Friday, January 11, 2019

Hidden Messages

Hidden Messages
69" x 72"
This is one of my latest finishes.  I love this quilt so much!  It looks so randomly modern.  However, it is not at all random.  I have color coded the circles with the alphabet and spelled out a poem.  I am so curious if anyone can actually decipher the code?

And, this is just one level of hidden messages contained within this quilt.  As an aside, I find it a fabulous metaphor for people too, that there is more than meets the eye.


Here is a closeup shot.  The white background is one piece of fabric.  I quilted it with the black grid lines first, and then quilted the horizontal light blue lines (reminds me of a hybrid between wide ruled paper and graph paper).  Then I hand appliqued the circles into place.

To make the circles, I cut out 4" circles of freezer paper (a LOT of them), ironed them to the fabric, then cut with scissors around the circles leaving approximately 1/4" to turn under.  I used the iron to press the edges under using the freezer paper as a guide.  I removed the freezer paper and then hand basted the turned edge.  Then they were ready to place onto the previously quilted surface and hand applique into place.  It was a huge amount of work, but I really enjoyed every step.  Except one.

When I finished I did not like the way the colors worked together.  It was hugely disappointing after so much work.  The original color palette looked fantastic when I first started, so I also found it a bit confusing.  But I knew it had to change or I would never like it.  So I ripped out the offending colors and found some new ones.  Here are the ones that did not make the cut.
And, I was so glad I did the extra work! It made all the difference, and now I am super happy with the overall look of the quilt.  Here it is hanging in my house.  I agree, it is hung too high for now, but....cats....  (ps. Sharky likes it too!)
Also, I have only shared about half of what this quilt has going on.  Stay tuned.  There are more hidden messages to be revealed!  :)

7 comments:

Nicole said...

Please tell me you omitted punctuation!

Kathy York said...

Hi Nicole!
I wondered what to do with punctuation. I decided to include it, but it did not get a separate color. This is going to sound completely confusing and possibly misleading, but all will become clear when I finish the second part of this post! :) ps. Good question!

Nicole said...

I think I've solved it! I'm sending you an email.

Heather Pregger said...

Kathy, this is a wonderful quilt!

Stacy Hurt said...

will work on solving later, is it ok that I just love looking at it? its gorgeous and clean and oh so you! Great Work!!

Kathy York said...

Heather, Thank you so much!!

Kathy York said...

Hi Stacy,
Of course, YES! I think it is awesome that you are willing to try! Thanks so much for your kind comments!