I really wish we had more time for this challenge. Reveal day snuck up on me and I really wanted more time to play. Our gray, wet days had me uninspired and depressed. Once again, making myself get to work on my Twelve by Twelve quilt help tremendously and the hope that spring will return is renewing.
I really didn't have a plan when starting this quilt. I began with quilting the background and painting. I tried Terry's method of mixing yellow and black to form chartreuse, but I didn't like the results. I prefer a clearer color and mine just turned muddy. No problem, I just added more paint, yellow-green, yellow, gold, citron. I pulled out all my chartreuse embellishments, hoping for inspiration. I had fun coloring anything metal with alcohol inks, but still didn't find direction. I knew I would need to add other colors -- straight chartreuse may be bright, but not very interesting. After much experimenting, I fell in love with the purple, orange, chartreuse combination. My plan of attack was to cover the quilt in orange and purple circles, perhaps add in some of those embellishments. The trouble was that after sewing down all those circles it lacked a focal point. I found the Textiva film in a box of long forgotten materials. It's perfect for the color scheme--all three colors depending on how the light hits it. I didn't have the right color of fabric paper made for the chartreuse circle so I used hand dyed wool felt. And of course, I had to include one of those dyed washers. My final question was how to finish the edges. I like the look of a pillow case finish that so many of the other Twelves use. Didn't work so well with this one. The fabric paper circles along the edges perforated and it was just a mess when I tried to turn it right side out. I cut off the backing fabric and pulled out some ball chain. Into the alcohol ink it went . I carefully machine stitched around each little ball to create the beaded edge.
In the end, I love how this little quilt turned out. I went to my husband for help naming it. His thoughts were about fish eggs and fertilization. It wasn't working for me. Instead I just went with "Play" because that was what this quilt was all about.
11 comments:
I hear you, Niki! It has been difficult to feel joyful in the studio with our protracted and bleak spring weather! You have created a really fun and joyful piece.
This has a very playful energy to it -- it's all about fun! I love seeing how you use circles.
This looks like a friend for your Pizza Planet pieces!I love the ball chain border -- how clever and appropriate with all those circles!
This is so cheerful Nikki and the border is so clever, it really finishes the quilt off perfectly
I like the playfulness of this piece and I have to agree -- that ball chain finish is perfect!
Wow, those colorful circles just POP off that chartreuse. Fun and playful it is indeed!
What a clever edging (would NEVER have thought of that!) and just right to edge all those circles with more little teeny circles. Who would have imagined that you could make a quilt with so much purple and orange and still have the chartreuse be The Star.
I had to come back and comment on how wonderful that beaded edge is! Very clever and attractive!
Ha! Your husband was seeing fish eggs and I saw a frog eye and frog eggs. Very playful and unexpected color combination.
Who would have thought that those colours work together! So playful and what a wonderful finishing.
That ball chain is genius! You machine stitched it?! I hope you were wearing safety goggles! There is such a fun variety of materials here. I can almost hear it crinkling.
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