25 June 2012

Traveling Quilts: Round 4

For round 4 of the Traveling Quilts bee I worked on Elizabeth's quilt. For each round of this bee we add to blocks created in the previous round then send to the next quilter for further additions. There is a strong eclectic and improvisational vibe in the group, and we're free to respond to each quilt however we like. We can attach or not attach our additions, leaving composition to later robins, if we like.

Monica sent me Elizabeth's quilt many weeks ago. Elizabeth had started with a vertical box motif that my brain keeps calling the "rain chain," though I'm not sure that makes any sense with these colors. Next, Heather made four paper-pieced heart blocks with Elizabeth's neon colors. And Monica threw a Pac-man party!


I wanted to incorporate some of Heather's blocks, and maintain some of Monica's retro video game vibe. I framed two of Heather's hearts in solid colors, pulled out a large black dot print, and carefully measured to create a  ontinuous dot border.

Laying them next to the preceding pieces the blocks seemed so heavy and dark. The truth is I'm a bit scared of white, so I'm more likely to reach for a color or a print than for plain white. I stewed for a couple days (I was already late, mind you), and decided I could make it better, keeping the dark dots while making it a tiny bit less heavy. 


I unpicked the dots, trimmed down the color borders, amputated a dot on each edge, and I was satisfied. The 16-patch in the lower right is my own block, along with the connecting 4-patches between the large blocks.

This was a difficult round for me. There is a lot of color, and a lot going on. Looking at the photos, I wonder if a better strategy might have been some simple white borders. But here it is, and now it's Penny's turn.

Update: It's round 4, not round 3, so I corrected the title.

11 comments:

  1. There is amputation involved in quilting...who knew!! It looks fabulous, Dan. I'm a little afraid of white myself, I totally know what you mean.

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  2. I really like the impact of the big spots you added. This is going to be an amazing quilt.

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  3. Детская тема - яркая, интересная идея!

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  4. Your blocks are stunning and the big polka dot frames are perfect - personally I don't think white would have been really lame - and if you look at it the quilt progresses from black skinny strips to black mini squares to big black dots - perfect
    Don't fret, you've done a brilliant job here - can't wait to see what happens next round

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  5. Great quilt, love your blocks and how it's all tied together now. Your blocks look like the homes for the chompers

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  6. Yep, brilliant in more than one or two ways! Nolan Bushnell would be honored!

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  7. There is a lot of color, but I mean that in the best way possible. This is awesome! I love the big dot you used, and the boldness really works!

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  8. i think it looks great. there is a good balance between negative space, heavy, light, color. it's working nicely.

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  9. When in doubt, make a square and frame it.
    Love those big dots.

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  10. The dots really make the blocks stand out! I like the blocks you added in your self, the splashes of colour takes away from the black =D

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