I remind myself of that as I sew quilts. If I'm bored while creating a quilt I imagine if it will also be boring -- a ho hum quilt -- to those who see it. Somehow, I think our emotions -- excitement, interest, enthusiasm, or boredom -- move from our minds, through our hands, to the fabric, the quilting, and the finished quilt.
I can't say that I'm bored with this quilt but I don't have much enthusiasm for it. I personally like blue and green together but there's something not right with this quilt as it is. (Too many lights and too few mediums? Too many light/dark blocks, not enough light/medium, medium/dark blocks?) Yet, I'm committed to sewing more blocks to see what I can make of it. At this point I have 7 blocks by 8 blocks (minus 2). The blocks will finish at 6". Were I to stop after making 2 more blocks, the quilt would finish at 42" x 48". Certainly large enough for a baby quilt, but then figure in the shrinkage from quilting and washing & drying and it might be a mite small.
My goal in January is to make 18 more blocks and play with layouts. Perhaps some of the blocks will not be used and the quilt will stay the same size or become square. My goal does not include choosing a border (which the quilt may or may not get) nor sewing the blocks together but if I get that far, all the better.
This first week of January has been hectic. My daughter who wasn't able to come for Christmas came for New Year and spent five days with us. She left on Wednesday (the day before I had a colonoscopy - ugh). I'm always sad to see loved ones go. At my age I never can tell whether it might be the last time I'll see them, so I savor the moments.
I'm linking this post to One Monthly Goal - January Goal Setting Link Up at Elm Street Quilts. From the number of quilters linking up (113 right now!) there are lots of us ready to set goals and play with fabric again. Click through to see thumbnails of others' goals for January. Thanks for hosting, Patty.
--Nancy.
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Well, I really like these blocks. There is nothing boring about this quilt to me. : )
ReplyDeleteJanet, I think you are my best cheerleader! Thank you.
DeleteThese are fun blocks! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Patty, and thank you for hosting One Monthly Goal!
DeleteI like the criss cross pattern the blocks make in the layout you show. Perhaps a border would add the 'missing' tone to help you feel more satisfied with the colour balance of the quilt (it looks fine to me!)?
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it definitely needs a border, Allison. I should probably have been thinking about border fabric already but haven't. So much for planning a quilt from beginning to end. ;-)
DeleteI like where you're going with this quilt. But, if you want to add some spark, perhaps a bit of black or yellow with sashing. If you leave it as is, then quilting will add great texture and cotton batting some wonderful shrinkage. Have fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your ideas, Gypsy Quilter. I think I'll omit the sashing but add a border -- or two. I agree that the quilting and a wash and dry will add something to the finished quilt.
DeleteI like the blues and greens also, I would not have thought about putting those colors together in a quilt.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Missy. I feel like I somehow haven't got the colors just right yet. Maybe it's the placement in the blocks or the shades and tones....
DeleteThe blues and greens are very soothing to me, kind of like the ocean. I think you might try some more lights, but you always seem to work it out!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jennie. I'm not sure what doesn't look right to me but maybe it's the creams/yellows. I've made some more blocks to try out. Thanks for your confidence in me!
DeleteNancy, what a lovely and fun quilt! I like your decision making process, how you're not thrilled this far but committed to an effort to see how it can improve!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Meredith. One of my challenges is that I can take too long to see what the problem is and/or make a decision, which makes me a slow quilter. I'm determined to get this little quilt to finished top stage, though -- and soon.
DeleteYour comment came to my email but I couldn't respond directly to you because your email address wasn't included and the link to your name goes to G+ where there's no information about your email address or whether you have a blog. Do you?
I know what you mean here. I'm working on a Storm at Sea for my granddaughter in a blues/greens/teals color scheme (those are her colors), and I'm having a hard time keeping any momentum going. I think it's the lack of contrast in the colors - I so so so want to add some orange or red just to give it a little kick...
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Thanks for your comment, Gayle. It caused me to go back to the original blocks I made and I pulled a few of the browns and added those. It's not a lot of color but a little. And I made a few more medium/dark blocks which, I think, help.
DeleteI just looked at Storm of Sea and I can imagine a coral square in the center of blocks in blues/greens/teals. I think it's really hard to have someone else's limitations on creative work! Good luck with that one!
I absolutely love the blues and greens together! The color combination is soothing and the blocks give it great movement. I Hope you're finding time to work on it this month.
ReplyDeleteAnd good for you for savoring your time with family! Those moments are precious and I too want to enjoy every moment. I know our children are busy and I always tell them not to worry about when they can come home. They are always welcome and I tell them, "We'll take you whenever we can get you". :)
Thanks, Karin. I like blue and green together, too, but I still don't love this quilt. I'm coming to terms with the fact that not every quilt will be fabulous. Some will just be good enough. And that's okay. The blocks are sewn together now and I'll add the borders tomorrow (I hope).
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