I can't decide whether I'm working on Bramble Blooms or playing to make Bramble Blooms. Either way, I feel like I'm way in over my head, far out of my comfort zone, maybe even almost drowning. Choose fabric before knowing the quilt pattern?! It feels like driving with a bandana over my eyes.
I chose fabric. Too much, you say? Maybe. Probably. But,
I wanted to cover all the bases and have plenty of options, considering that this will be
fabric for three quilts. In fact, maybe there will be another fabric on
my shelves that will work better, sometime in the future of making
three quilts.... I haven't divided these fabrics into three groups yet.
I realized I don't have many mid-range colors. Most are either dark or light, but not really bright. But I'm using what I have and not buying more. I'll have to figure out a way to make-do.
And now, playing with flowers and possible flower arrangements. (Thinking of a background about 18" x 26".)
Flower construction could be a challenge. Will the petals look individual? I like them that way in the drawing but in the end, will it make any difference? Maybe I should cut the flower as a whole and call it done. I really like the detail that holds the petals together at the base of the flower but I think it will be a challenge to cut and sew.... And is a vase a good idea or not? Maybe I should simplify.
Two inspiration photos:
This is on one of those almost-fabric, plastic-coated shopping bags from a nearby grocery store. I like the arrangement of flowers. I don't think I'll switch to poppies but maybe having more than three flowers standing together without a vase and having some kind of seedpods or blooms could be interesting. Before I saw this bag I had already made a new-bud-like version of a smaller flower with just three petals. Hmmm.
I love
Tricia Guild's Painted Country for its bright colors and uncommon color combinations. Kaffe Fassett's colors are bright and beautiful, and Audrey's color combinations are often surprising and delightful, too. Part of me wonders if I should be braver with color for this quiltalong, but the other (sensible) part of me tells me that I'm already out of my comfort zone and adding two discomforts might just be too overwhelming. (It's so easy for me to talk myself out of things.)
These are possible/probable fabrics for the background--even these are a little darker, more creamy that I would normally use--and three reds-leaning-to-oranges for the flowers.
Honestly, I thought about marine blue flowers with green stems and leaves and a red or yellow or orange oval at the base of the flower. I thought about a light blue background with red or yellow or blue flowers. Or a gold background.... Those feel too risky for me right now. Maybe on the next Bramble Blooms I'll try something a little more out of my comfort zone.
This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about my Bramble Blooms progress. If you've read this far, you have great stamina and fortitude. Thanks so much for reading! If you have thoughts, observations, or ideas, maybe something I haven't thought about or didn't notice, I'd love to read them. Your comment should come to my email and I'll respond via email and here on the blog.
At Audrey's blog,
Quilty Folk, there is a sidebar with a link to all the participants in the Bramble Blooms quiltalong. You may like to visit some of them. Thank you, Audrey, for your generosity in creating this quiltalong. I can tell it's going to be a fun, interesting, and challenging ride!
I'm linking this post to
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Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts
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Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More
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Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict Thanks so much for hosting, ladies.
--Nancy.
You are definitely overthinking this, but you have a lot of good ideas... I think working with colors you're comfortable with will make the whole process easier if you're overwhelmed already. I haven't split up my fabrics yet either - I'm not sure I'm committed to making three quilts yet, but I suppose I can split them when the time (and decision) comes. Or maybe I'll just pull another batch?! I like your flowers in the vase - maybe you can do a little embroidery to define the petal edges?
ReplyDeleteOh, Katie, you have no idea of how the introvert brain works. We think, then rethink, then think again, trying to cover all aspects of any topic or the outcome of any decision. (I think you must be an extrovert?) I noticed in Audrey's last post that she kept reconsidering an aspect of one of her quilts in process. I sometimes wish I could make quick decisions but past experience doing so shows me that the success rate of those decisions was very low.
DeleteIt's hard to imagine making three improv quilts in a year, but maybe it will get much easier with time....
Yes, I think embroidery or quilting might help define the petals if I choose to go with that flower.
Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind and go for it! You definitely are not the only one a little out of their comfort zone. Try new things and have fun, it's only fabric! The next one will be easier. Now I just need to take my own advice.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments and encouragement, Pat. In the past when I've thrown caution to the wind and made quick decisions, I've usually regretted it. My introvert brain needs to mull over every aspect of a decision.
DeleteI hope this quilt-along expands my comfort zone! Yes, only fabric, and it's all about fun and learning. I hope you're making good progress on your flower center.
Quilting Babcia always gives excellent advice, see above! Go for it. I just posted my ramblings too tho, lol. I won't look at the other quilters' blogs yet bec I don't want to be influenced, at least not yet. I do know I will not pull a pile of fabrics, I know what I have and where it is. IA stack of fabrics would give me an panic attack, literally, cannot bear to mess up my system. And...I know I won't--cannot--make three quilts. [tho who knows]. It will be a fun learning experience, if only in my mind. You have wonderful quilting skills, your ideas will be great!
ReplyDeletePat does give good advice, Lizzy. It's my introvert brain that thinks things through so carefully before making a decision.
DeleteThat's a good idea not to look at others' blogs. It really is easy to be influenced!
I'd love to hear about your system for organizing your fabric! My system fails as often as it succeeds.
Yes, it will be a fun learning experience if I don't get too serious about it. Thank you for your encouraging comment about my quilting skills.
Good for you for stepping out of your comfort zone. You are off to a great start. A couple of thoughts. A good way to settle on a color scheme is to select a focus and/or favorite fabric. Use that as your guide for pulling fabrics. Also, you can always differentiate the floral petals later with stitching either by hand or machine. This will make it easier to appliqué and still add some depth or definition to the flower head. Most importantly, enjoy the process. Know there will be ups and downs and that is OK. You are going to surprise yourself.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your words of encouragement, Gwyned. I'm trying to enjoy every step of the process and not get stressed.
