Sorry that I could not get a better picture of this--the background at center and with that SW motif is about the color of a paper bag. The round with the stars is an "old gold" but a fairly clear pretty blue.Boy, oh boy, do I need some suggestions about what to do with this round robin. It is Gary's who started with a low contrast block of Carpenter Wheel in the center. Aline did well, I thought ,with the small Friendship star round. Then Karen decided that it was going to go Southwest---HUH? What has that got to do with a Civil War theme? Remember me saying that one of these quilts had acrylic paint on it? Those black marks are all painted on. Of course, that was a "no, no" in the rules.
Lauren kept it simple and tried to calm that all down by using the 1800 repro dark pirnts with a lightish black and tan print around it. Pat carried the blues and starts outward. SIGH, who the heck knows what Mildred was thinking? It is not black but navy--the last two rounds have been navy and another color. I imagine she thought she was picking up on the navy in the first star round and possibly the red tones.
Okay, my instruction for this round are enough to curl my hair if it weren't naturally wavy/curly to begin with---make my hair on my neck stand up maybe?? "Add a border no wider than 6 inches finished to pull the quilt top together using at least TWO of the folloiwng--applique or pieced: hearts, curves, houses, stars, flowers, fans, bowties, pinwheels. For added touch, you can applique something special anywhere on the quilt"
I'm thinking the background needs to go back to that paper bag brown color but beyond that who knows? As much as I am not fond of applique that is what my mind keeps coming back to. I am afraid to measure this as it would just make me want to stuff it away again. It is due on December 5th so I do have time to do the two commissioned SEC quilts late this week and early next. I also cannot keep handling it as I noticed when I went to hang it up that it has a lot of places were it is coming unsewn at the edge--need to either stay stitch it or go back and re-sew it. Seriously, I need some help or a clue or something. Finn already said she would duct tape me to the chair if I said I was ever doing another one of these.
I still have hopes of at least cutting out my butterfly challenge today but time is slipping away. Errands and a walk in the local park took a big chunk of the morning. This afternoon, Aline needed my help in taking digital pictures of her with the quilt she made for the Steel Magnolia group of the Calhoun County Cancer Society. You can see it HERE. The picture will be submitted to the Community Pages of the local paper. I ran out to her house and verified who got copies and where it should be sent once I got back to my email addy. The instructions I had about 200 dpi resolution was confusing me--you need that when you print or scan but not emailing that I know of. SOOOOO, here's the picture you do what you need to do, LOL and let me know if I have to do it over again.
I'm outta here--try some cutting and hope those butterflies aren't going sideways like these poor animals in this one I did a few years back seen HERE. Maybe just cut a chunk of muslin, mark arrows on it for directional lines and see before I cut out ALL the butterflies? Not much room for error with only a half yard to use. Later...........
It is a very beautiful RR. I would perhaps made som flowers with hearts as leafes. Use the ligth fabric as background. I am sure you will make something beautiful on it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! LOL I've got a RR I've got to get done, too, so you're on your own with this one. Why do we do this to ourselves? I know, "to stretch our creativity"! Right? Now that I'm back from Houston, the RR is priority since the owner would like to have it for Christmas and the lady before me slowed things down a lot but only because she had emergency surgery. I do like your idea about using the paper bag brown color. You'll figure it out..you always do!
ReplyDeletethe creamy "brown paper bag" colour, the light blue and the rusty red seem to be predominate colours. I'd pick up on these to tie it all together....
ReplyDeleteOf course - now that I send you an email I can get to the comment section instead of getting an error message. Go figure!
ReplyDeleteThis post is enough to deter me from ever doing a round robin. I'm sure you will come up with something great though.
ReplyDeleteI agree with going back to the paper bag color. Maybe something viney appliqued around two corners?
ReplyDeleteHmm. For what it's worth, I'm afraid you're right about needing applique to tie it all together. I think I'd try curved vines, using the green of the center for leaves (maybe use the same diamond shape.) Since you're stuck with the southwestern layer, what about using those motifs in the same colors much smaller as flowers on the vines. If the yellow or (orange in the picture) "flower" shapes were drawn out to make round flowers for the vines I think that would do it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Libby abour applique around two corners.
