No. 19

No. 19

27" x 33"

It is easy to get caught up in the small details, but it is increasingly vital to look at the whole field. A somewhat vague statement, but applicable to a number of scenarios. It surprises me how much the national political situation infiltrates my work subconsciously.

Design Process and 'Issues':

This one started as a sketch: (Note the orientation is different from the photo above. This one started with a vertical set of blocks).

I wanted to create depth by using different sized HSTs. Then I thought it might be interesting if they were separated by solid colors, one side darker than the other to imply shadows. And then I would quilt in the lines of perspective. 

1. I was unsure of what color values to use. So, I opted to try 4 different blocks in 4 different sets of values to see which combinations looked the best. This one was the winner! The darkest center seemed to create the most depth.

2. After finishing the quilting, the design looked very flat. The quilting lines for perspective did not show up enough. They needed to be bigger, bolder, and wider. So, I got out my handy Pfaff, and started satin stitching. It used up so much thread that I was scared I would run out before I finished. Luckily, I had enough! Yeasss!!

After finishing the black lines, it looked like this. I loved the depth that I could now see.

The individual blocks look great, but combined with each other, it created an unexpected secondary design, and a problem (for me).

 

3. Unfortunately, now I could only see the concentric diamonds in the center. They jumped out so voraciously, it was ALL that I could see. Like big EYES!!

Sorry, that is probably all you can see now too. I decided that it was a worthy experiment. It failed because of my lack of imagination and foresight. And it was okay that it failed miserably. It was worth the journey. It is how you learn, by trying something new, and then doing it, and learning along the way. And then my son walked by the studio and suggested rotating the quilt.

So, I did...

I could see the depth now in a horizontal orientation, and the 2 concentric diamonds that were now stacked vertically....well, they no longer looked like eyeballs staring back at me. 

It is still not my favorite quilt. It does not bother me that it is not my favorite quilt. I have had a number of comments on my FB post that suggest I would like it better if I turned the quilt horizontally...um, I have actually already tried that. Ha ha! And, I have already stitched the hanging tube on the back in this orientation. 

 

I guess if someone wants to purchase it, and turn it back to it's original orientation, I would be happy to change the hanging tube for them. I hope the big eyeballs won't bother them too much! Ha ha!

Here's a few closeups for you.

and another one...