Learn It
Instructions
When using only 3 colors keep balance in mind. Using a variety of fabric patterns can make this challenging. Lay out your blocks - take a picture - and sleep on it. Get a 2nd opinion. Fellow BOMers and my Hubby were a great sounding board and made good suggestions (Thx!). Don't limit yourself to solid sashing. Consider a border. Both can make a big difference.Difficulty:
Category: Quilting
Type of item: Home Decor
For: Charity
Style: Whimsical, Mod, Funky, Casual
Materials
Cotton fabric & thread. Yardage, FQs and stash.
What was your inspiration?
I auditioned various fabrics for sashing. Solid colors just don't work for these blocks. Too much red, too much black, and white is too blase. Did a lot of pondering then recalled I sometimes enhance fonts while creating brochures. This got me thinking. About 18 months ago, I bought the pattern: "Shadowbox" by Kari Nichols. Check out Quilt Dude - he made this quilt as a project: http://www.craftsy.com/project/view/floating-blocks/13204 I love its look. So... how about 3D!
What are you most proud of?
Combining a tone-on-tone black with a red-on-black print for the sashing achieved the balance I was determined to create. I also like this layout a lot. It flows yet each block stands out on its own. Yep! The layout changed again. After much deliberation I arranged the layout with corner diagonals, zizags, and balance among the 3 colors and various fabric patterns. Many thanks friends (and hubby) for all your help! Though hard to see due to the bad angle of the photo the blocks appear to float above the background. The computer mockup is clearer. Once I add the final outer print strip and a wide black tone-on-tone border the entire quilt top should pop. I've decided to quilt each block separately (as part of Leah's class). I've never done FMQ (newbie!) so it may be some time before I can post the finished quilt.
What advice would you give someone starting this project?
Have fun making the monthly blocks. Don't be afraid to make them your own by altering or substituting blocks. Use a scant 1/4 inch seam consistently and square up your blocks to 12 1/2 inches. Take a photo of your layout and sleep on it to help decide on your final design. Feel free to get creative with sashing and borders. Enjoy the learning process and remember "there are no quilt police"!
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