Up To Here!

Lookie, Lookie, Lookie!

I finally have enough blocks to start putting things together.

I say "Finally!"  You say "You are so fast!"  It doesn't feel like that.

But I tend to hyper-focus on things I want to see progressing.  That means that I don't have several projects going in many different stages so I have to decide what I'm going to work on on any given day.

It's one thing at the machine.  Until it's done.

Some folks might find that mind-numbing and boring - but I love to see progress happening and watch the dream of what was in my head come together before me in fabric and thread.

All. The. Blocks!

This comment came through our Quiltville’s Open Studio group on Facebook. I get this a lot. And I understand!

Though she is talking specifically about string quilts, it applies to all quilts.

If scrappy EVERYTHING seems hard for you, the first thing you can do is interpret the quilt into a 2-color quilt.  Say blue/white for example.

If you can make a quilt with 2 fabrics only and that feels good to you, do it.  It will be beautiful.

If you can see the same quilt with 47 different blues and 24 neutrals, do that. The design will read the same, but have much more movement in it and be so much more interesting to look at.

When you feel a bit better about your fabric choices, see if you can incorporate a 3rd color somewhere. So you have a 3 color quilt.

When I am doing scrappy rainbow everything I am looking at the quilt design in greyscale.  That means any color can go where the grey (dark) goes, and any neutral can go where the white goes.

The more colors I throw in, the more random things become.  It doesn't take away from the design, it adds spark and movement.

And.  The more I throw in, the more i can get away with! LOL!

See this little pink calico in my current quilting project?

I started dating my husband in May of 1981. When he asked me out, I went down to the little dime store and purchased yardage of this fabric to make a dress for our first date.

This is all that is left now, it's been used in many quilts over the years and I like including a piece of it in scrappy quilts just so I can remember when and see how far we've come.

We are celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary this coming August.

Getting back to the question at hand - How to work around the feeling that uber scrappy is too chaotic?

Calm it down. Color it your own way.

We tend to think about color first - but there are two things that come even before color:

Value & Contrast. Did you know that color actually comes LAST in a quilt design?

If your fabrics are too close in value and there is not enough contrast, it doesn't matter how pretty your colors are. You'll lose the design. The VALUE is how something reads (either light or dark) and the CONTRAST is what happens when you put one fabric next to another.  Does it keep the design, or blur it?

If you think that what I do is super hard, you are making it too hard.  I play with two categories only.  COLOR and NEUTRAL in this quilt.  

If it is a color, it goes in one position in the block.  If it is a neutral it only goes in the neutral areas of the block.

It's the value and the contrast that does all of the work.

I hope this helps!

Here's another piece of that pink calico. It's VERY light, but I put "whiter" neutrals next to it that would make it read as a COLOR (not as a light, if that makes sense.)

Hazel says Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever.  LOL!

Some blocks sewn into rows and laid out- I'm not laying out the whole quilt because I don't know what Hazel will do in the night!

That's the one downside of having a part-time studio kitty.  I don't know if block surfing is her thing.

I'm building the rows, rows can be rearranged, turned round, I'll find a position where everything works when putting rows together.

And I do have ideas for borders - because there are still so many small scraps to find places for. 

And I'm not in a hurry. I've got time. I've got fabric scraps.  I've got thread.  I'll figure it out as I go.

I woke up to this message from son Jeff, who has gone from making pasta by hand to now experimenting with sourdough breads.

It turns out he let it rest overnight, but then got up at 5am to start baking it.

This kid just tickles me to no end, and he is so talented in so many ways!

The Richmond Express ladies arrived last night and I'm excited to get over there and see what they are putting up on design walls.

Thankfully our weather is improving - let's hope that the worst of winter is FINALLY behind us after last week's deep freeze and flurries.

What's happening with your Thursday?

And if you haven't yet, please pop over to the Gift-Away post and get your entry in!

I'll be drawing for 2 winners who will each receive a Brookgreen PDF pattern from me and:

A Caramel roll from  Cotton to Quilts!

Introductory Pricing:  The PDF pattern for Brookgreen is currently 25% off in the Quiltville Store, no coupon needed!  Price good through 3/31/26.

Simple shapes and easy piecing create a stunning repeat of pattern and secondary designs, inspired by photo taken of vintage tile floors white traveling. 

Full color photos, Optional piecing methods, and directions to press for success!

I can't wait to see what you do with your own version, be it in these colors, or perhaps a color theme of your own choosing!

Brookgreen finishes at 80'' X 80'' but is easily customized by making fewer blocks for a smaller quilt, or more blocks for a bigger one.

Add to the length by simply adding more rows.

Border as desired!

Quiltville quote of the Day -

Sometimes plans can be interrupted by stumbles and hiccups and even large roadblocks, but it doesn't have to be the end of the journey! ⁣
⁣
Santa Fe String Star from my book String Fling.

It's been a while since I've made a traditional string star quilt - Maybe that will be next up on the drawing board?

Have a terrific Thursday everyone -