This time, I am sure. That is what I kept telling myself. I was sure of the colors, sure of the plan.
This would be a romantic, patchwork quilt, with no scheme... just randomly pieced, for casual comfort. La-di-da... I sang, with the birds, and the chipmunks kept me company, while goats and chickens gamboled across the manicured lawn. I was organized, calculating, full of conviction and confidence, and dashes of whimsy!
Today, I am here to confess a few things. I have what I am going to call
Random Resistors. Some innate, stubborn, artistically rigid thread in my being will not let me just
go for it! I could have tossed the squares in a sack, then sewed them together, pulling up one square at a time, and paying no heed to the order or rhyme. But, no.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sL1qqCDr91p0DzikKAOIYRTwQO8dUruWryUNtRd3RbuwuhgLHMC0l2LTCHHhtI1xKxKxJFfKMSLcReQ7cBSU4aeFy0lttoV2nbWqZ3hPyX8ZXhO8qkeg=s0-d)
Max walked by and said something about
tones and
color intensity, and then I was obsessed with finding a pleasing aesthetic, something
interesting, yet romantic, casual, whimsical, simple.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uFDux3ZTOSSB3fKYNpWFJqLONPW_MXXahbB8Joa-HkHNF1smFUTefFRF-2OFpVdL-8Bs6d7AeVXwnGNQYtd3t5LyQr42LiP-nRlLbYwKOL-5Nj1XQ=s0-d)
Next, Maria and I were on our hands and knees, making a
deliberate attempt at randomness. Then we tried different nine patch patterns. After that came
reds in the corner, and alternating shades between.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sveDFq0s1_wB7Ed41kNRvzTnGr6hwl0iNf-uXn_0bCCRVWqkMJk0vD6ad2L3J8z9jR5sJ2ezrxzlaRM1ZLJSdqMKMaOXbMPN9x1OQz8kNZXtXSU4XgHA=s0-d)
Hours later, I found myself not at all convinced and confident of anything. So, I called in an expert.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uvaeu-xewQhjdXPerBmGkSeDpGDRLXAQBOPBjpTLkyeKP6ymmjtfNit680KIsdASTcnc20MWQW4Okoa1KOlrpsI-WyN31ntMWiY9dQfB1dVuiRr33tew=s0-d)
It's been a long time since he does this,
but Max has not lost his touch for design, and remarkable ability to see what's possible with what is on hand. I love
how beautifully he composed all the prints for his frog quilt, and so I watched, rapt, while Max sorted through all the possibilities.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tOA7oYk54XWR89ZChtoaf26uIe_o798dyWcor4cVc14Hj_0ueAG1bB1-SmNqZ4OgWAvyM6wtPXYtJyrz1f6_bl2vRqG0qG2V_AbgRFZ9Oe_HNdew=s0-d)
One challenge... I have different amounts of twenty different prints, and nothing was cut or planned with an actual pattern in mind.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tKR92gpVscCwp-74vAGG1WydqRhnLwwMewHVdjpNcAMGBOTVHd5cnrCmL-9nKM9C2k-7ZankGmzf_9ZQKnemAzbasmmbyHU_NJUZPoS_pk9omhXQBBTDKt=s0-d)
There can be no doubt Max was heading into a really beautiful pattern, but though we had a lot of squares, we did not have a lot of the necessary squares. Another problem had to do with space... the squares were strewn across the floor, and taking shape, but overlapped, and not in a convenient grid, or rows, so it would be impossible to maintain the design, on the floor, until I could piece all the squares... the obstacles were mounting, and that's not even taking into account Mister Foo's curiosity and playful antics.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vNt7ff__QYI2OZ98l-PYzs6ZAQicFqoW1aQR7R2fNSqQ4xByYz1c0KyQxpo5cUNUTay_7VDmfcQeZV1IqicZ3NQ9WproFCElxREtc78ZJaqbNI2gM=s0-d)
Seeing this, how beautiful the quilt could be, with thought and planning, I resigned myself to doing something better than
random.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sarldSWpENtgp3qHtmeu-Qe5wXUq15n9c6tpTU2Qfe1N6QU_SnH7imY24ryG4XTaMJbmG5mg-dUUGSOMZKpXTgxHrYkHKzd9EGPgJvUIORpKa3B9dN=s0-d)
For now? I am back to a stack of comforting colors, and no idea where to go next!
4 comments:
Such a pretty puzzle…
Thank you, Judy... you are helping me keep a healthy perspective!
Such a beautiful stack...how about alternating warm and cool colors without a cool touching a cool and vice versa with the warm colors. Good luck to you.
I am going to see what I can do with this suggestion.
And maybe I need to break down and buy a little more of some of these prints.
Thank you, Laura!
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