Totem

I've just finished my three Free Bee blocks for May. John Quilt Dad asked each of us to make a stack of three 10-inch quilt blocks inspired by Erin Wilson's Totem series. Each of us chose a color. I think I was yellow/green, though I ended up much more green when it came time to sew.

Water Tower

The fabrics are a mix of shot cottons, hand-dyed solids, an over-dyed print, and a commercial blue solid. I wrote about dying the fabric several weeks ago.

Telephone Pole

Then I went to sew the blocks and I was at a complete loss for inspiration. I started one block but was unsatisfied with how it was turning out. Color, composition, all of it was so disappointing.

Factory

The deadline passed without any further progress. Feeling guilty on my ride home from work Tuesday, I resolved to pick three items along the way as inspiration for the three block compositions. It was an industrial neighborhood, and the three items were a water tower, a telephone pole, and a factory. In real life, all three are various shades of grey and brown so I had to take liberties with the colors.

All of the totems in the group Flickr pool look wonderful. I can't wait to see the finished quilt.