Weblog and Idea Spot for Quilters

13 May 2010

Lemonade in the Making

Babs wanted swappers to use her focus and any fabric that was just the colors from the focus to build any block they wanted.  She got back a few like that but mostly they were blocks with lots of neutral background and not much color.  At least they all used her focus!

She brought them over (was it more than a year ago now Babs?) one day when our group was meeting.  She fiddled around with them and just got less and less happy with them until eventually she pitched them towards the trash (at least figuratively).  I rescued them; she gave me the "you can't make anything out of that mess!" look.  They sat on a shelf gathering dust and feeling sorry for themselves until 3 days ago when I rediscovered them.

I laid them out on the kitchen floor, my "design wall" (That's why I never play along with design wall monday - I NEVER leave things on the design wall.  People might step on them!).  I did lots of leaning over and shuffling blocks.  Babs was right, these were really difficult blocks to balance. 


Evenutally I hit upon the idea of framing each block in a color that wasn't in the block which upped the odds that I'd be able to lay them out without having blobs of color coagulating in different corners.  Here's the top nearly finished. 


I don't have any of her focus fabric, but I do have a very similar green with tiny white polka dots.  I'm thinking green border as wide as the frames (one inch) followed by one inch of the neutral followed by a 2 inch color block border made from the framing fabrics and the green and then bind it all in the too dark purple that is seen in a couple of the blocks (hopefully fooling the eye into believing that the dark purple is there on purpose).
Suggestions?



6 comments:

  1. I'm wondering if the purple would be better as the inner border instead of the green... then use the green to bind? I would think that would possibly tie the purple in better than using it as binding. Just my humble opinion for your consideration. I really like how its looking though. Your borders on the blocks really have pulled it together.

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  2. Putting borders on the blocks was an inspired idea. They look fantastic. I like the border layout you have in the picture. Can't wait to see it finished.

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  3. I like Edna's idea. You did really great in framing the blocks - makes for a super nice quilt.

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  4. I like your idea to frame the blocks! Good job!

    Have a great day!

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  5. I had completely forgotten about those blocks! just the other day I found the ones I kept and more that I had another group do and some MORE of the fabric...I must have really liked that fabric...I think I bought 5 or 6 yards of it.

    I love the blocks and agree with Edna about the purple border. Try it in EQ and see what happens.

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  6. I agree with Edna, use the purple for the inner border, if you haven't already got it done - speedy gonzales!
    looks great though!

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