Hello Quilting Friends! The last couple of days have been spent rummaging through the fabric stash looking for the perfect fabric to compliment the Home Again BOM applique blocks. So I pulled a few pastels and pinned them to the design wall so I could stare at them for hours on end while cocking my head from side to side. When I tired of standing in one place I decided maybe I needed to look at them from a different angle. Maybe if I sat for a bit it would help me make my final decision. Then I realized I might be standing or sitting to close them. Standing outside the Studio and staring produced the same results, I wasn't happy with these colors. It was time to get away from the design wall and studio for awhile and let these brew around in my mind for a bit while I did some household chores. Each time I passed the Studio I would stop briefly and once again stare at the wall. Nope! Those fabrics still don't trip my trigger. I should be making the last 4 blocks but I'm not one to fight my process. Flying by the seat of my pants is how I work best.
It's time to take this to the next level. One by one each block was removed from the design wall so I could take an overhead picture of them.
Each block ended up looking like the image below.
Using a photo editing software (PhotoScape) each block image was cropped and edited.
I then imported all of the block images into EQ8 so I can draft the Home Again quilt and add my blocks.
Here's Erin Russek's final layout. Simple and easy to draw in EQ8.
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Let the playing begin! My white blocks show up a little gray. Oh well, taking the time to edit them again just didn't sound like much fun.
After a few minutes of color play the design play started. Yes my friends I can't follow a pattern. I'm notorious for tweaking patterns to my own liking. It's not something I plan to do it just happens. And you never know I might stay with the original plan.
Only time will tell but for now....
...maybe it needs more borders, maybe some applique could be added to the borders?
You know red is always eye catching. LOVE MY RED!
But what if we tone down the red just a little bit. Oh I like! But what if....and then ideas start flowing.
I think I have a plan...Maybe. I'm still playing with my plan but here's a look at the fabrics I'm playing with right now. Hopefully by the time I finish the last 4 corner blocks I will have made a decision on both fabrics and design. What do you think? Do you a favorite from the quilt images above? Or maybe a totally different color option idea? What do you think about an appliqued border? Leave me a comment below with your ideas and thoughts, I love hearing other ideas!
If you haven't downloaded all the free blocks for the Home Again quilt there's still time. They can be found at One Piece at a Time HERE. To find all the FREE blocks just scroll and click on older posts at the bottom. You can also do a search in the side bar search box of her blog. The large center block is not free but it is very reasonably priced since all the other blocks are free. It can be purchased here.
Lea Anne, I am loving this quilt and am not normally drawn to applique quilts, but this one has stolen my heart. I would like to see you try out a paler yellow than the ones you have shown....or perhaps a pastel yellow and white print, something that tones down the yellow as it is not loud in the rest of the blocks. I think the red would make the blocks run away and the other colors in solids are tooo tooooo. I wish I had better language to explain what I see, but I hope you can read through the lines. Good luck finding just what you want.
ReplyDeleteI really like the last quilt layout that you showed. I like the yellow, and the little pop of red adds just the right accent. You are an amazing designer!! Hugs, H
ReplyDeleteSew man options to play with. Yes, tone it down from the RED red, I like the check one. Enough to say, Yes, I'm here without yelling it.
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