Tag Archives | Fabric as inspiration

I continued working on my latest quilt, using lots of trial and error. This is where I left off in the last blog post. I decided against the strong stripes in the lower left.

This closer shot shows how I first, fold the fabrics to audition placement and size. I cut into them when I get confidant with my plan, but I don’t do the piecing until near the end.

Compare this next photo to the one at the top of the page. I decided I needed some more blue. And I also wanted to enlarge the yellow area near the center. (And to do so with an irregular shape.)

Here, the background is completely pieced, although I’m auditioning a few little spots of color which I intend to fuse on.

Time to assess what I’ve got. Is it interesting enough? Does it have enough energy? Does it need something else?

What about some skinny and loose black circles? I auditioned the idea on my computer.

Well, I liked the circles, but not the black. What about yellow?

Yes, I think that will do!

I should have this finished soon and I’m looking forward to showing you the finished project.

Ellen Lindner

After making each art piece I  like to study it to see if I can figure out what works and/or what does not.

I was particularly happy with this recent quilt, Exuberance, so I studied it a bit. My question: “what makes it successful?”

Exuberance

I think it has a strong composition, good use of colors, and effective use of value variations. What about the white circles in two corners? How critical are they? They certainly add interest, but is there something more?

To help me figure it out I also looked at this quilt, Raking Season. It has rust and black circles made with same stencil as the blue and white above. While I think this quilt is very successful, it doesn’t have the sparkle of the first one. I think maybe it has to do with the color of the circles. The light ones add sparkle.

Raking Season

Hmm, something to think about. Maybe all my quilts need some light spots to add that sparkle.

To test my theory, I made sure to select some light fabrics for the quilt I’m currently work on. These were my “definite” fabrics when I first started moving them around. As you can see I’ve got some white and black areas in several places. I know they’ll attract attention, so I’ve got my eye on them as I add more fabrics and move things around.

Slowly creating and enjoying it.

Ellen Lindner

Historically, I haven’t been a fan of red and yellow combinations, but for some reason, I now find myself drawn to them. I still think they’re a little jarring, but it seems that I now like that. As evidence, I recently dyed fabrics with these colors.

I created a variety, hoping I could use them together. As you an see, I repeated a bean shape in several colors. I was happy with how they worked together and was anxious to get started.

I realized some of the lightest fabrics wouldn’t fit well into the mix. But, I had some other fabrics I thought I could use. I pinned everything together on the design wall. And I loosely arranged them: a good starting point.

Knowing the contrast of red and yellow, as well as the contrast of different values, would attract attention, I placed them (above) in approximately “sweet spots.” These are considered ideal locations for focal points. They’re easy to identify: picture a tic-tac-toe game overlaying the overall shape. Where the lines cross are sweet spots.

I immediately thought the red fabric with yellow beans was a little too “regular.” (See above) That is, the beans were spaced too evenly. I thought the composition would be stronger if they were “messed up” a little bit. So, in the photo below, you can see that I sliced right through the red bean fabric, and scooted things out of alignment.  Better, I thought.

Next, came A LOT of auditioning as I folded, rearranged, cut (only once I was sure,) and pieced.

It was like a giant game of Tetris. Eventually, I had the left portion pieced and began to work on the yellow fabrics on the right.

It all went more slowly that I would have liked, but I was definitely having fun!

More next time.

Ellen Lindner

For the first time I worked on two quilts at the same time, finishing them up very close together. Here’s the latest, Twigs.

Twigs

I’m very happy with it. And here’s a detail shot.

The dark twigs were done in the dyeing stage. The white ones were added after piecing, with acrylic paint. As you can see, I used the same stencil for both.

See more details, including purchase information.

Ellen Lindner
P.S. After neglecting it for quite some time, I’m finally hemming and altering clothes. At only 5′ tall, I do a lot of that!