You KNOW I am going to remind you NEVER to join a RR again!!! This one has just been too over the top with rules and regulations and issues. I am glad for you that it is almost over and done!!!
ReplyDeleteI will fly to your house and personally HELP duct tape you to a chair and cover your mouth! This clinches why I will never do one of these. What are these people thinking? If I were him I'm rip it up and removed that monstrousity of southwest whatever. It could easily go back to a nice quilt. The last round was weird too but no where as bad as that painted mess.
ReplyDeleteHere you go...I agree with the applique. I'd use the background from the center, make a curved vine, the green for leaves and the colors in the bricks row..blue red and gold for the flowers. Even if the measurements come out weird you can bend stems and curve them to make it appear even even if you have to fudge a bit to make it square again.
Paint?! It looks good from far away, though. I think picking up on that light brown is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'd want to applique all the way around that thing... how about making pinwheel type flowers in the southwestern colors, simple flowers, since pinwheel is one of the options you have to pick from?
ReplyDeleteThen connecting spaced out on-point pinwheels with bits of curved applique stems? All on a tan paperbag background?
I love it! If it were me, I think I'd do a very narrow piping in the same blue from the border with the stars, then go with a very neutral border - it needs something to relax it as it gets toward the outside so your eyes calm down. Perhaps that same fabric that is just inside of the blue with gold stars (looks brownish). If you do anything with that, it should be very unclutterd and calm. Perhaps just something simple in the corners of a plain border?
ReplyDeleteJust my two cents.
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Linda, you are scaring me!! I just signed on for a RR to start in January. there are only 4 of us and we all like the same sort of thing so hopefully it will go well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the "paper bag" background and would go back to flowers with blue and rust(?) I think applique is the way to go can you fuse it?
Hello Linda :-)
ReplyDeleteMay I contribute to the confusion ? ;-)
The RR monster looks big from here - am I right ?
Doing applique around this monster seem like a very slow thing to do. What comes to my mind is doing Bow Ties, in fact before I saw it was between what you were allowed to. You could set them so they form a zig zag border, using the paper bag brown as a background, adding a spacer strip with the the paper bag brown before and after, so the Bow Ties will float.
You will never have to duct tape me to a chair keeping me away from RRs, that is for sure. Mine previous and your experiences with RRs are all I need to do my own sewing for the future, thank you ;-)
well, if you read my blog you know I LIKE round robins -- but this one has gotten way out of hand! I think 4 people is the best number; that way it doesn't have to get enormous and the "owner" can still add a final border if she wishes.
ReplyDeleteI would add a border that's part pieced and part plain -- like a few bowties and stars or something around the corners and the middle part just plain.
I"ll confuse you some more - From the picture anyway I like it. But my suggestion would be to look at some old medallion style quilts and see if you can find anything that would work on this one. Nothing like running short on time for this huge quilt!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I'm just here to send a supporting hug - no suggestions (sorry). Good luck with this one and by the way I'd fly there, too to duct tape to a chair. LOL
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness...what a mess! Other than the paint I suppose the workmanship is there, it's hard to tell from the photo.
ReplyDeleteI would have leaned towards a dark outer border to STOP the insanity, except the next to last border kinda kills that idea. The paper bag brown would be my next choice. I read all the suggestions and I do like the ones about applique, especially Judy's. Good luck with this thing...and I've going out today and BUY more duct tape!!!!!! You know what that means...right??? *VBG* Hugs, Finn
I have no suggestions for you because I'd just probably stand there and cry if I had to work on it!
ReplyDeleteGood luck....you'll do good no matter what you decide it needs.
Is this the same round robin event that Veronica is participating in? I am not sure what to do with this one. I agree with the paperbag brown colour for a background. Your choice of applique is a good one. Applique should allow you to put come curves back into the quilt--maybe some sort of simple celtic design to tie back to Gary's center.
ReplyDelete