Bramble Blooms and Little Outings

A few weeks ago Audrey posted the prompt for the final border for Bramble Blooms I.  I anticipated the repeated block but I did not anticipate 4-, 9-, or 12-patch blocks.  Her quilt looks fabulous with 12-patch blocks and so do several others I've seen online.  But mine?  I'm not so sure.  Does a picnic blanket or a gingham tablecloth come to mind?

I'm faced with two challenges.  The first is that I forgot to add a half inch to my measurements to allow for seams.  Right now what I have measures 40" x 48".  (Not 40½" x 48½"!)  The other challenge is that I want a quilt that is at least 60" x 80".  If there is only this last border, it will have to measure at least 10" on each side and at least 16" top and bottom or 32" divided two ways for the top and bottom borders

This is the first iteration, just playing, seeing how the colors look, etc.  The border squares in the photo are 3".  Much too large, far out of proportion.  So those are a no.  But what to do?  I feel like I've backed myself into a corner with the large appliques and that wide brown border.  Hmmm.

Maybe the quilt needs several narrower borders.  Maybe the squares won't have right-angle corners.  Maybe I should try a variety of reds, maybe without alternating lights.  Perhaps a medium width teal border, then 2" squares into 9- or 12-patches, and another border, maybe with applique.  Do you ever begin a quilt of your own design with strong ideas about how it will look when it's finished?  Me, too, but this isn't that process. 

I don't know what I'm doing.  I look at this and I think, "Oh my gosh, what have I done?"  At least I still love the center.  And I remind myself of Audrey's thought (paraphrased) that out of the three quilts in this series we're bound to fall in love with one of them.

I put this on the floor last week, took photos, and picked it up while my daughter and her kitties were here.  They're gone again and I have exactly two weeks to consider and hopefully make some decisions until I have to pick it up.  They'll come again in two Fridays. 

If you've read this far, thank you!  Please know that this post is a thinking-out-loud, rambling in my brain post, but I would love to hear (read) any thoughts, suggestions, or observations you may have for this quilt in progress.

The Little Outings

Our local library offers "culture passes" which are checked out like books and allow library patrons to visit various places of interest at no cost.  When we only want to spend an hour or two somewhere, it's great to have these free passes.  I suppose this tells you what I've been doing instead of sewing.

Two weeks ago we went to the Columbus Museum of Art.  It was a beautiful old building, and part of it still is, but they built a modern addition around part of it.  I love it when architects maintain the integrity of old buildings, but at least they didn't take down any of the old walls.  There's a section where the outside of the old building is now inside the new addition. 

This green and white quilt was on display.  The information called it "Sawtooth Diamond in a Square Quilt" and told us it was made of wool challis by an unidentified Amish maker between about 1910 and 1940.  The first photo is a detail of the quilting in the corners and the next is the whole quilt.  I think the quilting is an unusual motif on an Amish quilt.

This is part of the ceiling in the old building.   So much detail!  I'm generally not a fan of blues but they are perfect in this setting.

I think museum directors of Columbus love Dale Chihuly's work.  This is one of several pieces we saw at the Museum of Art.  I'm sure it has a name but I didn't see a sign.

This past Tuesday we went to the Franklin Park Conservatory.   It is a huge, mostly glass building filled with plants, art, and, at this time of year, there is a garden room with butterflies.  My photos of the butterflies and chrysalises did not come out well, but there were at least 50 varieties.  and because this post is so long, I'm not including many plants.

More Chihuly.  This was in a stairwell.  I think the circles are between 18" and 24" but they could be larger.  No small feat to invisibly suspend that much weight of fragile glass!

This is another Chihuly piece that was suspended from the ceiling.  They are individual shapes grouped closely together.  Thank goodness there's no wind in the building.

And the last Chihuly photo.  These shapes are at least 36" across.   They were beautiful!

The Conservatory is divided into rooms with various growing conditions.  I thought these orchids were beautiful.  They reminded me of old, aged silk. I took a few photos of other plants but this post is already so long....

Great news is that spring is in evidence all around me.  Daffodils, crocuses, forsythia are in bloom.  And many of the bushes have sprouts on them.  Have you ever noticed that spring turns green from the ground up?  First the grass, then flowers that are close to the ground then taller flowers, then bushes and shrubs, and finally the trees leaf out into green glory.  Isn't nature amazing?!

I don't know what kind of blooms these are--maybe witch hazel?--but I thought they were fun.  Almost like starbursts. 

We've had some sunny days, partly sunny days, and cloudy, rainy days these past weeks.  We've also had snowflakes and weather into the 60s.  An Ohio spring!  Except it's earlier this year than most years. 

Thanks for visiting and reading!  (And leaving comments, if you do.)

I'm linking this post to
>  Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
>  Off the Wall Friday at Creations by Nina Marie (any creative effort)
Thank you for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.