As I sorted, I ran across a packet of three St. Paddy's day fabrics. The leprechauns were only a long quarter yard. What to make?? Let's do fast 4 patches.
I thought of my mantra, USE IT! so I thought, make a seasonal piece in two days? Why not! Challenge!
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| Added this extra shade of green, oy! |
Then the learning began...
1. All shades can go together... if there are a lot of them, Three do not constitute "a lot" so the different tones stand out more
2. A motif that looks fun up close, can look like PJ's from a few feet away, even after you've cut borders and sewn them in they may have to go.
3. Just because fabrics are all "in theme" doesn't mean you can use them together
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| Toyed with the idea of words on it |
Er... well.... yeah.... but it's what I do.
Insulate the house with quilts.
I have many quilts that are shown in lectures, others that are shown as examples when teaching, others that are so sentimental I would never voluntarily give them up.
But...
Every quilt isn't for exhibit. Some provide design experience and the fun of seeing how fabric looks cut up into shapes. Some fabric's only purpose is to entertain me for the moment.
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| Wish I had enough of these for the back, heh heh |
It provided fun sewing time and some learning moments. If only by negative example!
A side note, from the Writer's Almanac for today... this is the birthday of the National Gallery of Art opened this day in 1941 as a bequest from Andrew Mellon:
"When the National Gallery opened on this day in 1941, President Roosevelt gave the dedication speech. He said: "To accept this work today is to assert the purpose of the people of America - that the freedom of the human spirit and human mind which has produced the world's great art ... shall not be utterly destroyed."
Admission is always free to the public. More than 4.5 million people visit the National Gallery each year to view its 120,000 pieces of art.
Much of the art was purchased by Andrew Mellon from Russia, Stalin ordered their national art to be sold to pay off their country's debt. Secretly. Beware of leaders with secrets.
I think it's cute as is! Cheery. And on today, that's a good thing.
ReplyDeletegreat rules..and I think it's cute also. Those motifs need to be seen closeup so a table runner is perfect. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI like the piece! I liked that you incorporated some smaller pieces of the leprechaun fabric into the four patches and not just the alternate blocks. To me, that gave the piece cohesiveness. I found the rules interesting about all shades can go together if there are a lot of them. I'm going to mull that over in my head today. Have a great ST. Pat's day!
ReplyDeleteall shades go together in my abstracts, tones you might not like together in big blocks, mix in a wonderful way when lots are sewn together to make a leaf, for instance. Or in watercolor quilts. It's like mixing your own green paint from blue and yellow. The eye mixes them.
DeleteI have a weakness for some of the novelty prints but end up not using them. Last summer I donated (along with many other guild members) several seasonal table runners to a local agency that has several group homes for disabled adults. The runners were things I made for fun but didn't LOVE enough to want to keep them. LifeQuest loved getting these runners to brighten up their dining room tables. They will be washed and loved often and that's a good thought.
ReplyDeletei did the same with most of my conversation print when we made reversible long bibs with velco tabs for senior in residential homes!
DeleteYep, I agree with all your findings. I probably learned them the same way!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of cutting the novelty print into large pieces and making smaller 4-patch blocks to complete the large 4-patches. I think that's a design feature that's good to remember. Thank you for giving us all something to think about here.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent reminder. Use that precious and/or ugly duckling fabric. When I lectured, I made it a point to show my learning moments. Too many lecturers only share their success stories. I felt so intimidated when I was just getting started and someone would share their "first" quilt and then say it won a national prize. I mean, why bother?
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love that shamrock with the ladybugs fabric. So adorable! Happy St. Patrick's Day ~ Erin Go Bragh ☘️
ReplyDeleteI love playing with fabric, especially seasonal fabric. I love green, too, but have never had any for St. Patrick's Day, so it was fun to see what you played with! I also love that you learn as you go. i bet you are a wonderful teacher!
ReplyDeleteAlways fun to watch you play, and see what lessons you share. I love the Roosevelt quote - seems apt in these times.
ReplyDeleteYaay ! Beer Fabrics! Cheers My Quilt Friend! I've made one whole fuzzy flannel beer quilt for my oldest son. He loves the snuggle feel of it....
ReplyDeleteVery nice! Love the beer fabric - thanks for sharing on Midweek Makers!
ReplyDeleteInsulate the house with quilts! Finally the perfect description of my style of making!! :) Your piece is really fun, thanks for sharing and inspiring!!
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