Spring break spoiled me! I had tons of time to really get down and dirty with my sewing machine and bring some of the quilty ideas from my head into fruition. Wait, I must not lie. Things didn't come to full fruition, but I did create some more WIP's (Work In Progress.) Foremost is this wild ride of stripey goodness. Since my last update, I have made some progress.
I created four squares for the center of this quilt, each a nine patch of mitered stripes and a half border of those triangle things that I have seen on the traditional bear paw block. I have been designing this as I go, and without a proper design wall I have laid ideas out on the floor and snapped poorly framed pictures from above in an effort to help me decide.
My original idea calls for sashing between these blocks which will provide more separation and allow each of the four blocks a presence of their own.
I knew that I would like these original four blocks to be the center of something larger. I found an image in little book that I received from my secret Santa my first year of teaching about Amish Quilts which gave me the idea of a diamond within a square and continuing with the those bear paw or saw tooth points. The drawing tucked under the half square triangles above was the next incarnation of the design. I used the purple highlighter to indicate which parts I had completed.
The design continues to take shape with a mix of mitered stripes and my low volume background fabrics fashioned into a shape for which I have no name... These two pictures were taken while I was perched atop an 8 foot ladder so I could get the whole layout in the shot. Grr, the lack of design wall is killing me! I like the layout above and the movement the shapes have. Ok, so here is a little tip, that perhaps you already know, but a really great way to see color value, or the differences between the lights and darks of an image is to squint your eyes. Give it a try, when you squint and look at the photo above you may see a pinwheel shape in the red fabrics. Below you may be apt to focus on the vertical column of red that runs through the center of the quilt.
What tips to help you through the design of a project? I'd love to hear your ideas and really any advice you might have about a design wall! I really need to stop this insanity and save myself from toppling from the ladder.
I'm linking up with the lovely Lorna McMahon at Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Be Social. It's a great way to meet some new friends, see what your old friends are up to and soak up tons of great inspiration!