DeleteI have heard others suggest using a favorite fabric for a color scheme. I'll look at the fabrics I've chosen and see if they offer some inspiration about colors. I hope to sew my background this week and then make decisions about the flowers. Thanks again for your kind words.
I feel like I'm back in that childhood game where they blindfold you and spin you around 3 times with my Bramble. Of course, having it be stalled because of my thumb doesn't help either. Too much time to think about what I've done or will do or can do ;00000.
ReplyDeleteI also chose, initially, a whole lot of fabrics; I am not comfortable not knowing where this will go,,,
Ah me, I've always thought of Improv as grabbing a fabric on the fly and if it goes, great!! I don't usually do a "fabric pull"--as i use bags of multi-colored scraps for a lot of my pieces...
I like your flower ideas--really nice...hang in there!! Hugs, Julierose
Thank you, Julieros.
DeleteYour and your poor thumb, Julierose. I hope it's healing. Not being able to make progress on Bramble Blooms would be a challenge.
I'm not quite comfortable not knowing where this is going, either. Usually, with a mystery quilt, even though you don't know the final result, you know that someone else knows. With this open-ended improv style, every step seems up in the air. But I tell myself that I"m learning a new system or method or way to make a quilt, and that's a good thing. LIke you, I don't usually do a fabric pull, either, unless it's a few pieces of fabric for the first few blocks. I guess the fabric pull for this is like having a limited supply of fabrics to choose from, as if I were a very beginning quilter.
Ah, me, I hope it will come out right--for both of us. No, for all of the participants!
I think your flowers in a vase idea is lovely! You have a great variety of fabric to choose from. The hardest part for me was just starting, cutting into that first piece of fabric. I look forward to your progress!
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DeleteThank you for taking the time to visit and leave such a sweet comment. Yes, cutting fabric is hard though I don't mind cutting paper to make patterns. I hope to cut and sew the background this weekend and decide on fabric for flowers, etc.
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post, Nancy. I'm attempting the QAL as well and have spent a lot of time wallowing in indecision about all aspects of the first step. I started a flower and keep looking at it. I love your petaled flower and the vase to anchor it all. Good thinking that!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jocelyn. I know several of us have been indecisive about our backgrounds and flowers for the center block. Maybe we're the ones who are fairly new to improv.... I hope you've come up with a plan you like.
DeleteDefinitely not too much fabric, you are right that options are good thing when you are "designing" and have not yet nailed down exactly what you are going to do. As your design develops it will tell you what it needs.
ReplyDeleteHaving followed Audrey's blog, I say follow her lead: don't worry in advance about how it looks, allow yourself to change direction as you go along to suit what appeals to you in the moment. You may be surprised at what you didn't expect/plan on that may really thrill you! You can always decide where the limits of your comfort zone is and adjust accordingly but don't block what inspiration may "flower" as you work on this! Relax and have fun with it!
Thank you for your encouraging advice, Vivian. I think part of the challenge of this quilt-along is the time constraint. I do better planning far in advance and not so well with a short deadline. I suppose adjusting to those are all part of the learning experience.
DeleteI love love love your fabric pull. You have a knack with using the blue greens that I just don't have. I saw a piece I wanted to order but I wasn't sure what I'd put with it and I thought, "Nancy would know exactly what would look good with this." I love what you have designed and the base of the flower looks like a little jewel. I think the flowers look great in that tall slender vase shape. I would love to just go wild and try some new color combinations of fabric but I know myself . . . I don't think I'd like it when I was done. So, I'm staying safe with the usual colors that make me happy.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robin. I'm not a big fan of blues, except that range I use so often with just a hint of green in it. I don't know that I use it well but I like trying. I was thinking about colors other than red that could be fun to use but I don't have enough of a variety of fabrics to make a successful quilt.
DeleteI would love to throw caution to the wind, too, but when I've tried that in the past it's been disastrous. Maybe on the second quilt.... Staying with colors you/we love is a great choice, too.
How well your thoughts mirror my own! I do like your fabric selections. I really do like the vase and flowers you have so far! You could do one flower with separate petals and another as one piece. ? Who thought a simple floral applique could become so complicated, I guess it is the part of the design process. I have already added more fabric to my original fabric pull, I have to remember there aren't any rules in creativity, go with what you like. I did look at the center pieces of the other participants on social media and I know I shouldn't compare, but mine looks like a hot mess compared to theirs! I am learning and so far it is not permanent and can be changed.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rebecca. I might try your suggestion of separate petals on one flower and one piece on another.
DeleteI think it's fun to see what others are doing but I always find that I risk comparing, even if it's only size, or color choices, or in other small ways. And there's also the risk of competition. For me that takes the fun out of creating something.
I don't think your center looks like a hot mess. I think it looks unlike anyone else's, and that's a good thing, right?
Bramble Blooms does take a little while to figure out the centre piece, I now have mine decided and today will begin to fix on. By the way, I also have the Painted Country book, absolutely love it, so much colour!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're making good progress on your center block. My daughter has been home so I'm still behind. I hope to cut and sew the background in the next several days, then make decisions about the flowers for the center and get them stitched down. These late autumn months are busy times to begin a quilt-along.
DeleteI just borrowed several other Tricia Guild books from the library. All filled with glorious color!
Those colors are gorgeous - and your ideas are amazing. I think you will enjoy working through this one ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouraging words, Alycia! I appreciate them.
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