...
hugs, Julierose

gladiquilts said...

Wonder if adding some deep gold or amber colored pieces for some windows would add an interesting spark to the composition?

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

I really like the dark colors together and how the relative tones become so different when grouped together. And I'm still liking these tall, skinny units. I'm starting to see apartment buildings, but I'm thinking of elevator shafts or alleys (with the laundry hanging out to dry on strings connecting side to side) between them? Now I'm building out a story in my own mind, which is fun!

Marly said...

I can see apartment buildings too. Although the contrast is minimal it IS contrast, especially with the lighter pink pieces. It reminds me of the first quilt of yours I ever saw; it was all red. How did you manage the contrast there?

Anonymous said...

The blue chunks in the first picture make me think of a courtyard between buildings.
Kathleen - kakingsbury at verizon dot net

patty a. said...

I do like the long skinny sections in the the last picture. How to join them is the question. A variation in the size of the fabric pieces seems like one way to go to have some definition to the size of the doors. I am sure you will come up with something brilliant!

Mystic Quilter said...

Looks like I missed your last post!, however I must say that I do like the addition of the small squares and your long skinny chunks. Isn't it frustrating when you can't hit the combination you're after.

QuiltGranma said...

Today your progress reminds me of a movie, "Monsters, Inc." If you have not seen it, I highly suggest that you do. There is a part where all the doors to the children's closets are seen. Millions of doors. All different.

Ann said...

Or put more doors together like a tall (or wide) apartment building and use wider "sashing" between them. Maybe.
I like your last photo.

audrey said...

Maybe go even darker, to the black for the bulk of several block backgrounds. Might make the brights pop a bit and give you the breathing room. I know what you mean though, when all the good ideas seem to go nowhere good. So very frustrating!

Mary Marcotte said...

You're just getting all the "anh, not what I want" ideas out of the way. Just keep making doors (and maybe windows?) till something happens. It will.
I like someone's idea of seeing "Monsters Inc." for inspiration. That scene is astonishing.