I don’t remember exactly when it was, last Friday, I think, but I had a brief window of time before I had to go do something else for someone. The grief at the implications of my BIL’s loss were starting to creep into my brain in the quiet and threatening to overwhelm me.
I turned to the Improv pieces I had worked on at the workshop. They were sewn together as you see (left photo), but I wasn’t happy with them, so I unstitched them and began to rework them.
Tina’s idea (from Little Blue Cottage) is that there should be a lot of negative space in the center. Because I like the interplay of the strong pattern, I wanted the blacks and whites to act as the negative space and the red to act as the foreground.
This isn’t a terrible idea, but it wasn’t working with this layout. I looked at it a lot, trying to like it – or at least be okay with the center. The reality was that I didn’t like it. I wasn’t achieving anything near what I was imagining, thus the ripping.
The ripping really didn’t take long, but it did allow my mind time to wander, which is not what I wanted. After ripping, I began adding more neutrals to the ‘legs’. The photo (right) is what the pieces look like right now. I have not sewn the four blocks together yet. I haven’t decided if I am done with the ‘A’ blocks yet.
I think I will definitely add some more red to the outside. I also think that a few more neutrals is in order. It needs to sit a bit.
I wandered around it for awhile and then began to wonder whether I should reverse the blocks and arrange them the way Tina intended the pattern to be arranged. I think the neutral part of the blocks look too skinny again when arranged with the red in the middle. It isn’t terrible, though.
I think the ultimate path is to make some of the ‘B’ blocks and see what happens once I have more to look at.
I like it both ways, but I agree, make some B blocks and play around on the design wall some more, rotating and trying different arrangements. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your idea, though, and hope if you don’t do that with this one, you make another one. I think this is going to be an amazing quilt!
My love to you and your family and my sympathies for your loss and I hope that you get some healing creative time in for yourself!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I don’t know if I will be able to make some B blocks before the meeting, but I will try. It is definitely worth more time to see how it shakes out.
This is interesting!! I love the interactions of the pattern – plus loveee – the palette!! I would like to invite you to participate in my art quilt blog link up Off the Wall Fridays. You can pick any post from your week that you want to share!
Thanks for your comment! I’ll take a look at your blog.