Gosh doesn't Wednesday come around quickly! I linked up last week for the first time and thought I would try it again, a good discipline to help me keep up to date.
This week's WIP (work in process) is so much a WIP but more a SS (standing still). Back in March when I was helping my friend Rosie finish a quilt for her son in Korea, I thought maybe I should be making a quilt for my own son in the States. Whether he wants it or not is another thing! As a physicist I thought a plus quilt would be the thing. I have been wanting to try one for a while. I even have lots of squares cut out to make a small one, all stored ready and waiting in an empty Jo Malone box. They are flowery though, and he would hate them.
So I started the plus quilt, hoping to have it finished by Easter. Ho Hum. When I was sewing at 1.30 in the morning (husband was away for business) and I went to put on my glasses, to find I already had glasses on, that was when I realised this wasn't going to be finished for Easter. I know, I'll finish it and post it over. Ho Hum. We are meeting up with him in July and that would be the time to take it over to him. We are meeting up and travelling around a bit. He travels light, but even to post it from Nashville to his home would not be as expensive as posting from the UK.
Well on to the quilt itself, it is blue, (Chelsea blue hopefully), ash grey and black, all kona fabrics. The plus signs are one full square in the centre, with a half square radiating out. Where the plus signs all intersect is a black square. And that is the problem. I don't like the black square.
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When I first looked at plus quilts there were the simple plus signs and then this slightly more complex plus but set in square. I thought I should stretch myself a little and do the more complex, but the black stands out too proud. To me it changes the whole balance of the quilt and instead of lots of quiet little plus all doing their mathematical best to live alongside each cohesively there is a big interloper shouting, look at me, look at me. The little plus signs are hidden behind these black squares. So what to do? Keep on? The son probably won't in all honesty be that bothered either way if at all. But it annoys me, but it won't be in my house. And it means ripping out lots of sewing, or just scrapping it and starting again. Which seems a shame. Though I really haven't done that much, it is a work in process rather than a finish a long. IF I was on instagram I could ask for a vote! What do you think?
As for the son, when I told him I was making him a quilt he thanked me politely but turned it down. Twice and again the next day. Told him I was making it anyway and it might be useful during all that snow the east coast of the USA gets and it would be useful for visitors over or under the sleeping bag. He then gracefully said thank you very much, perhaps he would like it after all. I knew I would wear him down. But that is why I am anxious that it doesn't shout out and just sits quietly in a heap in the corner of the room. I seem to have answered my own predicament. Start Again.
Onto my books, I have finally finished "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie". It was good when I finally got into it, a book to read through and not pick up and set down the way I did.
This week's book I have already finished in one go on Sunday. I read "The Lie" by Helen Dunmore. I feel I should be reading books about WW1 so this drew my eye. Unfortunately books about the aftermath of the war have a tendency to be traumatic. By page 8 I could feel the tears come. By the end the tears were actually running off my chin. Don't let me put you off. An excellent book, I really enjoyed it. (sort of ) (cried off and on for the rest of the day)
Helen
x
This week's WIP (work in process) is so much a WIP but more a SS (standing still). Back in March when I was helping my friend Rosie finish a quilt for her son in Korea, I thought maybe I should be making a quilt for my own son in the States. Whether he wants it or not is another thing! As a physicist I thought a plus quilt would be the thing. I have been wanting to try one for a while. I even have lots of squares cut out to make a small one, all stored ready and waiting in an empty Jo Malone box. They are flowery though, and he would hate them.
So I started the plus quilt, hoping to have it finished by Easter. Ho Hum. When I was sewing at 1.30 in the morning (husband was away for business) and I went to put on my glasses, to find I already had glasses on, that was when I realised this wasn't going to be finished for Easter. I know, I'll finish it and post it over. Ho Hum. We are meeting up with him in July and that would be the time to take it over to him. We are meeting up and travelling around a bit. He travels light, but even to post it from Nashville to his home would not be as expensive as posting from the UK.
Well on to the quilt itself, it is blue, (Chelsea blue hopefully), ash grey and black, all kona fabrics. The plus signs are one full square in the centre, with a half square radiating out. Where the plus signs all intersect is a black square. And that is the problem. I don't like the black square.
When I first looked at plus quilts there were the simple plus signs and then this slightly more complex plus but set in square. I thought I should stretch myself a little and do the more complex, but the black stands out too proud. To me it changes the whole balance of the quilt and instead of lots of quiet little plus all doing their mathematical best to live alongside each cohesively there is a big interloper shouting, look at me, look at me. The little plus signs are hidden behind these black squares. So what to do? Keep on? The son probably won't in all honesty be that bothered either way if at all. But it annoys me, but it won't be in my house. And it means ripping out lots of sewing, or just scrapping it and starting again. Which seems a shame. Though I really haven't done that much, it is a work in process rather than a finish a long. IF I was on instagram I could ask for a vote! What do you think?
As for the son, when I told him I was making him a quilt he thanked me politely but turned it down. Twice and again the next day. Told him I was making it anyway and it might be useful during all that snow the east coast of the USA gets and it would be useful for visitors over or under the sleeping bag. He then gracefully said thank you very much, perhaps he would like it after all. I knew I would wear him down. But that is why I am anxious that it doesn't shout out and just sits quietly in a heap in the corner of the room. I seem to have answered my own predicament. Start Again.
Onto my books, I have finally finished "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie". It was good when I finally got into it, a book to read through and not pick up and set down the way I did.
This week's book I have already finished in one go on Sunday. I read "The Lie" by Helen Dunmore. I feel I should be reading books about WW1 so this drew my eye. Unfortunately books about the aftermath of the war have a tendency to be traumatic. By page 8 I could feel the tears come. By the end the tears were actually running off my chin. Don't let me put you off. An excellent book, I really enjoyed it. (sort of ) (cried off and on for the rest of the day)
Helen
I like your plus quilt......I think the black makes it look dramatic. You've done so much work on it already..........I would definitely finish it as it is.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if we still have to vote or not now Helen! Lol
ReplyDeleteI think for what it's worth it would be a shame to abandon it and it seems a bit drastic to take it apart, I would finish it as it is!
V x
I like the colour combination but the plus sign would stand out better if the black and blue were swapped around. I don't know what you should do. Why don't you make it double sided? Prob silly idea. Have had wine don't listen to me
ReplyDeleteI think it looks fantastic and is just at that stage where you can't believe it's all going to be okay until you've quilted it, and then it looks just the way it was meant to be:-) Or maybe you could knock the black back a bit by quilting it in grey? But if you are not feeling the love maybe you just have to go for it!
ReplyDeleteYou are funny. SS stage, lol. Well good luck meeting your deadline! You can do it!
ReplyDelete