Monday 11 April 2011

Quilting Adventures in Knitterland
problem solved

As mentioned in my post yesterday, DD and I were having trouble finding a satisfactory layout for our blocks from the sampler quilt. The yellow dominated the blues - despite the fact that there are five times as many blue and purple blocks as yellow blocks.

 I stayed up late on Saturday trying to find a solution; drawing grids on scrap paper looking for the answer then trying the layouts with the actual blocks. At 2am, I called it quits and went to bed; I was cold and very tired (it had been a long day including the six hours at the quilting workshop, an hour and half's driving in each direction plus more quilting when we got home). 

First thing yesterday morning, I pulled those screaming yellow blocks out of the mix - the other twenty-five blue and purple blocks fell into place in less than five minutes (after a couple more hastily drawn plans on paper).

laid out on the floor because we have no design wall (yet)
ignore the navy sashing - it's still pinned on from Saturday
DD and I got some quilting time in the afternoon after our trip to the quilting exhibition (Wednesday's post) and have pieced two of the five rows of blocks together.
The two blocks second from the right look like the same fabrics in this photo
- they're not; the upper one has a strong geometic pattern in yellow; the horizontal sashing will separate the apparent tonal similarity
 DD thinks the resulting quilt might be a bit boring but I see it with a narrow inner border or binding in yellow so that will lift the whole quilt.

Just in case you think I've abandoned it, I knitted while watching the final episode of the current series of Midsomer Murders - the last episode for Sergeant Tom Barnaby (played by John Nettles).

And wouldn't you know it, the sock I was knitting was yellow!

3 comments:

  1. I think it looks great, and a yellow border/binding will be a really nice touch, and give it the lift it needs without overpowering it.

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  2. in the two bits of block piecing I've done, I've learned how tricky it is. The last one, all black and white prints, had Sean get involved as well and we spent an hour moving bits around. Who knew it was so fiddly!

    Great last ep of MM I thought. They did it nicely.

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  3. Ah, this looks great! Not boring at all! Isn't it neat to see how just a little adjustment changes it so much! Glad you are at work with the socks!

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