Analysis of the Corner Store

Corner Store Finished Top
Corner Store Finished Top

Last week, I talked about finishing this piece and how it had no soul.This realization kind of sent me into a bit of a tailspin, because I am not used to quilt tops having no soul. I got a lot of great comments, which you should go and read. Everyone had great suggestions and insights. I really appreciated the comments.

I had a long discussion with TFQ about this piece and I finally came to the conclusion that the ratio of color to Kona Snow is off. That means that there is too much Kona Snow for the amount of color I included. It could be that this pattern, which originally came from Pretty Little Mini Quilts, was never really suited to scaling it up. In my version, the blocks are small, but the piece is still fairly large.

Still, I think that there is not enough color and too much white. I think that white can lighten a piece and give a fresh look, but I think the quiltmaker has to be careful about how much white to use. I think I have to agree with TFQ that too much white can suck the life out of a piece.

I was upset about this quilt and it did make me think, but I am glad I have bumped up against the “white wall.” I am glad I pushed the envelope and seem to have a limit. It is good for my development as a quiltmaker. I also have to remind myself that I can’t make a masterpiece every time.

Author: Jaye

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

2 thoughts on “Analysis of the Corner Store”

  1. I’ve been thinking a lot about this quilt. Probably because the whole idea of a “souless quilt” is so sad! If this were my souless quilt, here’s what I would do. I would keep it as is, including the white border that is the same width as the squares. Then I would add a 6- or 8-inch wide border in a warm solid color, maybe red, or orange, or magenta. The border would need to be wide enough to balance out the white with color. I would probably do the binding in the same solid as the wide border. Maybe then it would look like the border was trying to contain/constrain all those active little triangles that are dying to get out of the box, and create some tension. Some applique on the border of escaping/leaking triangles would be fun, too. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got.

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